Reichenbach Falls

Did You Know?

• At 110 m, the upper Grand Reichenbach Fall is one of the highest waterfalls in the Alps.
• The falls lose 290 m of height from the top to the valley floor of the Haslital.
• A hydroelectric power company harnesses the flow of the falls during certain times of year, reducing its flow.

Location

The Reichenbach Falls are found in the lower Reichenbachtal on the Rychenbach, a southern tributary of the Aare. They sit about 1.5 kilometers south of Meiringen, near Interlaken, within the Bern canton municipality of Schattenhalb. The Reichenbach Funicular provides access; its lower station is a 20-minute walk or six-minute bus ride from Meiringen railway station on the Brünig line connecting Interlaken and Lucerne.

In popular culture

The Reichenbach Falls are globally known as the setting where Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty fight to the death at the end of 'The Final Problem', published in 1893. A memorial plate at the funicular station commemorates Holmes, and a Sherlock Holmes museum exists in nearby Meiringen. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was shown the falls on a Swiss holiday by his host Sir Henry Lunn, founder of Lunn Poly. Sir Henry's grandson Peter Lunn recalled that his grandfather said 'Push him over the Reichenbach Falls' and then showed them to Doyle, who was so impressed he decided to let his hero die there.

The actual ledge from which Moriarty fell lies on the opposite side of the falls from the funicular, accessible by climbing to the top, crossing a bridge, and following a trail downhill; a plaque there reads 'At this fearful place, Sherlock Holmes vanquished Professor Moriarty, on 4 May 1891.' The pathway where the duel occurs originally ended very close to the falls, but over a hundred years it has eroded and the falls have receded. The falls appear in several early 19th-century paintings by J. M. W. Turner.

The indie band Ravens & Chimes named its 2007 debut album after the falls, and the band Racing Mount Pleasant included a song of the same name on its 2022 debut album. The Granada Television series starring Jeremy Brett filmed its adaptation of 'The Final Problem' at the real falls, and later returned there for scenes in 'The Empty House'.