Taubenloch
Encyclopedia
Taubenloch, is a gorge
located in the Canton of Bern, above Biel/Bienne
in Switzerland
. It crosses the first Jura Mountains
mountain chain, as considered from the Swiss Plateau
.
(altitude: 517 m) to Bözingen, a suburb of Biel/Bienne (altitude 447 m). Deep down flows the Suze (river)
that originates in the Erguel
, i.e. (Saint-Imier
valley) to merge into the Lake of Bienne.
and Geneva
.
Already in the times of the Roman Empire the area was already well colonised: The main Roman roads axle in Helvetii
from Rome led to Aventicum
(Avenches
). It continued through Morat
, Chiètres
and Kallnach
to Solodorum (Soleure) and Windisch
, along the eastern part of the Seeland
. Via Witzwil
, a second road crossed the Seeland between the Lake of Neuchâtel and the lake of Morat. A bifurcation from Petinesca went through the steep gorge of Taubenloch, crossed the Jura
through the Col de Pierre Pertuis
pass leading to Augusta Raurica
and Germany
along the Rhine.
Canyon
A canyon or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This forms a canyon. Most canyons were formed by a process of...
located in the Canton of Bern, above Biel/Bienne
Biel/Bienne
Biel/Bienne is a city in the district of the Biel/Bienne administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.It is located on the language boundary and is throughout bilingual. Biel is the German name for the town, Bienne its French counterpart. The town is often referred to in both...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. It crosses the first Jura Mountains
Jura mountains
The Jura Mountains are a small mountain range located north of the Alps, separating the Rhine and Rhone rivers and forming part of the watershed of each...
mountain chain, as considered from the Swiss Plateau
Swiss plateau
The Swiss Plateau or Central Plateau constitutes one of the three major landscapes in Switzerland alongside the Jura mountains and the Swiss Alps. It covers about 30% of the Swiss surface...
.
Location
The stretch of the gorge covers around 2 kilometers, from FrinvillierFrinvillier
Frinvillier,in German Friedliswart, is a village in the Canton of Bern, district of Courtelary. Its populations is around 185 people. It belongs to the Bernese Jura, on the territory of the community Vauffelin.-Tourism:...
(altitude: 517 m) to Bözingen, a suburb of Biel/Bienne (altitude 447 m). Deep down flows the Suze (river)
Suze (river)
- Down flow :It takes its source in a moorland at over 900 meters of altitude, in the high valley of Les Convers, . It flows down the whole length of the valley of Saint-Imier, , leaving it through the gorge of Taubenloch, it flows across the city of Biel/Bienne into the Lake of Bienne, at the...
that originates in the Erguel
Erguel
Erguël is an ancient seigniory of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Basel, and under protectorate of Biel/Bienne, under military jurisdiction from 1335, in the now so called valley of St.-Imier, in the now Bernese Jura, Switzerland...
, i.e. (Saint-Imier
Saint-Imier
Saint-Imier is a municipality in the Jura bernois administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is located in the French-speaking Bernese Jura .Observatoire Astronomique de Mont-Soleil is located above the village....
valley) to merge into the Lake of Bienne.
History
It is one of the rare natural crossings from the Swiss Plateau to the Jura mountains between SchaffhausenSchaffhausen
Schaffhausen is a city in northern Switzerland and the capital of the canton of the same name; it has an estimated population of 34,587 ....
and Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
.
Already in the times of the Roman Empire the area was already well colonised: The main Roman roads axle in Helvetii
Helvetii
The Helvetii were a Celtic tribe or tribal confederation occupying most of the Swiss plateau at the time of their contact with the Roman Republic in the 1st century BC...
from Rome led to Aventicum
Aventicum
Aventicum was the largest town and capital of Roman Switzerland . Its remains are beside the modern town of Avenches....
(Avenches
Avenches
Avenches is a Swiss municipality in the canton of Vaud, located in the district of Broye-Vully.-History:The roots of Avenches go back to the Celts...
). It continued through Morat
Morat
Morat can refer to:* a type of mead made from honey and mulberries* Rose Morat of New York City, the victim of a high profile muggingIt is also the name given to:* the town of Morat, also known as Murten, in Switzerland...
, Chiètres
Kerzers
Kerzers is a municipality in the district of See in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. Its French name is Chiètres.-External links:*...
and Kallnach
Kallnach
Kallnach is a municipality in the Seeland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.-Sights:Kallnach is considered the longest Straßendorf in Switzerland. It stretches along the foot of a moraine of the Rhône Glacier at the edge of the Grosses Moos...
to Solodorum (Soleure) and Windisch
Windisch
Windisch is a municipality in the district of Brugg in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:Windisch is situated at the site of the Roman legion camp Vindonissa. In 1064 the current municipality was mentioned as Vinse, and in 1175 as Vindisse. Until the 19th Century the official name was...
, along the eastern part of the Seeland
Seeland (Switzerland)
Seeland is a region in Switzerland, at the foot of the first mountain range of the Jura Mountains containing the 3 lakes of Morat , Neuchâtel and Bienne . In previous aeras, it was the floodplain of the Aare and is thus swampy. After the huge hydrological works Jura water correction, the area...
. Via Witzwil
Witzwil
The penitentiary systems Witzwil are a men's prison with a huge farm on the territories of the municipalities Erlach Gampelen and Ins in Canton of Berne and the municipality of Haut-Vully in Canton of Fribourg, Switzerland...
, a second road crossed the Seeland between the Lake of Neuchâtel and the lake of Morat. A bifurcation from Petinesca went through the steep gorge of Taubenloch, crossed the Jura
Jura mountains
The Jura Mountains are a small mountain range located north of the Alps, separating the Rhine and Rhone rivers and forming part of the watershed of each...
through the Col de Pierre Pertuis
Col de Pierre Pertuis
Col de Pierre Pertuis is a mountain pass in the Jura Mountains in the canton of Berne in Switzerland.It connects Sonceboz and Tavannes.The name of the pass comes from the Latin: Petra pertusa, meaning broken rock...
pass leading to Augusta Raurica
Augusta Raurica
Augusta Raurica is a Roman archaeological site and an open-air museum in Switzerland. Located on the south bank of the Rhine river about 20 km east of Basel near the villages of Augst and Kaiseraugst, it is the oldest known Roman colony on the Rhine....
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
along the Rhine.
Origin of the name
The name Taubenloch was found for the first time in a document dated 1532. Several versions as to its provenience are still being debated :- Daubenloch', from the German word Daube meaning precipice, trenchTrenchA trench is a type of excavation or depression in the ground. Trenches are generally defined by being deeper than they are wide , and by being narrow compared to their length ....
. - Die Taube: (DoveDovePigeons and doves constitute the bird family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerines. In general terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably...
) Local legend : a young man loved a young girl who was so beautiful, charming and gracious that her nickname was de die Taube, fr. la Colombe (the Dove). Both wanted to get married. But she was chased by the despotic Sire of nearby Rondchâtel. She only found a sorry escape from his clutches in throwing herself to death down the gorge, which was henceforth called the Taubenlochschlucht (the gorge of the Dove), in her memory. - Similar, but less romantic: (Taube), that supposedly used to nestle into the steep rocky walls of the gorges.