Page 91 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Switzerland
P. 91

Must See
                                                                              EXPERIENCE MORE



                                                                               5                   6                   Solothurn (1522) by Hans
                                                                                                                       Holbein the Younger.
                                                                               Olten               Solothurn           Ferdinand Hodler’s dramatic
                                                                                                                       depiction of William Tell
                                                                               ! D3–D4   £ @       ! C3   £ @   n Hauptgasse   emerging from the clouds,
                                                                            EXPERIENCE  Mittelland, Bernese Oberland and Valais
                                                                               n Frohburgstrasse 1;    69; www.solothurn-city.ch
                                                                               www.oltentourismus.ch                   painted in 1897, is iconic.
                                                                                                   Acclaimed as Switzerland’s
                                                                               The small town of Olten is set   most beautiful Baroque city,   St Ursen Kathedrale
                                                                               in a picturesque location on   Solothurn was founded by   '   ⌂ Hauptgasse   § 032
                                                                               the banks of the River Aare.   Celts but later became the   626 46 46   # Church: 8am–
                                                                               Pedestrian access to the old   second-largest Roman town   6:30pm daily; tower: Apr–
                                                                               part of the town is provided   north of the Alps. From here,   Oct: 9:30–5:30 Mon–Sat,
                                                                               by the Alte Brücke, a covered   boats depart for Biel/Bienne,   noon–5:30pm Sun
                                                                               bridge dating from 1802.  and explore a particularly
                                                                                 The Old Town is dominated   scenic stretch of the Aare.  Altes Zeughaus
                                                                               by the tall Gothic belfry of a      Solothurn’s monumental   "   ⌂ Zeughausplatz 1
                                                                               church that was demolished    Neo-Classical St Ursen   # 1–5pm Tue–Sat, 10am–
                                                                               in the 19th century. There are   Kathedrale, was built from   5pm Sun   ∑ museum­
                                                                               many fine historic houses,   1763 to 1773, and is flanked   alteszeughaus.so.ch
                                                                               particularly on Hauptgasse   by friezes depicting the city’s
                                                                               and along the Old Town’s   patron saints, Ursus and   Kunstmuseum
                                                                               riverbank. Also of interest are   Victor, martyred by the   "   ⌂ Werkhofstrasse 30
                                                                               the 17th-century monastery   Romans. The treasury in     # 11am–5pm Tue–Sun,
                                                                               church and the Neo-Classical   the crypt is open for guided   10am–5pm Sat & Sun
                                                                               Stadtkirche, which dates from   tours only. The climb up to    ∑ kunstmuseum­so.ch
                                                                               1806–12 and is decorated   the bell tower is worth it
                                                                               with detailed paintings by   for the sweep  ing views
                                                                               draughtsman and caricaturist   over the rooftops to the   7
                                                                               Martin Disteli. Many works     surrounding countryside.
                                                                               by this local artist, along      Nearby is the former   Weissenstein
                                                                               with 19th- and 20th-century   arsenal, the Altes Zeughaus,   ! C3   n Solothurn,
                                                                               paintings, installations and   now a museum of militaria,   Hauptgasse 69;
                                                                               sculpture, are exhibited in    including arms and uniforms
                                                 Boating on the sparkling      the Kunstmuseum.    used by Swiss mercenaries   www.solothurn-city
                                                 waters of Oeschinensee                            who served as bodyguards     Some of the most spectacular
                                                 against an awe-inspiring      Kunstmuseum          to popes and French kings.   views of the Mittelland can be
                                                 backdrop of snowy peaks       "   ⌂ Kirchgasse 8   # Tue–  The town’s small art gallery,   enjoyed from the summit of
                                                                               Fri 2–5pm, Sat & Sun 10am–  the Kunstmuseum, contains   the Weissenstein, a ridge of
                                                                               5pm   ∑ kunstmuseum­  some fine Old Masters,   the Jura that rises like a
                                                                               olten.ch              inclu ding the Madonna of   rampart 1,284 m (4,213 ft)





       1
       1  In winter, visitors and locals
        come out to ice skate and walk
         on the frozen Oeschinensee.
        2  Wooden chalets are dotted
        around the shores of the lake.
        3  The Kandersteg-Allmenalp
        via ferrata goes through stun-
         ning mountain landscapes,
         passing a 350-m- (1,150-ft-)
       high vertical wall and crossing                                                                           The beautiful Baroque city
        four lovely waterfalls created                                                                           of Solothurn located on the
            by the Allmibach river.  2          3                                                                banks of the River Aare
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