Through the Gaishölle

The name recalls what the route was once like: “Geißen” meant scrambling over the rocks like a goat, while “Hölle” described a narrow, untamed place. Today, thirteen bridges lead through it.

Over a distance of 800 metres, the Brandbach tumbles into the valley across rocks and boulders, dropping 154 metres and crossed by 225 steps and thirteen bridges. The first path was laid in 1880; two years later, a society was founded for its upkeep, and it still exists today.

Above the gorge, the landscape opens up: vines, orchards and views across the Rhine Valley. Along the way are the Schnapsbrunnen, small huts where local distillers offer their eau-de-vie to passers-by. You help yourself, payment goes into an honesty box.

The way home passes farmsteads and descends through the vineyards, ending exactly where it began: at our front door.