#olten

[hansgutphotography]

© hans gut | 2026

[mrzblog]

OLEZELO

[sparkys-ec-corner]

happy birthday ney~!! 🎉❤

—from the Lucifenian Palace staff and Kyle

[merpmonde]

Last Sunday's double hike

The weather wasn't as clear and dry as the forecast had said, but it was expected to improve, and I figured that changing skies could make for an interesting atmosphere in Devil's Gorge, Tüfelsschlucht, near Hägendorf. I made a wrong turn at the base, but the signs soon pointed towards the upper section, and I'd recommend going that way: the climb is stiff but it gets the job done, and the path in the hills offers a variation on just going up and down the gorge. The fog was also a plus!

I had the Tüfelsschlucht on my radar for a while, but I needed a weekend because 3-4 hours by train each way from home made it impractical for a day out. It's definitely worth the visit: a lovely stream with the occasional waterfall flows in the sometimes very narrow gorge, and the path is well maintained and comfortable. Picnic under the rocks, that's something I don't do every day!

My destination in the afternoon was half an hour by train from Hägendorf (including the 20-minute connection at Olten): Aarburg. I'll probably talk about the Woogs another time, but this is the town's signature view, with the rivers, church and fortress towering above. I've seen fortresses left in ruin, others restored and coverted into hotels or youth hostels, but this one still serves as a prison to this day! It probably would reject that term, it's a "youth village" for rehabilitating young offenders, but high fences topped with barbed wire give it away...

With Aarburg not keeping me busy for long (for obvious reasons, the castle cannot be visited on a regular basis), I left the fortress heading East, waiting for a sign to tell me how far it would be to save a few francs and walk back to my hotel in Olten. It took a while, but one finally showed up: via the Sälischlössli peak, it was reasonable, so I added another 7 km hike to my morning's similar distance! The view of Olten from the top was worth it.

[allthingseurope]

Olten, Switzerland (by Patrik S.)

[hipstafootprint]

Showtime · Olten · Switzerland

[wiionme]

[guerrerense]

A nice Em 3/3 por jaeschol Por Flickr: The 3 axle shunter was built in around 1962. Most of the survivors look a bit run down and shabby. The shunter for the maintenance work in Olten is really nicely maintained and got a fresh red cover.