Solothurn

The canton of Solothurn is as rugged as any in Switzerland: its borders stretch across the Jura heights and the Aare valley, reaching almost to the gates of Basel. A trip to Solothurn takes you to Switzerland's most beautiful baroque city, to a watchmaking town, and up the Weissenstein, where you can take in the entire chain of the Alps.

Between the Jura and the Aare

The canton lies at the southern foot of the Jura, where the Aare flows through a broad valley from Grenchen via Solothurn to Olten. Above it rise the ridges of the Weissenstein and the Passwang, whose pastures are grazed by cows in summer. In the north, the Schwarzbubenland and Thierstein regions belong to the canton, separated from the rest by the territory of Basel-Landschaft. This is where you'll find Mariastein Abbey, a pilgrimage site with a grotto chapel.

Towns and Cities

Solothurn was the seat of the French ambassadors to the Swiss Confederacy from 1530 to 1792, and this influence explains the palaces, fountains, and churches in the baroque and Régence styles. The city has a peculiar fondness for the number eleven: St. Ursus Cathedral has eleven altars and eleven bells, the steps leading up to it have landings of eleven steps each, and there are eleven fountains and eleven churches and chapels. Olten is Switzerland's most important railway junction, with a covered wooden bridge over the Aare and a lively art museum. Grenchen is a watchmaking town, home to watch brands and suppliers, and has a small airfield.

Sights in the Canton of Solothurn

The sights in Solothurn include St. Ursus and Victor Cathedral, the Zeughaus (Old Arsenal) with one of Europe's largest collections of armor, and Waldegg Castle in Feldbrunnen, a baroque summer residence. From Oberdorf, a gondola lift takes you up the Weissenstein, where on clear days the view stretches from the Säntis to Mont Blanc. The Verena Gorge near Rüttenen leads to a hermitage that is still inhabited today.

Thal, Gäu, and Schwarzbubenland

East of the capital lies the Thal region around Balsthal, a secluded Jura valley with Neu-Falkenstein Castle and the Klus, a narrow gorge cut by the Dünnern. The Gäu between Olten and Oensingen is flat and shaped by agriculture, crossed by the Aare. In the Schwarzbubenland beyond the Jura, an exclave region toward the French border, you'll find the ruins of Dorneck Castle in Dornach and the Goetheanum, a monumental concrete building and the center of anthroposophy, founded by Rudolf Steiner. Hiking trails lead across the Jura ridge to mountain restaurants with views over the Swiss Plateau.

To explore the city of Solothurn, start at the Basel Gate, stroll along Hauptgasse to the cathedral, and finish at the Aare, where bars open along the Landhausquai in summer.

Food, Festivals, and the Best Time to Visit

The Solothurner Torte, a hazelnut meringue cake with buttercream, is the city's specialty. The Solothurn Film Festival takes place in January, the Literature Days in spring, and Carnival is called "Chesslete" here, kicked off with noise and white pointed caps. Olten is reachable from Zurich, Basel, and Bern in about half an hour. The best time for hiking on the Jura heights is from May to October, when the Aare boats between Solothurn and Biel are also running.