2023-12-12 08:52:58
A cowbell rings somewhere. We are in northern Switzerland, roughly in the middle of a triangle between Bern, Lucerne and Grindelwald. There, near the town of Meiringen, is the Reichenbach Falls. There are actually three waterfalls in which the Reichenbach falls into the valley and then flows into the Aare. The most impressive part is the top one. It is about 120 meters high. Its water mists are visible from afar, especially after the snow melts or when there is a foehn wind.
There are many visitors; a cable car was built for them as early as 1899. Strictly speaking, many people come here not because of the water mist, but because of Sherlock Holmes: he died here. At least that’s what you can read in the short story “The Last Problem” or “His Last Case”, which Sir Artur Canon Doyle published in 1893, six years before the cable car was built. In it, Doctor Watson, the master detective’s doctor and confidante, describes how and why he died far from home.
“It is with a heavy heart,” he writes, “that I take up pen to create the final memorial for all time to the outstanding intellectual gifts of my friend Holmes. I decided not to portray the incident that left a gap in my life two years ago. However, the recently published letters of Colonel James Moriarty have put the pen in my hand and left me no other choice.”
There are actually three waterfalls in which the Reichenbach falls into the valley and then flows into the Aare. The most impressive part is the top one
Quelle: picture alliance/robertharding/Christian Kober
Colonel James Moriarty: This was Professor Moriarty’s brother. He, in turn, was a criminal of the first rank who and his gang had been causing fear and terror in London for a long time. Holmes manages to arrest all members of this gang. Just not Moriarty. “He is the Napoleon of crime,” Holmes said to him. “Half of all the crimes in this cosmopolitan city, and almost all of those that remain undetected, are perpetrated by him. He is a genius, a philosopher, a thinker.” According to Holmes, if he could free humanity from him, he would have achieved the highest goal of his career.
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson flee to Switzerland
In order not to become a victim of Moriarty himself, who would also like to get rid of his pursuer, Holmes flees with his friend Watson across Europe to Meiringen in Switzerland. Although he assumes that Moriarty is following them.
Source: Infographic WELT
When they arrived in Meiringen in the Haslital, the two found it comfortable, as Watson writes. They stayed there on May 3, 1891 in the “Englischer Hof”. That was probably the template for it „Parkhotel du Sauvage“, which still exists today. “The landlord, Peter Steiler, spoke excellent English. On his advice we set off together on the 4th to walk over the heights to the mountain hamlet of Rosenlaui, where we wanted to spend the night. By the way, he had warned us to visit the Reichenbach Falls, which are halfway up. These make a truly horrifying impression with their surroundings. The stream, swollen by the melting masses of snow, plunges into a terrible abyss from which the foam swirls up like smoke from a burning house.
While Holmes and Watson are still marveling at the natural wonder, the story continues, a young boy catches up with them and gives Watson a letter from the innkeeper Peter Steiler. In it he asks the doctor to come back quickly and take care of a seriously ill English woman who also lives in the “English Court”.
Watson turns back. Holmes stays. Watson: “Holmes, he said, wanted to stay at the waterfall for a while and then slowly hike over the mountain to Rosenlaui, where I was supposed to meet him again in the evening. As I walked away I saw Holmes leaning against the rock wall with his arms crossed and looking down into the waterfall. As fate would have it, it was the last time I saw him.”
Many mourned the loss of the famous detective
In the “English Court” no one knows anything about a sick English woman. And nothing about a guy and a letter that he was supposed to deliver. Watson rushes back to the waterfall. No sign of Holmes. However, two rows of footsteps lead up to the edge of the waterfall, and signs of a struggle can be seen just before the precipice. But there is not a single footprint back. Leaning against a rock, all that’s left is Holmes’ walking stick.
The 1893 illustration by Sidney E. Paget shows Holmes fighting his archenemy Moriarty before they both fall into the depths
Quelle: Getty Images/Heritage Images
Hidden inside, Watson finds a letter addressed to him. “My dear Watson, as I am about to come to a final confrontation with Professor Moriarty, I can indulge in the happy hope that I will succeed in putting an end to his further activities, but unfortunately at a price that will be difficult for all who close to me and will be especially painful to you, my dear Watson. As I have already explained to you, my work had to take a decisive turn, and the conclusion that it has now reached is entirely in line with my wishes.”
What these wishes mean is: The evil Professor Moriarty is finished. However, at a calculated, highest possible price: the selfless death of Sherlock Holmes, which dragged Moriarty, who wanted to kill Holmes, into the terrible abyss with him.
Sherlock Holmes is dead. By suicide, so to speak. It is now known that Sir Arthur Canon Doyle wanted to put an end to the Holmes series with this story. He no longer felt like constantly inventing new detective stories (by the way, he also no longer felt like eating foie gras after eating a lot of it.)
In the Sherlock Holmes Museum in Meiringen, fans can find out more about the famous detective
Source: picture alliance/Christiane Oelrich/dpa
Not even the author’s mother, an avid Sherlock Holmes reader, could dissuade her son from his decision. The great popularity that Holmes had now achieved led to public mourning for him. People in London are said to have tied black ribbons around their upper arms. And many disappointed readers of The Strand magazine, in which the stories had appeared regularly, canceled their subscriptions.
Fans make a pilgrimage to the Reichenbach Falls near Meiringen
This has helped the Reichenbach Falls and the surrounding region in Switzerland to have the aforementioned cable car and a lot of additional visitors – all following in the footsteps of Sherlock Holmes. There is a memorial plaque at the described battle site. It says in English and German: “In this fearsome place, Sherlock Holmes defeated Professor Moriarty on May 4, 1891.” Anyone who experiences the breathtaking roar of the overwhelming waterfall understands why author Conan Doyle let his hero die here: It is a worthy grave indeed.
There is a memorial plaque at the spot where Holmes fought Moriarty
Source: picture alliance/Christiane Oelrich/dpa
You can find out more about Holmes in the Sherlock Holmes Museum in Meiringen, which opened around 30 years ago on the 100th anniversary of the master’s death. You can see the reconstructed living room of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson from 221B Baker Street in London. The local restaurant also offers Sherlock Holmes fondue, and for overnight guests there are holiday apartments furnished like in Holmes’ time.
More tips for Sherlock Holmes fans:
Not to forget: The German Sherlock Holmes Society Every May 4th lays a wreath at the crash site at Reichenbach Falls – for a man who did not die around 130 years ago. Because in the story collection “The Return of Sherlock Holmes” Sir Arthur Canon Doyle reveals the details of the actual events at the waterfall.
The German Sherlock Holmes Society honors Holmes every May 4th with a wreath at the crash site at Reichenbach Falls
Source: picture alliance/Christiane Oelrich/dpa
After that, only the evil Moriarty died. Not Holmes. After transporting the villain to the afterlife, he stayed hidden for a while for safety reasons and then continued his work as a brilliant sleuth for many more years. Incidentally, it is said in the Meiringer Museum that he is still alive – and in any case, no obituary has been published in the London “Times” to date.
Additional Information: Meiringen Tourism: meiringen.ch/uebersicht-tourismus; Sherlock Holmes Museum in Meiringen: sherlockholmes.ch; Switzerland Tourism: myswitzerland.com/de-de/reiseziele/meiringen-hasliberg/
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