UNESCO World Heritage Trail – Bench No. 13: The Lötschen Pass – A Historic Crossing

To this day there are only a few points where it can be crossed. One of them is the Lötschen Pass. Access to the Gasterntal leads through the narrow Chluse gorge, a passage used since early times. Mule drivers climbed this steep ascent as the first stage of their journey across the Lötschen Pass.

A Road into the Gasterntal

Since 1912, a road has led into the Gasterntal. Building this road through the narrow rocky gorge was a remarkable feat of engineering: stone parapets, dry-stone walls, an elegant arched bridge, two tunnels and a half-gallery can still be admired today. The road remains in use. As vehicles cannot pass each other, it operates on a one-way timetable (uphill 45–05 minutes, downhill 15–35 minutes).