Beinwil, Passwang, Mills, Iron, Hohe Winde and Kamms

25 January 2024

The former monastery of Beinwil and the Benedictine monastery of Mariastein (canton of Solothurn) are as inseparably linked to each other as the river Lüssel is to the Jura mountain range of Passwang with Vogelberg (1204 m) in canton Basel-Landschaft as its highest point.

View from the top of the Vogelberg.

The source of the Lüssel is near the Vogelberg in the municipality of Lauwil at an altitude of 1080 metres. It flows through the Bogental (Canton of Basel-Landschaft), the Chessiloch and the valley of Beinwil (Canton of Solothurn), past the ruins of Neu-Thierstein Castle (11th century, Canton of Basel-Landschaft) and flows into the Birs at Zwingen (Canton of Basel-Landschaft).

The Benedictine monastery of Beinwil was founded in the 11th century. Beinwil owned a lot of land. For this reason, the municipality of Beinwil is still one of the largest in the canton. There exists even an Unterbeinwil and an Oberbeinwil in this commune of a few hundred inhabitants! The Lüssel flows past the former monastery, and an old mill, ‘the Säge’ (sawmill), a smithy (Hammerschniede) and brickworks (Ziegelhütte) stood along the river.

Die Schmitte or Hammerschmiede in Joggehus

Another mill in the hamlet of Joggenhut (canton Solothurn), the forge ‘die Schmitte or Hammerschmiede‘, stands along the Lüssel. It has been known since 1693 and is still functioning. The forge shod the horses of the tenants of the monastery’s farms. After all, iron was plentiful in the area.

Bergrestaurant Erzberg

The village of Erschwil along the Lüssel and the Ertzwil Inn (Bergrestaurant Erzberg) are reminders of this past. The forge was bought in 1868 and has since been continued by George Anki. The company George Anki AG in Erschwil still exists today. The two wheels of the forge still function. The large wheel drives a hammer and a grinding stone, and the small wheel operates a bellows.

Restaurant-Gasthaus Zum Reh in Joggehus in 2024, the beginning of the 20th and 19th centuries.

The abbot of Beinwil also founded an inn at Joggenhut in 1708 to accommodate the many pilgrims.

Nature is also of great beauty. For this reason, the SAC has even named a path, the SAC anniversary trail, to the Hohe Winde (1206 m), the highest peak in the area. Another path leads to the Kleine Winde.

The Lüssel near Joggenhut at the beginning of the Hohe Winde path of the SAC (Jubiläumsweg Hohe Winde)

The trail

The Lüssel near Erschwil

The mountains, hiking trails, forests, meadows, streams and (Alpine) views of the jubilee trail give an impression of the varied and impressive Jura and alpine landscape.

The summit of the Hohe Winde offers views of Passwang, the Schwarzbubenland, the Jura, the Alps, the Lüssel Valley and the cantons of Jura, Solothurn, Bern and Basel-Landschaft.

The summit of the Hohe Winde

The 20-kilometre Passwangstrasse (Passwang Road) runs along the Lüssel. This road and the Passwang Pass (943 m) connect Laufen (Canton of Basel-Landschaft) and the Balsthal (Canton of Solothurn). The Pass has also always had strategic and military significance.

The 200-metre Passwang Tunnel (from 1933) gives an impression of the mighty natural fortress, where from 1939 and during the Cold War (motorised) divisions, tanks and a border brigade were stationed. Its headquarters were in nearby Mümliswil.

Mümliswil and the Haarundkamm Museum

Mümliswil (Solothurn canton) in the Guldental valley is not just any village. British royalty, German emperors and half of Europe used combs ‘made in Mümliswil’!

The even smaller village of Ramiswil is home to one of the country’s best-preserved mills (Mühle Ramiswil), built in 1596. Another place of interest is the Heilig-Blut-Kapelle and its remarkable genesis, which stretches from Schellenberg (Liechtenstein) to Dayton (Ohio) in America!