Reichenbach Falls

Reichenbach Falls

The Reichenbach Falls (Reichenbachfall) are a series of waterfalls near Meiringen, Switzerland. They have a total drop of 250 m (820 ft). At 90 m (295.2 ft), the Upper Reichenbach Falls is one of the highest cataracts in the Alps. The falls are made accessible by the Reichenbachfall-Bahn funicular railway.

Artistic references

The town and the falls are known worldwide as the setting for an event which never actually happened: Reichenbach Falls is the location where Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's hero, Sherlock Holmes, apparently dies at the end of "The Adventure of the Final Problem" locked in mortal combat with his arch nemesis, Professor Moriarty. Out of many waterfalls in the Bernese Oberland, the Reichenbach Falls seems to have made the greatest impression on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the author of the Sherlock Holmes stories. So impressed was Doyle that he decided to let his hero die there. A memorial plate at the funicular station commemorates Holmes, and there is a Sherlock Holmes museum in the nearby town of Meiringen. The actual ledge from which Moriarty and Holmes apparently fall is on the other side of the falls; it is accessible by climbing the path to the top of the falls, crossing the bridge and following the trail down the hill. The ledge is marked by a plaque written in English, German and French; the English inscription reads: "At this fearful place, Sherlock Holmes vanquished Professor Moriarty, on 4 May 1891."

"Reichenbach Falls" was also the title of a 2008 BBC Four TV drama by James Mavor, based on an idea by Ian Rankin and set in Edinburgh. Numerous historical characters associated with the city, including Conan Doyle and his mentor Dr Joseph Bell, are mentioned in the story.

External links

* [http://www.reichenbachfall.ch/ Reichenbachfall-Bahn]
* [http://docbug.com/Pictures/Switzerland-2002/Meiringen/ Photos] from a fan - of Sherlockian interest — shows the memorial plate.
* [http://www.sherlock-holmes.org.uk/galleries/beeline/pages/23160795_jpg.htm Photos from the Sherlock Holmes Society of London]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/cinema/features/reichenbach-falls.shtml "Reichenbach Falls", BBC Four Film & Drama]

Wikisource links


=


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Reichenbach Falls — ▪ waterfalls, Switzerland German  Reichenbachfälle,         falls on the Reichenbach (creek) in Bern canton, central Switzerland, one of the highest falls in the Alps. There are five cascades with an overall height of 650 feet (200 m); best known …   Universalium

  • Reichenbach — is the name of a number of communes and places, it is also a family name:In Lower Austria, Austria*Reichenbach (Litschau), a part of Litschau, *Reichenbach (Rappottenstein), a part of Rappottenstein, In Germany*Reichenbach (Oberlausitz), in the… …   Wikipedia

  • Reichenbach [3] — Reichenbach, Heinr. Gottlieb Ludw., Hofrath, Director des botanischen Gartens und des Naturaliencabinets und Professor der Naturgeschichte zu Dresden, geb. 1793 zu Leipzig, schuf in der Botanik, für die er früher besonders thätig war, ein neues… …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • Professor Moriarty — Sherlock Holmes character Professor Moriarty, illustration by Sidney Paget which accompanied the original publication of The Final Problem . Last appearance …   Wikipedia

  • The Adventure of the Empty House — The Adventure of the Empty House, one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as The Return of Sherlock Holmes .ynopsisContextThis is the first Holmes… …   Wikipedia

  • The Adventure of the Final Problem — is a short story by Arthur Conan Doyle, featuring his detective character Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in Strand Magazine in December 1893. It appears in book form as part of the collection The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes . Conan Doyle… …   Wikipedia

  • Sherlock Holmes — Infobox character colour = #DEDEE2 name = Sherlock Holmes caption = A portrait of Sherlock Holmes by Sidney Paget from the Strand Magazine , 1891 first = last = cause = creator = Sir Arthur Conan Doyle portrayer = episode = Four novelsFifty six… …   Wikipedia

  • The Six Messiahs — is a 1995 novel by Mark Frost, a sequel to The List of Seven . The two main characters are real life person Arthur Conan Doyle (albeit engaging in fictional actions) and fictional character Jack Sparks.Infobox Book name = The Six Messiahs image… …   Wikipedia

  • Liste de chutes d'eau — Cette liste est incomplète ou mal ordonnée. Votre aide est la bienvenue ! Salto Angel, la plus haute chute du monde, Venezuela Ceci est une liste des chutes d ea …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Arthur Conan Doyle — For the professional athlete, see Conan Doyle (rugby player). Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Born Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle 22 May 1859(1859 05 22) Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”