- Reichenbach Falls
The Reichenbach Falls (Reichenbachfall) are a series of
waterfall s nearMeiringen ,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 theReichenbachfall-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 manywaterfall s in theBernese Oberland , the Reichenbach Falls seems to have made the greatest impression onSir 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 ofMeiringen . 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 vanquishedProfessor Moriarty , on 4 May 1891.""Reichenbach Falls" was also the title of a 2008
BBC Four TV drama byJames Mavor , based on an idea byIan Rankin and set inEdinburgh . Numerous historical characters associated with the city, including Conan Doyle and his mentor DrJoseph 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
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