Gorges in Germany - mystical and wildly romantic

When pastor Johannes Schiebel reasoned at the beginning of the 20th century about when the Breitachklamm was created, which in his opinion could only be the work of God, he came to an age of 25,000 years.

Today we know that the Breitachklamm near Oberstdorf was formed in the last ice age and is therefore at least 10,000 years younger. But she still had enough time to carve her way deep into the rocks of the Bavarian Alps.

Glacier melt and scree that was carried away formed one of the deepest gorges in Germany. Viewed from the inside of the gorge, the narrow rock walls rise up to 150 meters.

Today, around 300,000 visitors flock to the Breitachklamm every year, making it one of the most visited gorges in Germany. There is a particularly large number of visitors between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Those who enter the gorge later have it quieter, but have to hurry due to the limited opening times.

In the days of Pastor Schiebel, you still had to be abseiled into the Breitachklamm. In order to create access and paths, the first blasting was carried out in 1904, and the opening was celebrated in 1905.

The secure path leads over 2.5 kilometers from Tiefenbach near Oberstdorf to the neighboring Kleinwalsertal, always along moss-covered cliffs, below which the Breitach roars. A nice side effect: Because it is shady everywhere in the gorge, it offers cooling on hot days.

Info: In the summer season open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; the opening hours mentioned may also be closed due to the weather. Admission adults (from 16 years): 6.50 euros, children (5 to 15 years): 2.50 euros, www.breitachklamm.com.

The Drachenschlucht near Eisenach in the Thuringian Forest is considered Germany's narrowest gorge. There, where the rock walls come closest, only 68 centimeters remain, so hardly more than a shoulder width. Normally, only a knee-high body of water flows through the gorge, which, however, swells into a torrent within a few minutes when it rains heavily. Then the water rises through the gratings that serve as a footpath, and the Drachenschlucht becomes impassable.

The gorge is one of the most important geological natural monuments in Thuringia, and not just because of its record dimensions. Their appearance is also very special. Because the rock faces covered with lichens and mosses resemble a high-pile green carpet in places.

A damp and cool microclimate is also typical of the Drachenschlucht, which welcomes hikers with pleasant temperatures even on hot days - and keeps their senses awake for the beauty of nature. Because in addition to mosses, various ferns also thrive in the million-year-old gorge; and underneath fire salamanders and toads have established themselves.

The entrance to the Drachenschlucht is in the Mariental, on the southern outskirts of Eisenach. The first two of the three-kilometre path lead through the gorge and are flat, but the last kilometer gets steep. Hikers have to fight their way up to an altitude of 434 meters before they can rest on the wooded high plateau "Hohe Sonne", which is crowned by a baroque hunting lodge. And for whom the way is too strenuous? Take the bus from Eisenach to the "Hohe Sonne" and from there walk downhill through the Drachenschlucht.

Information: The Drachenschlucht is accessible all year round and free of charge, but visitors must expect that the gorge will be closed in bad weather; thueringen.info/drachenschlucht.html

The gorge-like part of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains between Bastei and Amselgrund was once called Blanker Grund. Because the rugged rocks were difficult to access, the locals used them as a hiding place from the Swedes during the Thirty Years' War (1618 to 1648); since that time they have been called Sweden holes.

The hiking trail takes you through gorge-like rocky alleys over around 700 steps and two steep iron ladders through a unique rock world. The difference in altitude of 160 meters requires a certain level of fitness.

The gorge was opened up for tourism at the end of the 19th century; around 100 years earlier, the first ways to harvest wood had been laid.

A path into the Schwedenlöcher begins at the parking lot of the Bastei, one of the most famous rock formations in Saxon Switzerland. Hikers must therefore reckon with many other visitors, especially since the gorge is also popular with climbers. The Schwedenturm, a 35 meter high sandstone block, which can be climbed via climbing routes of medium difficulty, rises up directly at the edge of the path.

Info: The Schwedenlöcher are accessible all year round and free of charge, saechsische-schweiz.de.

Bizarre facial expressions, horns on the head, colorful costumes: you encounter funny characters in the Renaissance castle in Bonndorf, which houses an exhibition with 400 carnival figures. It's a good idea to take a look at them before venturing into an almost mystical landscape of pristine forests, roaring waterfalls and rugged valleys. Because the climatic health resort of Bonndorf in the southern Black Forest is the gateway to the Wutach Gorge, and this is where you can start your hike.

The 12.5 km long gorge, roughly divided into three parts, is a geological treat. As part of the Southern Black Forest Nature Park, it furrows a high plateau at 800 meters, the Baarhochmulde, from the Upper Black Forest to the Swabian Jura. It goes through crooked granite rocks, over paths and footbridges, along vertically towering shell limestone walls, sometimes following a stream that rushes down the valley over rock ledges. Guided hikes are offered.

The Black Forest Tourist Office recommends sturdy shoes and good physical condition. The paths in the gorge, which is between 60 and 170 meters deep, are slippery and steep in places. A popular hiking stage leads over 25 kilometers from Lenzkirch via Bonndorf to the Wutachmühle, a former sawmill. Industrial romantics will also like the Stallegg run-of-river power plant below Göschweiler, which is now a listed building.

Another advantage of the gorge is its biodiversity: over 500 species of butterflies are native, around 3000 species of plants have been identified, brown trout cavort in the river, dippers breed in rock walls, eagle owls hide in the branches. If you look up along the way, you can also see the red kite circling.

The nature reserve, established in 1939, now covers a large area of ​​around 950 hectares, so hikers are often alone there. The Wutach Gorge is the heart of the Schluchtensteig, a 120-kilometer long-distance hiking trail in Baden-Württemberg.

Information: From April to October, a so-called hiking bus takes visitors to the entry points of the Wutach Gorge, schluchtensteig.de

You will probably never see it - the lynx, although it is native to the Harz Mountains. Even where the low mountain range is the most rustic and is a good habitat for the shy wild cats, the chances of spotting lynx tend to be zero.

There is still enough to see in the Bodetal. Often described as the mightiest rocky valley north of the Alps, its granite walls reach up to 250 meters into the sky. Visitors are surrounded by mixed forests and mountain meadows, streams and forest lakes.

Over thousands of years, the Bode River has carved its way into the rock and created the valley that outdoor enthusiasts love so much today. The hiking arena Bodetal includes a 500-kilometer network of signposted hiking trails, including the Harzer Hexenstieg and the Teufelsmauerstieg.

The gorge hike begins in Thale. Here you can get a view and overview by taking the cable car to the Hexentanzplatz plateau at 454 meters.

The route from Thale leads along majestic rock faces through a basin along the river for nine kilometers to Treseburg. Right at the beginning, on the left side of the Bode, a detour to the granite rock Rosstrappe at 403 meters is worthwhile. When the weather is nice, you can see not only the Hexentanzplatz opposite, but also the Brocken, at 1141 meters the highest mountain in the Harz Mountains, where the Bode rises.

Info: The Bodetal is accessible all year round and free of charge, bodetal.de