Aeschlen is a scattered settlement in the municipality of Oberdiessbach, in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district of the canton of Bern. It was already referred to as a village in the 15th century. Today, the description “scattered settlement on a northwest-facing slope” helps you get your bearings: there is no actual village centre. The main road from Oberdiessbach towards Linden and on to Röthenbach also passes through Aeschlen. When planning your visit, you can therefore use individual named places and the themes of the surrounding area as reference points, rather than expecting a compact village centre.

Local History and Information Trails

The Oberdiessbach information trails cover four topics: general history, church history, economic history and nature. You can discover their locations on shorter or longer walks. The programme offers a range of themes, from local and church history to nature.

Diessenberg Castle Ruins in Aeschlen are one of the locations on the Oberdiessbach information trail. The castle, dating from the 12th century onwards, is described as lying between two centres of power. Important for planning: there is no hiking trail to the ruins, and extreme caution is advised there.

The granary in the hamlet of Unterhaus is a remarkable building. This half-timbered block construction dates from 1589 and stands beneath a steeply pitched gabled roof. It is considered one of the last two examples of its kind in the Bern region. Its precise date and rare construction style make it a distinctive feature of the region’s architectural history.

Landscape Around Aeschlen

Near Aeschlen lies the Spächteloch, a particularly fine example of typical Molasse waterfalls in a side valley of the Diessbachgraben. In winter, large icicles form there when water flowing down from above freezes. The best view of the Spächteloch is from below, via the Diessbachgraben. You can visit at any time of year in dry conditions and with sturdy footwear.

The Gumistein, a glacial erratic or boulder, is also nearby. It lies on a glacial moraine ridge: a landform deposited by a glacier and shaped into gentle contours. The Gumistein has been protected for some time. The surrounding area thus offers two distinct natural features: a waterfall in a side valley and a glacial erratic on a moraine ridge.

Many individual trees and groups of trees dot the pastures of Aeschlenalp. Later in the summer, they provide welcome shade for grazing animals. A figure from 2011 gives the average summer grazing season at Aeschlenalp as 120 days; conditions may change.

Hikes and Walks

The “Via Falkenfluh” route reaches the scenic forest clearing of Aeschlenalp beyond Schafegg. A route description published in 2021 for “Panoramic Views and Summit Vistas in the Pre-Alps” also mentions Aeschlenalp, the Barichti farmstead, Falkenfluh and the hamlet of the same name along the route. The descriptions cover various named places and sections; before setting out, it is worth checking the current route, as trails may be rerouted.

The information trails also offer a way to discover local history, church history, economic history and nature on walks of varying lengths. Don’t plan to visit Diessenberg Castle Ruins as an ordinary detour from a hiking trail: the explicit warning is that no hiking trail leads to the ruins and extreme caution is advised. The conditions stated for the natural sites are also important: dry conditions and sturdy footwear are required to visit the Spächteloch.

Discover more destinations: Linden, Münsingen, Oberdiessbach, Zäziwil, Oberthal, Konolfingen, Kiesen, Herbligen

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