Verena gorge and hermitage

On the outskirts of Solothurn lies the idyllic Verena Gorge. The romantic path leads through the forest and is lined with erratic blocks that tell of the glaciers that once shaped the landscape here. Memorial plaques carved into the rock recall deserving Solothurn personalities. The path runs along the Verenabach over a wooden bridge here, over a footbridge there. With the high rocks as a backdrop, the gorge appears mysterious and fairy-tale-like and is pleasantly cool even in the greatest heat.
The core of the gorge is the clear extension at the northern entrance (on the Rütten side) with the Verena and Martin chapels, the hermit's hut, the grotto of the Mount of Olives and the Magdalen grotto. Here, in solitude, surrounded only by holy figures made of wood and plaster, hermit monks have lived without interruption since 1588. The origin of this religious production is the legend of St. Verena, who is said to have lived in a cave in the forest gorge.