Top 20 Natural Monuments around Lüterswil-Gächliwil

very beautiful and all along the Aare

Storks have settled and built nests on a number of houses in Altreu. Stork chicks can also be observed here in mid- to late June.

The Old Aare – a fascinating river landscape between Aarberg and Büren. It is a valuable habitat for numerous animals and plants. People from near and far love and appreciate it as an attractive relaxation area. This unique idyll was created as a result of the first Jura water correction in the 19th century. The Alte Aare Hydraulic Engineering Association, together with private and public partners, ensures that this landscape is preserved. Source https://www.alte-aare.ch/

If you are there in the right season, you will see the storks.

We hiked from the swimming pool in Büren a.A. over the footbridge on the "inside" of the loop. You can hardly see anything from the Aare. That's why we stopped halfway. Then try the part from Meienried or around the outside again. But we were welcomed in Büren an der Aare with a "holiday feeling" and enough time to stop!

Lookout tower on the banks of the Aare in Selzach. There is free parking at the swimming pool in Solothurn, from there the hike begins, initially on an asphalt road, and after approx. 2 km, directly following the course of the Aare. From now on you hike on an agricultural path and then on a natural path further west. The wooden tower, which is freely accessible, is located at the level of the municipality of Selzach. A spiral staircase leads to the viewing platform, from where a good overview of the Aare nature reserve and the Jura in the north, with the municipality of Selzach, is possible. After this detour, the path continues to the hamlet of Altreu. Directly on the Aare is the restaurant "zum Grüne Aff" which has a beautiful garden restaurant that invites you to stop by. If you don't want to make the way back on foot, you can also take the Bielersee Schifffahrtsgesellschaft (BSG) ship to Solothurn from the restaurant. The landing stage in Solothurn is located at the Krummen Turm, which is one of the landmarks of Solothurn.

The Witi protection zone is a cantonal agricultural and conservation zone north of the Aare river between Grenchen and Solothurn in the Swiss canton of Solothurn. "Witi" is the Solothurn dialect and means "wideness". The zone was established by law in 1994. It is located in an area of scenic beauty, is a migratory bird and waterfowl reserve of international importance and is home to Switzerland's hare chamber, an above-average population of hares. The largest area of this is the Grenchenwiti. The protection zone may only be used extensively for agricultural purposes. There are also conflicts of use in the area of recreational activities, which are being attempted to be resolved through regulation in the sense of a compromise (concentration of recreational use). In certain areas, the protection of nature takes priority, and attempts are being made to consistently enforce this. The Witi landscape is originally a product of the last ice age, when the entire area was covered in ice by the Rhone glacier. When the lake receded due to warming, Lake Solothurn was formed around 12,000 years ago, the level of which was around 20 metres above today's Witi. When Lake Solothurn retreated, the Witi remained as the lake bed alongside the Aare. Until the Jura water correction, the area was a frequently flooded floodplain and swamp landscape where agriculture was only possible under difficult conditions. Between 1980 and 1995, 97 breeding bird species were observed in the Witi, 37 of which were on the Swiss Red List of endangered species, as well as 150 migratory and winter guest species. Due to the frequent pools of water in the cultivated land, the Witi developed into the third most important wader resting place in Switzerland. It is noteworthy that the majestic osprey is also observed relatively frequently, preferably in spring, as a migrant; some of the birds even spend the night in trees along the banks of the Aare. The black stork is also an irregular migrant, although the animals occasionally and temporarily stay in the white stork enclosure of the Altreu stork settlement. The nightingale, which is notable for its beautiful song, is also a frequent breeding bird in the Altreuer Witi. Source: Wikipedia

At this point you have the best perspective of the beautiful Bellacher Weiher. So it's worth a short stop here. Here you have direct access to the water. With a bit of luck, you will see toads and blindworms here - in addition to water birds. Very rarely an adder. In autumn you can see strange water birds that stop here on their way to the south.