Views meet art

Gondiswil - a small village at the border of Oberaargau. This is the start of the leisurely hike. From there the path first leads over fields and through mossy forests. Past beautiful farms with a variety of animals on the pasture. As soon as you leave the Schmidwald, you will see the Hochwacht.

It is worth lingering here. From the 20 m high observation tower opens a magnificent panorama over the Mittelland, from the Jura to the Alps.

The Hochwacht, at 780 m above sea level, is the highest point in eastern Oberaargau. From the observation tower opens a magnificent panorama over the Mittelland, from the Jura to the Alps. The panorama board on the observation tower names 150 peaks. All around the stately Hoger lies a landscape at its feet that is worth more than just one discovery trip. Until 1798, the Hochwacht on the Ghürn was one of the important long-distance fire signal stations; by the then Hochwachten it was possible to trigger alarms with fire signals throughout the canton within 3 to 4 hours, day and night. The system was last used in 1798 when the French army attacked Bern.

Grill areas also invite you to stay around the Hochwacht. After descending from the Hochwacht, the path leads you gently downhill to Melchnau. Once there, the short path to the "Wächter", by Oberaargau artist Reto Bärtschi, is also worth seeing. For this, you walk past the path behind the church. On the right side, you first see the face in the tree. Also a work of art by an Oberaargau artist: Simon Berger. A few steps further you can see the Wächter.