In the footsteps of the Jura water correction

At the Studen train stop, take the path towards Studengrien. Along the railway and the Sagibach stream and over Büetigenstrasse, you reach Studengrien. Now keep towards Büren. After a short, winding section on the Aare path, you enter the Alte Aare nature reserve, a beautiful floodplain landscape. The hike now goes through forest and fields and past the village of Dotzigen. There are some fords to cross, which is easily possible at low water levels. At the Dotzigen/Alte Aare signpost, it is worth taking a few steps toward Dotzigen to the footbridge over the Alte Aare. This water, formerly broader, used to divert water from the Aare and Saane before the Jura water correction. Then continue towards Meienried. At the next signpost, turn left to Gottstatt. At the exit of Meienried, the old Zihl flows on the left, which was the outflow from Lake Biel before the Jura water correction. Shortly after, you cross the Nidau-Büren Canal on the Safneren bridge. It is unimaginable how the amount of water observed here used to fit in the courses of the Alte Aare and the old Zihl. It is therefore not surprising that the Seeland area was often affected by floods. The diversion of the Aare via the Aare-Hagneck Canal to Lake Biel and the construction of the Nidau-Büren Canal in the second half of the 19th century brought improvement. On flat terrain, you reach the Gottstatt bridge and turn right. On the right lies the Gottstatt Monastery, built in 1255 and dissolved in 1528 after the Reformation. Shortly after, turning left onto the main road, you arrive at the end of the hike at the Orpund, Byfang bus stop.