ViaBerna - Stage 06 Biel - Aarberg

From the town of Biel, the path leads out towards Nidau. Directly on the shore of the Zihl, you pass the inconspicuous castle and later the back of the historic town. Then the route follows the Zihl river towards Port, where the wide Nidau-Büren Canal is crossed over the barrage dam. In Port, the path turns left to the Portwald forest, with a steep ascent over hollow ways onto the Jäissberg, one of the highest elevations in the Central Plateau. From the hilltop, a gentle descent follows through the Studewald forest to Studen. The path passes close to the remains of the temple district Petinesca, bypasses the gravel quarry, and reaches the Old Aare river on the other side in Studegrien. The wild river course is first followed towards Busswil, then the path continues along the edge of Lyss on to Aarberg. Largely untouched landscapes can be found along the old Aare river course. The calm is occasionally interrupted by the nearby highway and the kart track near Kappelen. At the end of the hike, a visit to the picturesque old town of Aarberg is worthwhile.

In the Middle Ages, the Bernese Seeland was repeatedly flooded. Relief was provided by the Jura water correction from 1868 to 1891. The Aare river was diverted from Aarberg into Lake Biel (Aare-Hagneck Canal), and further the Zihl canal, Nidau-Büren canal, and Broye canal were created. The castle museum of Nidau has an exhibition about this pioneering work.

The Jäissberg is an elongated hilltop where interesting things can be discovered. In the middle of the hill, there was a fortified settlement of the Helvetii in the Iron Age. To protect the village, they dug a deep ditch to the west and built up an earthen rampart, known as the Celtic wall. The distinctive hill at the top of the Jäissberg was once a castle, not built with stones but with tree trunks and branches. Today the area is still called Chnebelburg for this reason. Also on the hill lies the temple complex Petinesca. Once several temples and chapels stood here, belonging to a nearby Roman town. Today only the foundations remain.

The Aare river section between Aarberg and Büren an der Aare once saw lively goods and passenger traffic. With the Jura water correction, the waterway lost its importance and became the “Old Aare” and a nature reserve. This is a joy for both flora and fauna as well as for people who can enjoy beautiful river and floodplain landscapes.

Aarberg was once a flourishing trading town due to its location. The Romans already crossed the Aare here, followed by merchants, boatmen, and rafters of the Middle Ages. With the opening of the Hagneck Canal, this importance was lost. What remains is one of the most beautiful small towns in Switzerland.