Wooden bridges on the Emme riverside path

From Emmenmatt station through the underpass and over the Emme bridge to the opposite bank of the unpredictable river. Not far north of the bridge, the Ilfis, the other wild Emmental river, flows into the Emme. Through a riverside grove you reach the "Emme Adventure Trail". Over the Brunnmatt bridge – the former Buebeneibrücke from 1837 relocated here – you cross to the western Emme bank. A narrow, well-maintained footpath follows the Emme bank directly. Information boards provide details on topics around water. An interesting structure is passed under at Schüpbach: the proud Schüpbach bridge of 1839 – a successor to the "Nüwe Brügg" from 1550 – is passable without weight restrictions thanks to reinforcement from 1934. Past a large sawmill, the path leads through the Schachen to the Buebeneibrücke, built in 1987/88 using glued timber construction. The wooden structure, chosen to preserve the landscape's appearance, was however 50% more expensive than a modern reinforced concrete bridge. In the large river loop northwest of Äschau, bounded on one side by sandstone cliffs, one can also imagine the once arduous rafting. Wood, bricks, shingles, calves, butter, and cheese were transported from Entlebuch and Emmental by river to Aargau and as far as Basel. In Äschau, a small road cuts through the large river and road loop and leads via Horben directly to the Horben bridge, over which you cross to the other Emme bank. Skirting the valley road, you reach the wooden bridge at Zimmertsei in Dieboldswil, which provides access to the Emme riverside path towards Eggiwil. Today Eggiwil is a large single-farm community with notable buildings. The Dörflibrücke over the Rötenbach at the valley-side village exit is likely to be pioneering for future landscape-compatible wooden constructions.