{"id":401,"date":"2020-10-28T21:56:30","date_gmt":"2020-10-28T20:56:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cliocyclist.ch\/en\/?p=401"},"modified":"2020-10-28T21:56:31","modified_gmt":"2020-10-28T20:56:31","slug":"the-regicide-of-eschenbach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cliocyclist.ch\/en\/the-regicide-of-eschenbach\/","title":{"rendered":"The Regicide of Eschenbach"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

F\u00fcr die deutsche Version bitte hier klicken<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I too, couldn\u2019t resist the promises of the \u201egravel bike<\/a>\u201c. In my endeavours to find quiet and attractive cycle routes away from heavy traffic<\/a>, off-road sections are a blessing. They not only enlarge the pool of available roads to plan a bike ride but they serve as a kind of barrier for cars. You even hardly encounter any SUVs which are predestined for off-road use. Thanks to the all-terrain road bike, I\u2019m getting acquainted with roads and lanes away from the usual routes and thereby discovering historic buildings and remains of castles who testify to the social history of the area. I was astonished when I learned on one of my bike rides into the outskirts of Lucerne that an inconspicuous wall in a meadow is a witness to a story of treason and murder with a European dimension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My outing began on a beautiful autumn day in Lucerne and led me along the river Reuss<\/a> to the north-east. The cycle path along the Reuss is a popular way to sally out of town and it connects the city with the development area around the Seetalplatz in Emmenbr\u00fccke<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cycle Path along the river Reuss<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I crossed the Kleine Emme<\/a> on a cycle- and foot-bridge and followed the Reuss downstream. The backstage of Lucerne comes into view. Here, well hidden from the tourist gaze, the regional waste incinerating plant soars above the Reuss. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The cycle path along the Reuss and the waste incinerator on the other side of the river<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The cycle path in the Schiltwald was renewed and tarred last year. At the end of the newly built part, I left the official cycle route and turned left. My route led me on a gravel path through the Upper and Lower Schiltwald. Between the two parts of the forest, I met the placidly flowing Rotbach, a small stream in an area which is by now distinctively rural.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A gravel road along the stream Rotbach<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As I left the Lower Schiltwald, I turned on a narrow lane and pedaled on along the Rotbach. In the immediate vicinity is a central high voltage facility in which the power line from the Nuclear Power Plant G\u00f6sgen converge with the transalpine high voltage lines over the Gotthard and Lukmanier Passes<\/a>. It is all the more pleasing that such an idyllic path is hidden in the shadow of the high voltage system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A small path near the high voltage substation Mettlen<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

On this beautiful autumn day, the ripe maize fields and the sun-drenched leaves rustled in the wind. As soon as I was happily cycling, a sonorous humming reached my ear. The bucolic scenery was disturbed by the noise of the not too distant motorway. I integrated the new sound into the scene and continued to enjoy my tour. Shortly afterwards I felt a slight shiver. Somewhat puzzled, I realized that it’s probably caused by the power line above my head. The first reaction was slight indignation at this renewed disturbance of the scenic idyll but then, the sensory overall experience seemed quite fitting for a bicycle tour on the blurred border between city and countryside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The maize field and the high voltage power line as a sensory experience<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Amazed at the contradictory experience, I firstly got back on a paved road and then to a small bridge leading to the historic heart of this cycle tour. When I was planning the route, I discovered the note \u201eBurgstelle Alt Eschenbach<\/a>\u201c on the map and my curiosity was immediately kindled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n