A1 Oensingen

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Route: Aar River – Highway A1 – Oensingen

The highway A1 is the most important road connection in the Swiss Plateau. It leads from St. Gallen (670 m above sea level) in Eastern Switzerland to Geneva (French: Genève; German: Genf; 375 m above sea level) in Romandy. Traversing the whole of Switzerland, it connects the most important industrial areas of the country.

The military training area of Wangen a. A. is located directly by the Swiss arterial road, the A1. The center of the transport troops includes a diversified driving course for military vehicles. The ice-age Rhone Glacier once advanced as far as the vicinity of Wangen an der Aare (423 m above sea level). This huge mass of ice was the largest alpine glacier in the ice age.

Oensingen (465 m above sea level) is also located by the A1. Along with the Oensingen-Balsthal Gorge, this village marks the transition to the Solothurn Jura. Neu-Bechburg castle sits enthroned high above Oensingen. The pale walls of this medieval building appear pearly-white. The Ravellen (624 m above sea level) is a striking rock hilly close to the castle complex. It can be climbed via an airy hiking trail. The special microclimate of the limy Ravellenflue sustains very rare plant species, such as candytuft («Ravellenblümchen»).

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