Rope bridge opened at Balmberg

The new rope bridge "Gschliff" on the Balmberg near Solothurn has been open since the beginning of November. It is the only rope bridge in the canton of Solothurn. The view from the footbridge is spectacular. It offers visitors an unobstructed view across the Mittelland to the Alpine panorama of the Bernese Oberland.

The 50-meter-long rope bridge re-establishes a connection (Jura Höhenweg No. 5) across the "Gschliff" rockfall zone on the Balmberg between the waypoints Hofbergli and Niederwiler Stierenberg. This means that the hiking trail is once again safe to walk on after five years of closure.

In cooperation with the Emch+Berger Group, Jakob Rope Systems was allowed to factory plan and deliver the complete offer for the construction of the suspension and tension rope structures. In addition to our planning, this included the supply and installation of the suspension ropes, the tension ropes and hand ropes, the Webnet elements and the connecting and steel construction elements. The simple and filigree rope construction consists of four stainless steel suspension ropes, each with a diameter of 26 millimeters. Eight tensioning ropes and the Webnet integrated as railing infill give the bridge stability and at the same time a durable and long-lasting structure.

Construction work on the rope bridge was carried out in two stages. From July to August 2022, the master builder work was carried out in the challenging terrain and on the rock. Subsequently, Jakob Rope Systems was able to install the rope structure for the bridge from September to October 2022.