Schöntal Monastery, the Tüfelsschlucht and the Furnaces in the Dürsteltal
22 May 2026
Love and hate, good and evil, the devil and the angel, the canton of Basel-Landschaft and the canton of Solothurn sometimes merge seamlessly. This is also true of the former Schöntal Monastery near Langenbruck (canton of Basel-Landschaft) and, a few kilometres further on, the Tüfelsschlucht (Devil’s Gorge) in the canton of Solothurn.
The Tüfelsschlucht near Hägendorf
This gorge certainly lives up to its name. Wild waterfalls, caves, narrow paths, hardly any sun, creaking trees and other forest sounds form the backdrop. Until the end of the 18th century, such places were the haunts of robbers, vagabonds and wolves. People did not go hiking back then. One would only cross a forest, let alone the Tüfelsschlucht, if there was no other (travel) route.
Nevertheless, this gorge too comes to an end, opening out into a mountainous meadow landscape featuring a former sanatorium and a former restaurant.
However, this region was inhabited not only by monks and the devil, but also by blacksmiths. The former medieval forges in the Düstel Valley bear witness to this.
The former sanatorium on the Allerheiligenberg
The former restaurant on the Allerheiligenberg
The Düstelberg
The Düstelberg is one of the last undisturbed forest areas in the canton of Basel-Landschaft. Since the beginning of the last century, the majority of the area has remained unused and untouched.
Gastwirtschaft Dürstel
The result is a natural forest rich in old and dead wood, hollow trees, and a diverse range of flora and fauna. The Düstelberg is a cantonal forest reserve.
Reconstruction: Joe Rohrer, Bildebene.ch
The furnaces in the Düstel Valley
In the Düstel Valley, near Langenbruck, there were two smelting furnaces in the 13th and 14th centuries. This is evidenced by traces of iron extraction and processing. Today, traces of medieval iron smelting can still be seen in the area, such as slag.
The two furnaces are of two different types: a large bloomery furnace and a blast furnace. The bloomery furnace, common in the Jura, produced malleable iron using the direct process.
The blast furnace was equipped with a water-powered blower. This is why the site was located near the stream. This furnace produced iron exclusively using the indirect process. The pig iron was further processed in a refining furnace.
The furnaces in the Dürsteltal date back to a period of technological change. From the 14th century onwards, blast furnaces became the norm. They had been known since late Roman times. The other furnaces had been in use since the Iron Age, but blast furnaces offered significant advantages.
They reached higher temperatures, allowing more iron to be extracted from the same amount of ore and enabling longer operation, further increasing efficiency. The disadvantage was that they produced only pig iron, which required further processing.
Image: Community of Langenbruck. The operational processes of a blast furnace: crushing (1) and roasting the ore, mixing ore, charcoal and other additives (3), charging the blast furnace (4), tapping the molten pig iron (5) and cooling the pig iron (6).
Early industrialisation
The findings provide important evidence of a period of technological transformation towards large-scale plants, which became established in the Jura from the 14th century onwards. Dating from the 13th century, the blast furnace in the Dürsteltal is one of the oldest in Europe.
Langenbruck and Schöntal Abbey
Former Schöntal Abbey
Various indications suggest that the Counts of Frohburg founded the Schöntal Abbey in 1145. Their interest in iron production was also evident in the 13th century in the Fricktal region, where it led to a conflict with the Lords of Kienberg.
All’s well that ends well. Ultimately, good triumphs over evil here too, so that after passing through the Devil’s Gorge, you arrive at the former Schöntal Monastery near Langenbruck. Although the monastery was dissolved long ago, the beautiful Romanesque portal and the modern sculpture park leave no room for the devil or evil.
