High Bridge, Leuk
The inevitably named “High Bridge” near Leuk in the upper reaches of canton Wallis in Switzerland is so named because of the depth of the gorge beneath it. The river Feschelbach has carved a narrow corridor through the rock to make a 200 metre-deep crevasse in the landscape, making a crossing by foot of the centuries-old hand-built stone bridge somewhat of a challenge for the faint of heart. (Perhaps a reason why there has been a small chapel of thanksgiving on the eastern side of the bridge since 1691.) The bridge was first mentioned as “the new bridge” in parish records in 1563.
The views from the bridge down into the main Wallis valley are quite spectacular and are easily reached by the narrow road from Leuk to Bratsch, off the main road leading up to the more famous health spa resort of Leukerbad, which crosses the gorge by way of a more modern bridge built in the 1960s.
