SRF in­fo: Wild Swit­z­er­land 2

Extremely dry on the Valais side and fascinatingly rich in water on the Bernese Oberland.

People would rather throw a barrel of the best wine on the ground than give away a single drop of water, they say in Valais. Since an earthquake dried up the last two springs, the water in Ausserberg has had to be extracted from the glacier. This is done via so-called Suonen. Water channels, most of which were built in the 14th century with immense effort and meander spectacularly along steep rock faces. Once vital for the survival of the population.

On the other hand, there is water in abundance. The Lauterbrunnen Valley is the wettest region in Switzerland. The valley has 380 bodies of water. Clear mountain lakes, rushing torrents - and in the middle of it all the lively Lütschine. There are also 72 waterfalls cascading down into the depths. The most spectacular, the Staubbach Falls, inspired Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Our ancestors probably only experienced this magnificent landscape, which is now one of the most famous holiday destinations in Switzerland, as a threatening, untamable wilderness. Huge mountains - 50 of them over 3500 meters high - line the majestic Aletsch glacier. Today, people live from and with this impressive nature. They dare to take part in the adventure of the cattle drive, explore the glacier or run a hotel that doesn't need electricity.

With a sense of tradition, they breed the rustic Valais fighting cows or keep what is probably the most famous research station in the world running at 3500 meters on the Jungfraujoch. Sometimes nature supports their mission, sometimes it threatens it. Preserving the world's natural heritage is what they all want to do.