The Pantheon in Muttenz BL is hosting an exhibition on historic electric mobility under the motto "Under Power". The fastest way to get there is via the motorway - the most beautiful is via our alternative worth driving.

"Vo Schönebuech to Amml (Anwil, Red.), from Bölche to Rhy, lit schön und wyt das Ländli, where mir deheime sii ...", says the Baselbieter Lied. From Belchen to the Rhine our little tour should lead us as well. At the Eptingen mineral spring we leave the main road and turn left up the Belchen. The narrow road winds out along the rocks through green meadows, up to the Berghaus Oberbölchen. We also climb the remaining 100 meters up to the Chlizimmersattel and stab down on the other side to Langenbruck, the pass summit of the Oberen Hauenstein. From there the well developed pass road leads us down into the Waldenburgertal. In Waldenburg, the terminus of the narrow-gauge railway "Waldeburgerli", which leads to the cantonal capital Liestal, we turn left again to Liedertswil (alias Tschoppenhof), which is characterized by two 180-degree curves in the middle of the village. The road winds over a hill into the valley of Hinteren Frenke to Reigoldswil. For the adventurous, a visit to the rope park at the top station of the waterfall gondola lift is recommended.

However, we continue immediately, cross the picturesque village square of "Reigi" and turn right towards Laufen. Over the Eichhöhe we come down to "Brätzbel" (Bretzwil). After a coffee stop in the garden pub of the Eintracht restaurant, we make a detour to Solothurn's Schwarzbubenland and drive down via Nunningen towards Grellingen. Before we reach the Laufental, we turn right at Waldeck and drive up to Himmelried. From there a small road leads us left towards Eigenhof. On the open field we enjoy the view to the ruin Pfeffigen and over the agglomeration up to the border triangle. After the lovely Jura landscape and the crossing of the farm Eigenhof, the narrow road meanders along the rock through the forest and meets the main road to the plateau near Seewen in the "Felsenkurve".

Seewen, on the one hand known for its rich museum of music automatons, is known among older motorcyclists for its reopened "Pony Ranch". The Pony Ranch was already the motorbike meeting place in the region twenty years ago, the Gartenbeiz was always full to the brim on summer days and the motorcycles were standing in rows on the parking lot.


The Gempen to the athletes
Shortly after the Pony Ranch we turn left to Hochwald alias Hobel on the Gempen plateau. Now at the latest the knee grinder fraction gets going! From Hochwald we go down through the rocks to Dornach, where we take the popular curve road up to Gempen. In the village of Gempen we turn left to the Gempen Tower, from where we have a good view to the Black Forest, the Grand Ballon in Alsace, but also to the Swiss Alps! The vantage point is accordingly heavily frequented - we are in the middle of the Basel recreation area. From here we take the narrow mountain road between the cherry trees down to the Birstal, past the Dorneck castle ruins into the magnificent village centre of Oberdornach. After an ice break we take the last kilometres to Münchenstein, turn off to Muttenz, where we drive straight to the Pantheon and after the discovery trip through the Baselbiet we start our journey into the history of Swiss electric mobility.    

The history of the Accumobile
Muttenz - The guest exhibition of electric vehicles from the national transport collection at the Swiss Museum of Transport in the Pantheon gives for the first time an overview of the unexpectedly long history of the so-called "Accumobile". The collection of technical history focuses on the national relationship to road traffic.
Info: www.pantheonbasel.ch

Text and pictures: Tobias Kloetzli
www.moto.ch