The Scene of Sherlock Holmes’s Greatest Struggle

Introduction

The Reichenbach Falls, a dramatic waterfall near Meiringen in Switzerland, holds a unique place in the Sherlock Holmes canon. It was here, in Arthur Conan Doyle’s story The Final Problem (1893), that Holmes confronted his arch-nemesis, Professor James Moriarty. Their struggle at the edge of the falls seemingly ended with both men plunging to their deaths. This moment shocked Victorian readers and has since become one of the most iconic scenes in detective fiction.

The Real Location

The Reichenbach Falls are located in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland, near the town of Meiringen. Towering 250 metres, they are among the highest waterfalls in the Alps. In the late 19th century, the site was already a popular destination for tourists, accessible by a funicular railway that still operates today. Conan Doyle visited the area in 1893, and the dramatic landscape inspired him to stage Holmes’s apparent death there.

The Final Problem

In “The Final Problem,” Holmes lures Moriarty away from London to Switzerland, seeking to dismantle the criminal empire once and for all. At the falls, Watson is tricked away from Holmes by a false summons, and upon his return, he discovers only a note from Holmes and signs of a struggle near the precipice. Believing his friend dead, Watson delivers a moving obituary that left readers mourning the great detective.

Aftermath and Resurrection

Public outrage over Holmes’s death was immediate and intense. Readers wrote angry letters, cancelled magazine subscriptions, and pressured Conan Doyle to revive his creation. Eventually, Doyle relented, bringing Holmes back in The Adventure of the Empty House (1903). Holmes revealed that he had survived the struggle at Reichenbach by using his knowledge of baritsu, a form of martial art, to escape Moriarty’s grip.

Legacy in Literature and Tourism

The Reichenbach Falls became a pilgrimage site for Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts. The town of Meiringen now hosts a Sherlock Holmes Museum, and plaques mark the path to the falls where Holmes and Moriarty fought. Each year, fans and societies commemorate the anniversary of the fictional event, blending literature with real geography in a way few works ever achieve.

Adaptations

The Reichenbach confrontation has been reinterpreted in countless adaptations:

• Granada Television (1980s): Jeremy Brett’s Holmes battles Moriarty at the falls in a faithful recreation of the story.
• BBC’s Sherlock (2012): The episode “The Reichenbach Fall” modernised the tale, with Benedict Cumberbatch’s Holmes faking his own death after a confrontation with Andrew Scott’s Moriarty.
• Film: Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) reimagined the duel with Robert Downey Jr. and Jared Harris locked in combat at the falls.

Conclusion

The Reichenbach Falls represent more than just a geographical landmark: they are the symbolic site of ultimate sacrifice, rivalry, and rebirth. By placing Holmes’s greatest struggle in such a dramatic natural setting, Conan Doyle ensured that both the character and the real location would be forever linked in literary and cultural history.