Gürbetal (Gürbe
Valley
A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...
) in
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
lies between the towns of
Bern
Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...
and
Thun
Thun () is a List of towns in Switzerland, town and a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the administrative district of Thun (administrative district), Thun in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Canton of Bern, Bern in Switzerland. ...
, west of the
Aare
The Aare () or Aar () is the main tributary of the High Rhine (its discharge even exceeds that of the latter at their confluence) and the longest river that both rises and ends entirely within Switzerland.
Its total length from its source to i ...
. It contains the municipality of
Seftigen and those that surround it. The valley is named after the river Gürbe, which flows through it. The largest town in the Gürbe Valley is
Belp. The Gürbe valley and the Aare valley are separated by the Belpberg hill.
The Gürbe Valley is anywhere from 1 to 2 kilometers wide. The valley floor is flat and is used intensively for agriculture. Flooding in the valley has been controlled by canals to permit drainage of the surrounding area. This permits orchards and vegetable gardens to grow.
Cabbage
Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of '' Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.& ...
is the principal crop grown on the rich black valley floor. Sauerkraut from the cabbage is made at processing centers in
Burgistein and
Mühlethurnen. For this reason, the Gürbe valley is often called "Cabbage Land" (in Swiss-German: ''Chabisland'').
Valleys of Switzerland
Landforms of the canton of Bern
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