The little Swiss town where Sherlock Holmes lives on

Conan Doyle’s fictional detective continues to provide an unlikely boost to Meiringen’s economy – despite the author’s bid to kill him off there.

The much-loved character appears on a bronze plaque at the Sherlock Holmes Museum in the village. Alamy

Andrew Eames

Apr 14, 2023 – 5.00am

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There is a small town in Switzerland’s Bernese Oberland that takes an unusual interest in a famously eccentric British detective.

Wander down the main street of Meiringen (otherwise celebrated mainly for its claim to be where the meringue was invented, around 1600) and you’ll see his name pop up all over the place. In the bakery, there are chocolates imprinted with his image. In the butcher’s shop, you can buy Sherlockerli sausages in his honour; in the dairy, there’s an ice-cream emblazoned with his name.

Financial Times