In the Hungerbrunnen Valley, there is a mysterious spring that rarely comes to life. Most of the time, you only see an inconspicuous pit filled with limestones. But if you are lucky, you can watch the well bubbling in spring. Then years pass until this spectacle starts again. The valley used to have a river, but now it has become a dry valley due to karstification. The water begins to flow temporarily, when the underground water level rises during high precipitation or snowmelt.
The name Hungerbrunnen refers to an old folk belief: The spring only gushed in years with a very rainy spring, and these years were often associated with crop failures. Therefore the "running of the hunger well" was interpreted as a sign of famine and wars. Meanwhile, the term is used internationally for this karst phenomenon.
