About 60 members of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London and other enthusiasts gathered at the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland earlier this month [1].

The event celebrates the enduring global legacy of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s characters and the lasting appeal of Victorian-era detective fiction.

Participants traveled to Meiringen to recreate the final confrontation between Sherlock Holmes and his nemesis, Professor Moriarty. The gathering marked the anniversary of the 1893 story "The Final Problem" [2, 4]. While some reports cite the anniversary as 133 years since publication [2], others describe it as 135 years on [3].

To ensure an immersive experience, the group donned period-accurate Victorian costumes. Philip Porter, who portrayed Sherlock Holmes, said, "We wanted to bring Victorian London to the Swiss Alps for a truly immersive experience" [5].

The Reichenbach Falls serve as the geographical center for the fictional duel that once signaled the end of the detective's career. Peter Horrocks, who played Professor Moriarty, said, "It’s amazing to stand where Holmes met his end and bring the story to life" [3].

For many attendees, the trip was more than a performance. A member of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London said, "The Reichenbach Falls are a pilgrimage for any Holmes enthusiast" [3].

The event combined historical costume play with a tribute to the literary impact of the 1893 narrative. By staging the duel at the actual site described in the text, the society aimed to preserve the connection between the fictional world, and the physical landscape of the Swiss Alps [1, 5].

“"The Reichenbach Falls are a pilgrimage for any Holmes enthusiast."”

The continued gathering of enthusiasts at Reichenbach Falls underscores the transition of Sherlock Holmes from a literary character to a cultural icon. These reenactments function as a form of literary tourism, where the physical geography of Switzerland becomes a tangible extension of Conan Doyle's narrative, sustaining interest in the original texts over a century after their publication.