"The cradle of the confederation" Chamber of the Swiss national Council by Charles Giron (1859-1914), 1901.
Photograph: www.parlament.ch.

Swiss Culture and History in European perspective

Introduction

In the spotlight

The Alps and the Poet Von Haller

For centuries, mountains were a ‘no go area’ for townspeople or villagers. Only cattle farmers and traders climbed mountains to pasture their cattle in the summer or transport cattle and their meat and milk products. Nobody thought of climbing a mountain for pleasure. Although the Dutch and Flemish masters of the Golden Age introduced idyllic … Read more » “The Alps and the Poet Von Haller”

In the spotlight

Sheikh Ibrahim ibn Abdallah from Basel

Basel hosts one of Europe’s first ethnographic museums. The city also had the first public building that today is called a museum. Not surprisingly, many researchers and art collectors of the old Confederation (Eidgenossenschaft) of 13 cantons were active on five continents. For instance, the most extensive European collection on Afghan literature and culture is … Read more » “Sheikh Ibrahim ibn Abdallah from Basel”

Events

Pinocchio in Riom

Carlo Collodi’s (1826-1890) children’s novel Pinocchio is on the Christmas programme in the romantic Clavadeira in Riom (canton Graunbunden). This extraordinary story is about becoming an adult, a humorous meditation on freedom, and a touching evening for the whole family. Every child knows Pinocchio, the stubborn puppet from Master Gepetto’s carpenter’s workshop. When he lies, … Read more » “Pinocchio in Riom”

Commemorations

The City Hall of Fribourg and the Eternal Peace

France defeated the Eidgenossen of Swiss Confederates in Italy in 1515  (Marignano, near Milan). The peace treaty was signed on 29 November 1516 in the hôtel de ville/Rathaus in bilingual Fribourg/Freiburg. The eternal Peace (la Paix éternelle, der ewige Friede) lasted until the French invasion of 1798. The City Hall (Hôtel de Ville). The Eternal … Read more » “The City Hall of Fribourg and the Eternal Peace”

Monuments

The former Rheinau Monastery, the Museum and Music Isle

The Celts inhabited the Rheinau peninsula (Canton of Zurich) on the Rhine centuries before Roman rule (from 13 BCE). Its location on the left bank of the Rhine and the peninsula offered good defences against the Germanic tribes on the right bank. The walls of the settlement (oppidum in Latin) stood upright until its demolition … Read more » “The former Rheinau Monastery, the Museum and Music Isle”

Latest news

New archaeological finds in Celtic and Roman Switzerland

Who has not heard of or admired the public buildings, art, utensils (now objects of art), coins, and other finds from the Celtic and Roman periods? Arab, Iranian and Jewish scholars and later monks saved ancient authors and their writings for posterity before secular scholars, universities and humanists got involved from the 13th century onwards. … Read more » “New archaeological finds in Celtic and Roman Switzerland”

Agenda

Courbet, Monet, Renoir… Focus provenance

In 1979, the Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History (le Musée d’art et d’histoire de Neuchâtel) received a significant donation from James Adolphe Yvan Amez-Droz (1888-1976).  Yvan Amez-Droz built up a collection of paintings, drawings, prints, books and objets d’art in Paris, where he was based. By donating the modern part of this collection, the … Read more » “Courbet, Monet, Renoir… Focus provenance”

Agenda »

Constitution, Democracy, cantons

The Landsgemeinde and Direct Democracy

A (historical) knowledge of the Landsgemeinde is indispensable for understanding the emergence and functioning of direct democracy in Switzerland. This article is limited to a broad outline of the subject. It shows that the basis of Swiss direct democracy is centuries old. The political choice in the nineteenth century resulted from fierce discussions and profound … Read more » “The Landsgemeinde and Direct Democracy”

Local history

St. Blasien Abbey, its Dom and the Abbey Trail

St. Blasien Abbey (Baden-Württemberg) in the Naturpark Südschwarzwald and the Albsteig was founded in the 11th century. A document of the Rheinau Abbey near Schaffhausen mentioned around 800 monks in a community at this site in the Alb Valley (Albtal). The Benedictine abbey was dedicated to Saint Blaise (4th century), an Armenian martyr. The Abbey … Read more » “St. Blasien Abbey, its Dom and the Abbey Trail”

Nature and Tourism

Hiking with Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) was one of the most influential philosophers of the Enlightenment (second half of the 18th century). His political, educational and literary works and novels were bestsellers during his lifetime. It brought him not only fame but also trouble with the authorities. His passion for hiking, however, is less well-known. ”Je voyageais, voyageais … Read more » “Hiking with Jean-Jacques Rousseau”