Author: Maarten Koning

Meltingen and Maria im Hag

Meltingen has been part of the territory of the canton of Solothurn for centuries. The village belonged to the lordship of Castle Gilgenberg, a Höhenburg, in the nearby municipality of Zullwil.

The pilgrimage church “Maria im Hag” stands about 40 m above the village. The church was mentioned in documents as early as 1375. The first chapel in this location was much older. The present church was donated in 1519 by Hans Imer von Gilgenberg, together with the stained glass windows.

Worth seeing are the statue of Grace from the 14th century, the glass paintings of the Knight of Gilgenberg and his wife, and the two Saints, Catherine and Agatha; the stone cross from 1638; the precious Pietà from 1540; and the statue of St. John from 1440.

(Source: www.meltingen.ch).

Museum of Lower Engadine and the Romansh language in Scuol

One key feature of Engadin culture (Kanton Graubünden) is the local language: Romansh. It is one of the oldest living European languages with roots in Rhaetian, Latin, Alemannic, Italian, French, and German. The language was on the verge of dying out around 100 years ago, but several devotees resolved to ensure its survival in 1919. 

 

 In 1938, the Swiss people voted by a sizeable majority to make it the fourth national language. Romansh and its wide range of idioms are very much alive today. The exhibition at the Museum of Lower Engadin (Museum Engiadina bassa Scuol) presents the language and its idioms, including an e-guide with audio samples of the language.

 

(Source and further information: Museum d’Engiadina bassa Scuol)

 

The first Bibel in the Romansh language, Vallader idiom, printed in Scuol in 1679

The Castle ‘Burg’ in the village Burg im Leimental

The area was already inhabited in Roman times. In 1168, Biedertan Castle, a hilltop fortress (a Höhenburg, similar to Wildenstein Castle in Bubendorf), was granted as a fief to Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa.

In 1269, it came into the possession of the diocese of Basel. From 1392, it was inhabited by the Lords of Wessenberg.

After the 16th century, the castle was renamed “Biedertal”, then “Burgtal”, and finally “Burg”.

In 1815, Burg was assigned to the canton of Bern by a decision of the Congress of Vienna. In 1994, the village of Burg im Leimental was transferred to the canton of Basel-Landschaft.

(Source: www.baselland.ch)

Schwarzbubenland

The Schwarzbubenland comprises the districts of Dorneck and Thierstein and is situated in the canton of Solothurn, south of the canton of Basel-Landschaft and the Laufental.

The region offers ideal hiking and cycling routes, and beautiful landscapes and is also characterised by cultural history with many museums, castles, monasteries and Roman, medieval and (early) modern architecture.

Beautiful villages are, among others, Bärschwil, Bättwil, Beinwil, Breitenbach, Büren, Büsserach, (the city) Dornach, Erschwil, Fehren, Gempen, Grindel, Himmelried, Hochwald, Hofstetten-Flüh, Kleinlützel, Meltingen, Metzerlen-Mariastein, Nuglar-St. Pantaleon, Nunningen, Rodersdorf, Seewen, Witterswil and Zullwil.

(Source and further information: www.schwarzbubenland.info).

The City Palaces of Trogen

One of Switzerland’s features is the large monumental buildings in the most remote areas and (former) farming villages.

It applies not only to the well-known grand hotels in the well-known cantons but also to Schwyz, Uri, Glarus, and, for example, Appenzell Ausserrhoden.

The village centre is unique in its combination of palatial stone houses and typical Appenzell wooden dwellings, dominated by the early classicistic church facade.

Textile trade and the houses of merchants and weavers characterise the village. The history of Trogen’s trade in the 17th and 18th centuries is omnipresent around the Landsgemeinde square.

The present-day town hall was built between 1760 and 1763 as a residential and commercial building. Another palace (1803) was used for the councillors of the canton until 1876, when the canton seat was moved to Herisau.

The Reformed Church of Trogen was constructed between 1779 and 1782. Die Krone (1727) is a monumental wooden building with gable roofs and beautiful Rococo paintings.

(Further information: www.jahrhundertderzellweger.ch).

Segantini Museum St. Moritz

The appreciation for Giovanni Segantini’s (1858-1899) art found expression in the Museum in St. Moritz.

The architect Nicolaus Hartmann (1880-1956) based his design on the monumental pavilion that Segantini had created to house his Engadina panorama of large-scale paintings at the Paris World Exhibition in 1900. The building, with its massive domes, resembles a mausoleum.

To mark the centenary of Segantini’s death in 1899, the museum underwent a complete renovation and expansion. The most recent renovation and expansion took place in 2019.

(Source and further information: www.segantini-museum.ch).

Bever in Graubünden

Bever (canton of Graubünden), whose name originates from the Celtic word ‘Beberos’, meaning ‘beaver’, is mentioned in 1137 in the Treaty of Gamertinger, a sales contract between the counts of Gamertingen and the bishop of Chur. In 1499, the Austrians destroyed the village in the Swabian War (Schwabenkrieg).

Bever is a village with many well-preserved Engadiner houses from the 17th and 18th centuries. The village was a community with many wealthy citizens. They owed their prosperity to their work as confectioners, hoteliers or traders abroad.

Hotel & Berghaus Val Sinestra

It is impossible to imagine the Engadine without spas. However, the spa hotel (Kurhaus) in Val Sinestra is a story.

Val Sinestra is located in Unterengadin, east of the municipality of Sent (Canton of Graubünden). The mineral springs were the reason for constructing the hotel Val Sinestra in 1912. Val Sinestra is Romansh and means “valley on the left”.

The hotel is situated at an altitude of 1500 metres. The valley is almost entirely wooded.

Mineral water sources were already known in the 14th and 15th centuries. These springs are the only arsenic acid source in the Alps. There were six usable springs, five for drinking water and one for bathing.

A simple hotel was built in 1904. The present-day hotel opened its doors on the eve of the First and Second World Wars, as well as during the economic depression of the 1930s.

This hotel also failed to recover after the wars of 1918 and 1945. However, the hotel was renovated again in 1951 and reopened, but it closed in 1972.

The Dutch family Kruit bought the hotel that year. It reopened in 1979 as Hotel & Berghaus Val Sinestra.

The springs are no longer used, and the healing water flows back into the Brancla. Nevertheless, health remains an important theme. The peaceful and quiet area, the pure air, the unspoilt nature, numerous hiking trails, healthy food, a homely atmosphere, and low prices create the perfect conditions for a healthy stay.

(Source and further information: A. Hübner, Kurhaus Val Sinstra, Scuol; www.sinestra.ch).