The first film about and in Basel was shown in several halls of the city in the autumn of 1896 (see also: www.50sekundenbasel1896.ch). It is a 50-second film. The film shows the old Mittlere Rheinbrücke (the new one was built in 1905).
The book `Auf der Brücke zur Moderne’ tells the story of this film and other pictures of Basel around 1900.
(Hansmartin Siegrist: Auf der Brücke zur Moderne, Basel 2019).
Available in French, German and Dutch
Amadeus Merian (1808-1889) redesigned the largest cemetery of Basel between 1867 and 1868 in the style of an English park.
The central cemetery, Hörnli, located on the right bank of the Rhine, was built in 1932, and the cemetery on Kannenfeld lost its function. The Kannenfeld park covers an area of almost nine hectares.
Morts pour la Patrie, the monument for French soldiers who died in Basel in 1871 (Bourbaki) and in the years 1914-1918, and 1939-1945, commemorating those who fell on the battlefield as residents of Basel.
Aventicum (Avenches) was the capital of the Helvetian territory (Civitas Helvetiorum), which was annexed to the Roman Empire around 15 BC. At the time, it was one of Switzerland’s most important cities.
Avenches, today a small medieval town, was the political and administrative centre of Roman Helvetia and had approximately 20,000 inhabitants at its peak. The old village lay further east, with a harbour area and a canal that has since dried up.
The city proliferated after Emperor Vespasian made it a colony in 71 AD, naming it Colonia Pia Flavia Constans Emerita Helvetiorum Foederata.
Emperor Vespasian and his son, Emperor Titus, also lived in Aventicum. The city was first annexed to the province of Gallia Lugdunensis by Emperor Augustus after its integration into the Roman Empire, then to the province of Gallia Belgica. and finally, to the province of Germania Superior in 85 AD.
The city narrowly escaped destruction in 69 AD after siding with Galba against Vittelius and his 21st legion stationed at Vindonissa (Windisch). Vittelius won over Galba but was defeated a few months later by Vespasian’s supporters and killed by them after taking Rome. This victory saved Avenches.
The ruling elites, the Celtic nobility, used their political power to protect their economic interests. They decided to promote Romanisation and follow Rome’s model.
Through an orthogonal street plan characteristic of Roman cities, with rectangular blocks (insulae) mainly intended for dwellings and workshops for crafts, Aventicum became the capital of a vast area covering much of the Swiss Plateau.
It could benefit from its privileged position in the Roman Empire’s road network and within the navigable network that connected it to the Rhine. The city was on the route from Rome, Martigny, to London!
Ancient documents and archaeological finds have shown the importance of Avenches in the establishment of communication networks by the Roman administration on the route that connected Besançon (Vesontio) to Augst (Augusta Raurica) via Pontarlier (Abiolica), the Jougne Pass, Yverdon (Eburoduno), Studen (Petinesca) and Solothurn (Salodurum).
Further north, via the Doubs route via Mandeure, a link was provided between the Rhône-Saône axis and the Rhine basin. Avenches was also connected to the transalpine route from the Great St Bernard to Lake Geneva via Moudon (Minodum), Oron (Viromagus), and Vevey (Vivisco). In addition to these main routes, other roads connected the city to Lake Geneva and Lake Constance (Bodensee).
The axis of the three great lakes of the Jura, Neuchâtel, Biel and Murten, and the Aare to the Rhine basin played an important role. Avenches had a port and canal on the southern shore of Lake Murten (Lac de Morat). The canal was 800 metres long and 7 metres wide, allowing two transport boats to cross each other. The port area was connected to the road network.
Limestone, marble, luxury goods and other materials were transported to construct prestigious villas, insulae, public buildings, baths, forums, theatres, amphitheatres, sanctuaries, and other monumental structures. The necropolises were on the northern edge of the city.
Aventicum was a cosmopolitan Roman provincial capital.
(Source : D. Castella, « Territoire et voies de communication », dans Avenches. Capitale des Helvètes, Association Pro Aventico, Avenches 2003).
The botanical garden Alpengarten Schynige Platte (Canton of Bern, near Interlaken) (1,967 meters above sea level) displays the abundance of colour and fragrance of Swiss flora and fauna above the treeline.
One can discover edelweiss, gentian, and around 700 other alpine plants in their natural environment, representing approximately two-thirds of the Swiss Alpine flora.
The Schynige Platte Railway made its maiden journey on 13 June 1893 and has now operated for more than 125 years between Wilderwil near Interlaken and the Schynige Platte.
Magnificent landscapes and spectacular views over Lake Thun and Lake Brienz pass by. The Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau shape an exceptional panorama.
The Platte is also the starting point of one of Switzerland’s most beautiful hiking trails. The Schynige Platte Mountain Hotel (1899, renovated in 2011) bears witness to the Belle Époque of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
(Source and further information: www.jungfrau.ch).
More than 65 years ago, René Clavel of Basel (1886-1969) conceived the idea of reconstructing a Roman house of the local urban elite in the Roman colony of Augusta Raurica, now Augst.
The Clavel-Villa near the Augusta Raurica Museum
In consultation with Professor Laur-Belart (1898-1972), who was responsible for the excavations at Augusta Raurica, Clavel had a peristyle house built next to the Roman theatre, with porches, a courtyard, and workshops on the street side. In the spring of 1955, Clavel handed the Roman house over to the Pro Augusta Raurica Foundation.
(Source and additional information: B. Pfäffli, “The Roman House: 65 years old and far from retired” in Augusta Raurica, 2020/1, Augst).
This book gives an overview of the one hundred via ferrata of the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) in Switzerland and some other countries.
(Eugen E. Hüsler, Daniel Anker, Die Klettersteige der Schweiz, Aarau, 2020).
The urban villa in Auvernier (canton of Neuchâtel) was built in the first half of the seventeenth century. The French family d’Orléans-Longueville (1504-1706) ruled the county of Neuchâtel.
Karl von Bonstetten bought the building in 1630, followed by the Châtenay familly. The seventeenth century was the Golden Age of this village (commune of Milvignes).
The Romans founded the settlement of Salodurum (literally, “water gate”) around 20 AD. The main reason was the construction of a road (and a bridge over the Aare River) between Aventicum (Avenches) and Vindonissa (Windisch).
The town became a fortress with the usual Roman public and private buildings; some remnants can still be seen in the Old Town.
The city had Burgundian kings (kingdoms of Burgundy, c. 460-c.536 and 888-1032), Frankish kings and emperors (c. 536-888), and German kings and emperors (Holy Roman Empire (from 1033) as its rulers, but it became an independent imperial city in 1218.
The town acquired large territories afterwards and joined the Swiss Confederation in 1481. The city’s prestige was confirmed by close ties with France (and the lucrative mercenary business) and the establishment of a French embassy (until 1792). The famous Hotel de la Couronne, along with many splendid buildings and monuments, are witnesses to this period.
(Source: www.solothurn-city.ch).
The Romanesque church, built by the Abbey of Cluny in the 11th and 12th centuries, was initially dedicated to Saint Sulpice and gave its name to the village.
The church became Protestant after the occupation of Vaud (le Pays de Vaud) by Bern in 1536 and became the property of the town of Lausanne.
The priory disappeared after 1536 or was given another purpose. The nave collapsed after the Reformation and was not rebuilt. The church is a national monument.
(Source: www.notrehistoire.ch).
