Maarten Koning – Page 24 – The Swiss Spectator

Wengen, Kleine Scheidegg, Nature and Winter and Summer Sports

Every year, around 60,000 visitors visit Wengen (canton of Bern) in January to experience the International Lauberhornrennen. The legendary downhill run (since 1930) is the longest in the entire Ski World Cup.

The list of winners since 1930 and a part of the International Lauberhornrennen parcours

Wengen is situated at an altitude of 1,274 metres in the Jungfrau region and the Lauterbrunnen Valley. The village was first mentioned in documents in 1268 as Mons Wengen (Mount Wengen).

The Wengeralpbahn

The Jungfraubahn

In the early 19th century, the village grew into a tourist attraction. The pass on the Wengeralp-Kleine Scheidegg and the inn, which opened there in 1835, made Wengen known, especially among British visitors.

After the opening of the Wengeralpbahn (1893) and the Jungfraubahn (1912), the village experienced rapid growth. Despite difficult times (world wars and economic crises), Wengen kept its appeal.

Still life near Wengen

While the International Lauberhornrennen made the village world-famous, its authentic charm, winter and summer sports opportunities, proximity to other destinations (such as the Eigerbahn, Grindelwald, Mürren, Jungfrauloch, and Lauterbrunnen), nature, and good accessibility are the permanent factors that attract visitors.

Impressions of Wengen

Impressions of Kleine Scheidegg

The Wengeralpbahn

The Jungfraubahn

Grindelwald, its Bergschaften, Jungfraujoch and Eigergletscher

Grindelwald (canton of Bern) is well known for its location at the foot of the Jungfrau and the Jungfraujoch. Today, the municipality of Grindelwald is divided into seven Bergschaften (Bussalp, Holzmatten, Bach, Grindel, Scheidegg, Wärgistal, and Itramen).

This situation was different in the 12th century. Barons (Freiherren) ruled the area in the 12th century. However, Duke Berthold V of Zähringen (1160-12180), founder of Neuenburg am Rhein (G), Rheinfelden (G and CH), Freiburg im Breisgau (G), Freiburg/Fribourg (CH), and Bern (CH), defeated them in 1191 in the Baronenkrieg (Barons’ War). This war ended the power of local rulers in the valley.

Grindelwald today

Moreover, the namesake of the Jungfrau, the monastery Inter lacus, present-day Interlaken, owned a significant amount of land in the valley. The Roman-German King Konrad III (1093-1152) gifted the monastery many possessions in 1146. By the end of the 15th century, the monastery had expanded its possessions and owned most of the Grindelwald Valley.

Bern acquired the valley in 1528, introduced the protestant faith, dissolved the monastery, and created a new political division of the valley. The Bergschaften with their municipal councils date from this period.

These Bergschaften are independent public law bodies (best compared to Consortages and Bourgeoisies in the canton of Valais) for managing the public and private alpine meadows and other administrative matters.

The valley is surrounded by famous mountains (including the Lauberhorn, Kleine Scheidegg, Finsteraarhorn, Wetterhorn, the Grosse Fiescherhorn, Mönch, Eiger, Jungfrau, Lauteraarhorn, and Schreckhorn), their glaciers, and beautiful panoramas.

Not surprisingly, English tourists and alpinists also discovered Grindelwald in the nineteenth century. The first Zahnradbahn (Wengeralpbahn) was operated in 1893 and extended to the Jungfraujoch in 1912. Additionally, the Schweizer Alpen Club (SAC) opened several SAC Cabanes.

World Snow Festival (13-18 January), work in process.

Swiss art in process (15 January)

But that’s not all. This year, the 40th World Snow Festival took place from 13 to 18 January, on the same days as the Lauberhornrennen in Wengen!

The Eiger Express

Grindelwald in Summer

Jungfraujoch

Whoever says Grindelwald also immediately thinks of the Jungfraujoch. The cabin and train to the Jungfraujoch at an altitude of 3,454 m. leave from the terminal in this village, first with the cabin of the Eiger Express to the Eiger glacier, and then with the Jungfraubahn to Europe’s highest train station on the ‘Top of Europe’.

The founder A. Guyer-Zeller (1839-1899)

Image of a poster

The Jungfraujoch and the Mönch

The Jungfrau

The Jungfrauloch is not only an experience with views of the highest Alpine peaks, including the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, the Konkordiaplatz, the Lake of Ice (Eismeer, 3,160 m) and the Palace of Ice (Eispalast). Still, it is also a documentation and information centre about the Alpine world and the construction of this unique site.

The Eismeer

The Konkordiaplatz

The Aletsch Glacier (Aletschgletscher) 1850 and today (on the right)

Science on the ´Top of Europe´

Impressions of the Jungfraujoch

Switzerland’s tunnel builders and engineers

Remembrance of workers killed during the construction of the railway tunnel

(Source and further information: Gemeinde Grindelwald)

Interlaken, Inter lacus Monastery, Unterseen and the virgin

Interlaken means between the lakes, the Brienzersee and the Thunersee. This is well known. Much less known, however, is its namesake: the monastery ‘Inter lacus’. In the 14th century, the double monastery (Doppelkloster) had a men’s and a women’s section, with 300 nuns and 40 monks.

Unterseen on the right and the Spielmatte, 18th century. Image: Gemeinde Unterseen

The and the Thunersee. Image: Gemeinde Unterseen

Interlaken lies between two lakes, and the Aare splits here before flowing into the Thunsersee again as a river. The islet of Spielmatte lies between the two branches of the Aare.

The Inter lacus Convent and Monastery

The Augustinian monastery Inter lacus was founded in 1133 by Freiherr Seliger von Oberhofen. The monastery church originally dates from the 14th century and was rebuilt in the late Gothic style in 1471. However, only the tower remains from this era. The women’s monastery was abolished in 1484, and the men’s monastery during the reformation in 1528.

Subsequently, the monastery became the seat of the government of Bern’s governor, and the complex became the governor’s castle (Schloss). The monastery church became a Schlosskirche.

This church was then used as a warehouse for a long time. However, English guests also played a role: by the end of the 19th century, it was used as an Anglican church. In 1909, the Evangelical Reformed Church of Gsteig-Interlaken took possession of the church.

The Catholic church was built in 1908. Since then, both churches have symbolised the harmony of two religions in Interlaken.

The Jungfrau (Virgin)

The nuns also gave a Swiss icon its name. The convent owned the Alpine meadows up to the mighty rocks and the then-unapproachable glaciers of a mountain without a name. At the time, these rocks and glaciers made the mountain unreachable and untouched, hence the name Jungfrau.

Everything comes to an end, and so does this status. On 3 August 1811, the first (Swiss) climbers reached the summit of the 4 185-meter mountain. Since then, the mountain has not been untouched, although Adolf Guyer-Zeller’s Jungfraubahn did not have the summit but the Jungfrauloch as its terminus, although the summit was still intended in 1894.

Unterseen

Unterseen was founded in 1279 by Freiherr Berchtold von Eschenbach-Oberhofen. Initially, it was a military base for Habsburg, but from 1337, it was a line of defence for Bern. The town developed into a significant trade and craft town and transhipment point for goods from ships and timber rafts travelling from Bern, the Haslital, over the Brünig Pass to the Waldstätte in the Innerschweiz or the Grimsel towards Italy.

The ‘Haberdarre’ was the transhipment point for goods between Lake Thuner and Lake Brienzersee. This name is derived from the drying (darre) of oats (Haber).

In the 18th and 19th centuries, famous guests stayed overnight at Unterseen’s Inns, including Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1782-1832) and Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, better known as Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847).

Unterseen and the monastery Inter lacus were initially the leading economic players. The monastery operated a sawmill, grain mill, and wool spinning mill, among other activities. It also owned exclusive fishing rights in the Aare. In its heyday, it was also the largest landowner in the Bernese Oberland.

The mills served for centuries, their wheels powered by the Aare’s water. The Spielmatte was an important location for these mills.

In 1938, the water wheels gave way to electrically powered mills. Hydropower plants provided the power. It wasn’t until 1996 that the mills stopped functioning. However, the hydropower plant on the Spielmatte is still functioning!

Interlaken

The 1892 shipping canal links Lake Thuner to the Westbahnhof in Interlaken, which flourished due to tourism. English tourists, in particular, found their way to Interlaken and the Jungfrau region.

Villa rosa

Grand Hotel Victoria Jungfrau

The place acquired a fashionable character, with Grand Hotels, city palaces, wide boulevards and streets, electric lighting, and bridges over the Aare.

Hotel Harder Kulm

The Goldey pedestrian bridge over the Aare has connected Unterseen with Interlaken and the Kurhaus since 1900.

The Kurhaus opened its doors on 20 July 1859 to aim for a healthy mind in a healthy body. A Molkekuranstalt provided the body, the casino the adrenaline and the Kurorkest the harmonious spirit. The Kurhaus has been Interlaken’s cultural and social centre from the beginning.

The architect Paul Bouvier (1857-1940) converted the complex into a concert, play and theatre hall in the park. Today, the Kurhaus is a world-renowned cultural and congress centre that includes the ‘Interlaken Classics’.

Indian film director Yash Chopra (1932-2012), an honorary citizen of the city, has been immortalised in the park because of the many films he shot in Interlaken.

The castle (former monastery)

The Schlosskirche

The Propstei

Lauterbrunnen, 72 Waterfalls, Walser and monastery Inter lacus

Nomen est omen: Lauterbrunnen (canton of Bern) takes its name from its many waterfalls and the babbling sound of streams and springs. The municipality of Lauterbrunnen consists of the villages of Lauterbrunnen, Gimmelwald, Isenfluh, Mürren, Stechelberg, and Wengen.

The Staubbachfall, the highest waterfall in Switzerland

The Inter lacus monastery in Interlaken was also the major landowner in this valley at the end of the 15th century. Lauterbrunnen resisted the reformation in 1528, and troops from Bern had to convince the village. Thereafter, Bern also expropriated the Inter lacus monastery’s property in this valley.

Incidentally, the relationship between the monastery and the village was not optimal for a long time either. Around 1480, the village built its church without the monastery’s permission. The church was also about money, and the monastery feared losing income. In his ‘Swiss way’, however, an arbitration committee came to a compromise.

The church today

Another peculiarity of this municipality is the immigration of Walser in the 13th and 14th centuries, especially in the villages of Lauterbrunnen, Gimmelwald, and Mürren. The second wave of immigration is much better known: the arrival of (English) tourists during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

(Source and further information: Gemeinde Lauterbrunnen)

The valley of 72 waterfalls (Tal der 72 Wasserfälle)

Engadin Art Talks in Zuoz and Satellite Event in St.Moritz

The E.A.T. | Engadin Art Talks is a non-profit foundation that serves as a multidisciplinary platform for facilitating discussions and conversations between artists, curators, and scholars on current issues in our society and an interested public.

Its mission is to build knowledge transfer and relationships that open new ways of thinking. Since its foundation, E.A.T. has presented more than 350 international speakers and contributors and built a global network in the creative sector.

This edition of Engadin Art Talks will be held from 24 to 26 January in Zuoz (canton Graubünden).

In addition to this forum, E.A.T. is presenting a series of satellite events in cooperation with international institutions to continue its mission abroad.

The first satellite event will take place on 26 January (from 15:00 to 18:00) in St. Moritz (Scala Cinema, Via Maistra 29). The event will feature talks with UMAN (artist, USA), Hans Ulrich Obrist (director Serpentine Galleries London and E.A.T. curator), Maja Hoffmann (founder LUMA Foundation) and Stefanie Hessler (director Swiss Institute in New York).

(Source and further information: Engadin Art Talks)

A Sustainable Democracy with a Future

Amid authoritarian monarchies, 22 (25) cantons in central Europe, with a desire for freedom, founded a democratic state in 1848. Modern Switzerland emerged from the old Confederation, laying the foundations for an unprecedented economic boom.

In the German-language publication, the author demonstrates what is required to establish a liberal democracy founded on the rule of law. However, he also points out that a liberal society cannot be taken for granted.

The commitment of citizens nurtures it. Although democracies are under pressure worldwide, Switzerland serves as an example of building and sustaining a liberal, democratic, and prosperous society, partly through direct democracy, which is not an outdated but a modern and visionary concept.

(Thomas Lötscher, Demokratie mit Zukunft, Die Erschaffung der modernen Schweiz.) Thun, 2022)

Winston Churchill and Switzerland

Winston Churchill came to know, appreciate, and cherish Switzerland as a young man. At a young age, he climbed Monte Rosa, admired the beauty of the Bernese and Valais Alps, and nearly drowned in Lake Geneva. As a minister in eight different departments and prime minister (1940-1945, 1951-1955), Switzerland was one of many subjects for him.

Yet he deeply understood Switzerland’s difficult situation as a neutral state amid aggressive dictatorships. He valued his Swiss painting teacher, Charles Montag, Swiss paint supplier Willy Sax, and his Swiss cooks and maids at Chartwell.

Churchill’s perseverance and vision saved Britain, Europe and Switzerland in 1940. The Swiss citizens realised this all too well, so his visit to Zurich in 1946 was a triumph.

In the German-language book, the author combines historical expertise and craftsmanship with journalistic instinct and refers to the time’s Swiss witnesses.

(Werner Vogt, Winston Churchill und die Schweiz, Zurich, 2017)

Celebrations to Mark 80 Years End of the Second World War

Although Switzerland was neutral during the Second World War, it owes a lot to the courageous citizens of its neighbouring countries. As part of the celebrations to mark 80 years since the end of the Second World War, Art’Rhena (Île du Rhin – 68600 Vogelgrun) is presenting a programme dedicated to two brave citizens.

Theater: Simone Veil. Les combats d’une effronté

This show, first performed in 2021, is an adaptation of Simone Veil’s (1927-2017) memoirs, Une vie, the autobiography published in 2007. Director Pauline Susini has created a dialogue between Simone Veil and the character of a young student so that yesterday’s struggles resonate with those of today.

Saturday 18 January, 8.00 pm (in French)

The exhibition: Simone Veil – Un Destin 1927-2017

For Simone Veil and her family, the 20th century began with a tragedy: deportation to Auschwitz with her mother and sister, where she experienced absolute horror. She was saved by the courage that marked her entire career, whose milestones are part of contemporary French history. The exhibition retraces her life, in 24 panels, from birth to pantheonisation through her battles and career.

From 5 to 25 January (in French)

Exhibition: Julius Leber: from Alsace to the German Resistance

The exhibition (Julius Leber: de l’Alsace à la résistance allemande.Une vie pour la liberte et la democratie/Vom Elsass zum deutschen Widerstand, ein Leben für Freiheit und Demokratie) aims to raise awareness of a little-known historical figure: Julius Leber.

Born in Biesheim (Alsace was still part of the German Reich) in 1891, Julius Leber (1891-1945) began his school career there, continuing his studies in Breisach and then Freiburg. A member of the Reichstag, a committed journalist and an opponent of National Socialism, Julius Leber was a precursor of European values. Little known to the general public, his exceptional career and courageous commitments deserve to be shared and studied.

From 5 January to 23 February: in German and French

(Source and further information: Art’Rhena)

The Holy Roman Empire, Habsburg, Vorderösterreich and the Confederation

This article looks at the relationship between Vorderösterreich (Outer Austria/Anterior Austria) and the Confederation. Additionally, it serves as preparation for a more differentiated follow-up article on the Swabian War of 1499 (also known as the Swiss War or Engadine War, depending on one’s perspective). The circumstances, actions and conflicts of that time can only be understood in the context of the somewhat entangled history.

For this reason, this article is written in general terms; the relationships and roles of France, the Dukes of Bavaria, Savoy, Burgundy, Lorraine, Milan, the Margraves of Baden and other state entities are not considered. However, they also influenced the balance of power between Vorderösterreich and the Confederation, as well as its towns and cantons.

The Holy Roman Empire, around. 1400. Image: Ziegelbrenner/Wikipedia

Holy Roman Empire

Looking at the current borders of France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria today, it is hard to imagine that the situation of territories and dependencies was utterly different 500 years ago.

The Holy Roman Empire (in the 16th century, also referred to as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation for the sake of precision) was founded in 962 under the Ottonian dynasty, with Otto I (912-973) as the first Holy Roman Emperor. It was the successor to the Carolingian Empire, which was divided in 843 by the Treaty of Verdun.

Various dynasties (including Ottonian, Salian, Hohenstaufen, Wittelsbach, Luxembourg and Habsburg) provided the emperors and kings of the Empire. The seven electors of the Holy Roman Empire elected the king and Emperor.

Basel, the cathedral (das Münster). Emperor Henry II (973-1024) and Empress Kunigunde (975-1040). The originals are in the Museum Kleines Klingental.

This election was regulated in the Golden Bull of 1356. The Pope anointed the Emperor. From 1440 to 1806, the Habsburgs held the titles of emperor and king in succession, almost without interruption. 1555, the Empire was divided into a Spanish branch (1555-1700) and an Austrian branch (1555-1918). Vorderösterreich fell under the Austrian branch.

The Goldene Bulle, Image: Wikipedia

The Emperor was the highest authority in the Holy Roman Empire. The Imperial Diet was the legislature, the Imperial Chamber Court (in Worms, Speyer and finally in Wetzlar) and the Court Council in Vienna were the highest courts. The (tax) laws and ‘foreign judges’ of the Empire were also the basis for the ‘Swabian War’.

This article deals with the Habsburg territory in Vorderösterreich, distinguishing it from the Habsburg territories in Inner Austria (Duchies of Styria, Carinthia, Carniola, and Mark), Lower Austria (Duchy of Austria), and Upper Austria (the so-called Erblande), as well as the County of Tyrol (a Habsburg possession since 1379).

Until 1753, Vorderösterreich was not a political entity but comprised many political units. Initially, part of present-day Switzerland also belonged to this territory.

Habsburg and the Swiss Confederation

The Swiss Confederation developed during the late 13th and 14th centuries. In 1513, it consisted of 13 sovereign cantons that were frequently at odds with one another. Although the Confederation formally remained part of the Empire until 1648, it had already de facto ceased recognising its supreme authorities two centuries earlier. The refusal and cessation to pay certain taxes demonstrated this in concrete terms.

The Habsburgs lost territories and influence in a series of conflicts: 1315, 1386, 1388, 1415 (conquest of the Aargau, except for the Fricktal, Rheinfelden, and Laufenburg), 1460 (conquest of the Thurgau), and finally in 1499 during the Swabian War.

Basel, Rudolf Wettstein statue, Basler negotiator and diplomat at the Peace of Westphalia

In the 15th century, successive Habsburg emperors attempted to reconquer the Swiss territories. However, the ‘Eternal Direction’ (1474), the lost ‘Swabian War’ and the Peace of Basel (1499) ended almost two centuries of war with the Peace of Westphalia (1648) as international (de facto) recognition of the Confederation.

Vorderösterreich, Breisgau around 1725

Vorderösterreich and its political role

From 1499, Vorderösterreich encompassed the area from the Arlberg to Alsace (including Sundgau), the Fricktal, the four Waldstätte towns (Säckingen, Waldshut, Laufenburg, and Rheinfelden), Breisgau, and regions in Lorraine, Swabia, Bavaria, and the Black Forest.

Ensisheim (Alsace) was the administrative centre of Vorderösterreich from 1444 to 1638. Freiburg, however, was the most important economic, religious (diocese) and cultural centre with a university (1457). The Basel chapter (until 1679) and Erasmus (until 1535) sought refuge in Fribourg in 1529 because of the Reformation.

Breisgau, Münster

Wars and territorial changes

From the 16th century onwards, France and Bavaria became threats to the Habsburgs’ possessions in the Austrian Forelands. The Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) and the Dutch War (1672-1678, Peace of Nijmegen) led to territorial losses (Alsace, Sundgau, Breisgau, Freiburg) to France. During this time, the provincial government of Vorderösterreich was based in Waldshut and the university was temporarily housed in Constance.

Neuenburg am Rhein

The Peace of Rijswijk (1697) ended the War of the Palatinate Succession (1688-1697). Alsace (and Strasbourg) remained with France, while Freiburg and Breisach returned to Habsburg. During the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714), the towns of Neuchâtel on the Rhine, Breisgau, Villingen and Freiburg were again occupied by French troops and (again) plundered.

In the Peace of Rastatt (1714), these towns reverted to the Habsburgs. During a new war (the Austrian War of Succession, 1740-1748), France again occupied Freiburg and returned it after the Peace of Aachen (1748).

Freiburg, building of merchants, around 1530

Neuf-Brisach

Reforms

In 1753, Empress/Regent Maria Theresa (1717-1780) and Joseph II reorganised and reformed the administrative system. The previously fragmented Vorderösterreich became the political unit of the province of Vorderösterreich.

This was due to the rise of another threat: Prussia. From 1753 to 1806, during the last phase of Habsburg rule, Freiburg was once again the administrative centre of the province of Vorderösterreich. After 1789, however, the threat again came from the French side.

Vorderösterreich, a. 1790. Image: Karte: Hauptstaatsarchiv Stuttgart, Vorderösterreich in alten Karten und Plänen, Begleitheft zu Ausstellung Stuttgart, 1998

Dissolution of Vorderösterreich

In 1803, Napoleon assigned the Fricktal, Laufenburg, and Rheinfelden to the canton of Aargau, with the Rhine as the border. In 1806, Vorderösterreich ceased to exist as part of the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire. The remaining territories of Vorderösterreich fell to the Kingdom of Bavaria, the Grand Duchy of Baden, the Kingdom of Württemberg, and the Austrian Empire. It meant that Vorderösterreich was a thing of the past for the Confederation.

Rheinfelden (kanton Aargau)

Aftermath

Or not quite. The village of Büsingen lies in the centre of the canton of Schaffhausen. The Habsburgs never wanted to cede the town to the canton. The village was then annexed to the Grand Duchy of Baden and subsequently to the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, despite a referendum in 1918, in which 96% of the inhabitants voted to join the Swiss Confederation.

There is a parallel with Vorarlberg: in 1919, 81% of the inhabitants wanted to join the Swiss Confederation. Switzerland did not like this for various reasons. Almost a tiny part of Vorderösterreich had joined the Confederation after 1918!

Incidentally, the Habsburg presence in the new canton of Graubünden lasted until 1803 (Tarasp) and 1819 (Rhäzuns). This area was administered from Innsbruck.

And yet, the Habsburg presence was not over. As early as the 13th and 14th centuries, the Habsburgs focused on Basel as a residence and administrative centre. However, this did not materialise.

Basel, Cathedral

Bern

Eugen Ferdinand Pius Bernhard Felix Maria, the Archduke of Habsburg (1863-1954), lived in a suite in the Hotel Les Trois Rois in Basel from 1919 to 1934. He was a nephew of Karl von Habsburg (1887-1922), the last Emperor of the Habsburg Empire. He bid farewell to Basel in style in 1934, also on behalf of his ancestors, and Basel bid him farewell with the city’s highest honours.

The cathedral also houses the (empty) sarcophagus of Gertrud Anna von Hohenberg (1225-1281), the wife of Rudolf I (1218-1291), the first German-Roman king of the dynasty. The name Habsburg remains associated with Basel, the cathedral, and Switzerland.

Emperor Karl and Empress Zita (1892-1989), Austria’s last empress, were dethroned after a reign of only two years. After 1919, they lived in exile. After Emperor Karl died in 1922, Empress Zita raised her eight children, including Otto von Habsburg (1912-2011), on her own. She lived in Zizers (canton of Graubünden) for 27 years, from 1962 until she died in 1989.

Conclusion

Relations between the Confederation and Vorderösterreich remained peaceful after 1499. Calm returned, mainly as other (religious) conflicts arose.

Although the Swabian War marked the final spiritual and de facto separation, trade, universities (Freiburg, Constance, Basel), language (Alemannic), and personal contacts remained a solid basis for cooperation.

Despite the numerous conflicts that occurred before and after 1648, the coats of arms of the Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburg dynasty were often not removed from public spaces. The prestige and respect for the Holy Roman Empire, the Emperor and the (German-Roman) King were such.

Breisach

(Source: D. Speck, Kleine Geschichte Vorderösterreichs, Leinfelden-Echterdingen, 2010; Uri Robert Kaufmann (Red.), Die Schweiz und der deutsche Südwesten, Ostfildern, 2006; Arzner, B. Oeschger, J. Scharf-Anderegg (Red.), Nachbarn am Hochrhein, Möhlin 2002; A. Jochim, F. Hanöffner (red.), Die Habsburger im Mittelalter. Aufstieg einer Dynastie, Speyer 2022)

Kleinlützel, Lucelle, Felsplatte and European History

Where there is a (Grand-) Lucelle or (Gross-) Lützel, there is also a Kleinlützel, Petit-Lucelle (Solothurn canton). Lucelle (France) is a town in the Sundgau (Alsace) and borders the canton of Jura.

Kleinlützel

Habsburg, France, the diocese of Basel, and successive German states (1871-1918, 1940-1945) contested this region for centuries. A Roman road between Kleinlützel, Burg, and Röschenz and the pass over the Blaubergkette points to the region’s importance for trade and passenger traffic. The numerous castles in the area, including the ruined Blauenstein, also bear witness to this.

Röschenz (Canton of Basel-Landschaft), in the background the Passwang and other mountains

The castle (Burg) in the village of Burg, in the background, the Sundgau (France)

The women’s convent, Minor Lucella, was founded in 1136. The convent belonged to the abbey in Lucelle. This convent was destroyed in the Schwabenkrieg (1499) and the peasant uprisings (1525). Only the Chapel and a utility building remain.

In 1527, Solothurn bought Kleinlützel and the surrounding area. France acquired the Sundgau and Lucelle in 1648, but this separation did not harm the natural beauty of the region.

A chapel near Kleinlützel

Two Gemsen near Kleinlützel

Moreover, in a few kilometres, centuries-old influences and domination from the Habsburg Empire, the Bishop of Basel, Solothurn, France, and, after 1871, successive German states are evident.

The Landskron (France)

The Felsplatte from World War I and World War II illustrates the proximity of the German-administered Sundgau (1871-1918 and 1940-1945) to France and Germany.

During the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648), soldiers from Solothurn took up their positions here to observe the war in Sundgau. The viewpoint, then known as Plattenfels, gained fame throughout the country during World War I. The men’s hut still exists. The Felsplatte was brought back into use in 1939, equipped with guns, other weapons, and soldiers.