Author: Maarten Koning

The jagged border of today’s Switzerland, with its numerous twists and turns and even some foreign enclaves, is the result of a complex interplay between nature, politics, and sometimes chance. The borders of the 26 cantons mostly follow the same pattern. Within several cantons, there are even enclaves of other cantons, and sometimes, the border looks more like a patchwork of three cantons.

Since 1803, the High Rhine (and Lake Constance) has been the natural border between the Swiss Confederation on the left bank of the Rhine and the German (Grand Duchy of) Baden and (Kingdom of) Württemberg, Bundesland Baden-Württemberg since 1947.

Collection: Dreiländermuseum Lörrach

However, this border river also has exceptions: the canton of Schaffhausen lies mainly on the right bank of the Rhine, and the canton of Zurich extends for several square kilometres along the right bank.

However, the most striking Swiss appearance on the right bank of the Rhine is in the canton of Basel-Stadt. The Basel-Stadt canton comprises three municipalities: Basel, Riehen, and Bettingen. Riehen and Bettingen lie on the right bank of the Rhine. Still, a part of Basel (Kleinbasel) also lies on the ‘German’ side of the Rhine, with the Badische Badenhof of the Deutsche Bahn (DB) in Kleinbasel being located in German territory within Switzerland.

Today, this is not an obstacle for travellers. However, from 1933 to 1945, and especially from 1938 onwards, it was a border between life and death, freedom and dictatorship, for many.

Border Stone in the Eiserne Hand, Riehen

1933 – 1945

The Nazis’ seizure of power on 30 January 1933 led to terror and persecution of political opponents, dissenters and Jewish citizens from the very beginning. After the pogrom of 9 November 1938 (Kristallnacht) until Germany’s occupation and capitulation in 1945, thousands of Jewish civilians, refugees from occupied territories, Allied soldiers and forced labourers crossed this Swiss border on the right bank of the Rhine.

Collection: Gedenkstätte Riehen

Although the German campaign against the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France in May 1940 did not lead to a German invasion of Switzerland, plans were in place (Operation Tannenbaum). Perhaps France’s rapid capitulation prevented this invasion. The costs for Germany (and Italy) no longer outweighed the benefits of a neutral neighbouring country with essential transport links and (weapons- and financial) industry, which could not be bombed.

However, the permanent fear of a German invasion determined daily life in Canton-Basel-Stadt and Switzerland (see also the German occupation of Italy in 1943 and Hungary in 1944).

In any case, from 10 May 1940, the border on the right bank of the Rhine was and remained hermetically closed with barricades and patrols. This ended centuries of social and economic contacts and relationships for many residents.

Moreover, many Germans (even then) lived or worked in this canton and supported the new regime. However, most Swiss citizens did not support the ‘Hilter-Zeug’, which led to tensions with the large German community.

Collection: Gedenkstätte Riehen

Refugees

The permanent fear of Germany, economic problems, unemployment, poverty for parts of the population and anti-Semitism of the time took their toll on many (Jewish) refugees.

Switzerland remained a democratic and multicultural oasis surrounded by ruthless regimes. Hitler had once called Switzerland an ‘Ungeheuer,’ and Heim ins Reich also applied to German-speaking Switzerland. Mussolini had Italian-speaking areas of Switzerland in mind ( Irredentismo). Concessions, compromises, and cooperation with these dictators were a matter of survival for the small country amid a desert of thousands of kilometres of dictatorship.

Collection: Gedenkstätte Riehen

The details of the formal Swiss attitude towards Jewish and other refugees are well-documented and widely known (see, among others, the Bergier-Kommisson report of 22 April 2022). Federal President Kaspar Villiger already aptly summarised this attitude on behalf of the Swiss government in a statement on 7 May 1995:

’ Ich will aber nicht verhehlen, dass es einen Bereich gab, der sich aus heutiger Sicht der Rechtfertigung durch irgendwelche ‘äusseren Umstände’ entzieht. Es steht für mich ausser Zweifel, dass wir mit unserer Politik gegenüber den verfolgten Juden Schuld auf uns geladen haben.

Die Angst vor Deutschland, die Furcht vor Überfremdung durch Massenimmigration und die Sorge um politischen Auftrieb für einen auch hierzulande existierenden Antisemitismus wogen manchmal stärker als unsere Asyltradition, als unsere humanitären Ideale.

Schwierige Zielkonflikte wurden auch überängstlich zu Lasten der Humanität gelöst. Wir haben damals im allzu eng verstandenen Landesinteresse eine falsche Wahl getroffen. Der Bundesrat bedauert das zutiefst und er entschuldigt sich dafür, im Wissen darum, dass solches Versagen letztlich unentschuldbar ist’.

Riehen and the Eiserne Hand. Collection: Gedenkstätte Riehen

The Eiserne Hand

The tragedy for Jewish refugees, in particular, occurred at all Swiss border posts, in Tessin, Geneva, St Gallen, Schaffhausen, Graubünden and other border cantons. However, the situation on the right bank of the Rhine in Canton Basel-Stadt was exceptional.

First, there were train connections to the Badische Bahnhof across Swiss territory (the Wiesentalbahn), from Weil am Rhein via Kleinbasel to Grenzach and from St Louis to the French station in Basel. Refugees sometimes used these trains to escape into Swiss territory.

However, the main escape route was the Eiserne Hand (the Iron Hand) in the municipality of Riehen. This strip is about 2 kilometres long and 300 metres wide, stretching like a hand (or finger) into Germany.

The Germans had stopped enclosing this area with barbed wire and other barricades due to a lack of materials, and the Swiss government refused to do so despite German exhortations.

Maienbühl today

Despite numerous patrols, thousands of refugees managed to reach this border. Maienbühl Farm was often the first point of reception where hospitable shelter was offered.

However, there was a legal obligation to inform the authorities, and then the bureaucratic procedure with the border police and authorities began. Jewish people were not political refugees according to the national government, and had to be sent back for this reason. The border of hope and life thus became a border of disappointment and death.

Borderstone 51 was a point of hope, liberty, and life, but it appeared to be a deception and death for too many. Collectie: Gedenkstätte Riehen

Most citizens took the asylum policy for granted. However, a small minority of organisations, churches, and politicians opposed the national government’s policy and helped refugees obtain shelter and documentation.

Even some border guards did not send refugees back. The vast majority, however, fulfilled their bureaucratic duties, though often, archives testify, with great reluctance.

The government of Canton-Basel-Stadt also disagreed with the national government’s policy and used its cantonal freedom to grant residence permits to as many refugees as possible. However, the Eiserne Hand was no barrier to life and liberty for too many.

Gedenkstätte Riehen

The municipality of Riehen gives this history, especially the stories of rescued and rejected refugees, a face and sometimes even a voice. An extensive documentation centre and many personal testimonies from refugees, border guards, residents, refugee helpers, politicians, and journalists put this tragedy in perspective.

Also on the German side of the border were some brave people who risked their lives to help Jews and other refugees. Some train drivers even slowed the speed of the train on Swiss territory, allowing refugees to jump off the train.

Afbeelding: Gedenkstätte Johann George Elser, Königsbronn

One refugee, however, deserves special mention. Johann Georg Elser ( 1903-1945 ), a carpenter from Königsbronn, committed an unsuccessful attack on the Führer in Munich on 8 November 1939. He was arrested by the German police when he tried to cross the Swiss border near Constance.

This place does not judge. It does, however, prominently feature Kaspar Villiger’s testimony alongside some of the citizens, officials, and politicians who did not follow the national government’s policies.

Collection: Gedenkstätte Riehen

Switzerland is not the only country that has been confronted with this past. It is easy to judge and especially condemn with the benefit of hindsight. Who becomes the hero when it matters is impossible to predict in peacetime and a democracy. The same applies today to the many activists.

In any case, Switzerland did not fail as a nation against the German and Italian aggressors. The country had no choice but to resist these dictatorships to the best of its capabilities.

The Eiserne Hand symbolises moral, political, and (in)human attitudes in an (in)human time. The memorial is also a place for (self) reflection.

(Source and further information: Gedenkstätte Riehen)

Impressions of the Eiserne Hand

Borderstone 60 of the Eiserne Hand. Collection: Dreiländermuseum Lörrach

Impressions of the Gedenkstätte Riehen

Impressions of the surroundings

Inzlingen (Germany)

Languages remain the most important means of communication, both orally and in writing, through the use of words and gestures. Multilingual and multicultural Switzerland has long been aware of this. However, neighbouring regions also have a fascinating linguistic history and development.

It applies to Savoy in France, South Tyrol (Adige), the Aosta Valley, Piedmont and Lombardy in Italy, Tyrol and Vorarlberg in Austria, the Lake Constance region, Baden, Franche-Comté and Alsace.

Alsace

Originally German-speaking, Alsace gradually became bilingual after its annexation to France in the 17th century. From 1945, the region began to develop increasingly as a purely French-speaking area.

Until World War II, residents of Baden, Basel, and Alsace, for example, could communicate well with each other in the Alemannic dialect. After 1945, however, these regions developed their linguistic paths.

Image: Ecomusée d’Alsace

For some years now, Elsässerditsch (German spoken in Alsace) has been experiencing a revival. Place names are (again) bilingual (in Alsatian German and French), and the media and culture pay more attention to the linguistic identity of the region.

The centuries-old Alemannic and Francish languages in Alsace are thus not wholly lost. Due to the centuries-long connection with the north-western German-speaking cantons (Solothurn, Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, and Aargau) and the French-speaking Swiss Jura, the development of the Alsatian dialect and French is briefly discussed, using Information from the Ecomusée d’Alsace in Ungersheim.

Elsässerditsch, French and Alsatian-Yiddish

The museum tries to raise awareness of the dialects and presents a bilingual model of name-giving for the municipalities in Alsace.

Five Germanic dialects.

Hochalemannisch in southern Alsace (Sundgau), Niederalemannisch in the north, Niederalemannisch in the south, Pfälzer Rheinfränkisch (francique rhénan palatin) in northern Alsace and Lothringisches Rheinfränkisch (francique rhénan lorrainor Lothringer Platt) in the Krummen Elsass (l’Alsace Bossue) near Lorraine.

The two Roman dialects are spoken in northern and southern Alsace. In addition, Yiddish existed.

The Germanic and Roman dialects derive from dialects underlying High German and modern French. Germanic dialects in Alsace are found in neighbouring areas of Switzerland, Germany, and Austria.

Two Roman dialects

Le Roman-Lorraine occurs in four Vosges valleys in Alsace: Bruche, Lièpvrette, Giessen, and Weiss. They are called ‘Welche’ in Alsace (Welsche in Swiss German!). These dialects are derived from Latin.

The Roman dialect in Upper Alsace (le roman du Haut-Rhin), Franche-Comté, and the Swiss Jura developed around the 7th century. Words of Celtic and Alemannic origin were also adopted in this area.

These Roman-Lorraine dialects in Alsace belong to the Oïl languages, which include all Roman languages north of the Loire and from which modern French emerged. In areas close to the Frankish and Alemannic language border, many Germanic expressions were incorporated into these Roman dialects.

Today, modern French is the standard language almost everywhere, both in France and in French-speaking Switzerland. Patois has practically disappeared or no longer plays a role, except in a few regions such as Valais.

Conclusion

Today it is hard to imagine that until 1945, Alsatians could communicate in dialect with inhabitants of Basel and Baden without any problems! The Sprachpanorama in Laufenburg also offers detailed and fascinating insights into this perspective, Alemannic dialects, and the history of the German language.

The Ecomusée d’Alsace places its language model in the perspective of Alsace in past centuries, a Ballenberg Museum in Alsace.

Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince) also watches from a small distance at the Parc du Petit Prince, a theme park set around the world of Le Petit Prince (1944) by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944).

The author would have been proud of the ‘D’r Klein Prinz’ edition of his world-famous story in the Alsatian dialect.

The DreylandDichterweg/ Poetry Trail along the Rhine features 24 Alemannic poets from Alsace, Baden, and Basel. The route runs from Basel to Huningue and Weil am Rhein.

(Source and further information: Ecomusée d’Alsace in Ungersheim)

Impressions of the Ecomusée d’Alsace

   

 

Emperor Augustus (63 BC-14 AD), whose statue stands on the Castelen Estate in Augst (Canton of Basel-Landschaft), rightly turns his gaze to the Clavel-Villa. Basel did not yet exist in his time, and the Rhine still flowed in various tributaries through uninhabited land. There were only a few small Celtic settlements, including on Münster Hill and today’s Novartis Complex site.

View of Basel and the Rhine Knee from the Clavel Villa in 2024

Basel was also ‘romanised’ in a few generations, and the area became later known as Basilea, but Augusta Raurica was the most important city in this region on the Rhine. Augusta Raurica was founded in 44 BC by Lucius Munatius Plancus (87-14 BC), likely at the initiative of Julius Caesar (100-44 BC).

At its peak in the second century AD, the city had a population of around 20,000. It was constructed according to the Roman model. It included a stone theatre, two (!) amphitheatres, a forum, a basilica, various bathhouses, temples, city palaces, residential areas, a harbour, and a bridge over the Rhine.

After the Romans left in the fifth century, the Roman urban structure was lost, and the rise of the city of Basel began. The Augusta Raurica open-air museum offers a fascinating glimpse into the Roman Empire-era Augusta Raurica.

View of the Roman theatre from the Clavel-Villa

On the site of Augusta Raurica, the villages of Augst and Kaiseraugst (Canton Aargau), with several hundred inhabitants, emerged in the Middle Ages. For centuries, the Roman ruins were primarily used as building materials. Interest in the Roman past emerged only at the end of the 16th century.

This eventually led to the opening of the Augusta Raurica open-air museum in 1957. Especially in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the scientific, financial and organisational basis for this museum was laid.

Alexander Zschokke (b. 1955), bust of René Clavel at the Antikenmuseum Basel

One of the great personalities who contributed to the museum’s realisation was René Clavel (1886-1969), the namesake of the Clavel-Villa, which overlooks Basel and Augusta Raurica.

Invitation to a garden party at the Castelen-Villa. René Clavel also participated in the famous Gordon Bennett flying competition.

Clavel, a wealthy Basel industrialist (and brother of Alexander Clavel (1881-1973) of the Wenkenhof in Riehen), was not only an enthusiastic pilot and balloonist but also interested in antiquity and Rome.

In 1955, he donated the Domus Romana, among other things, to the Augusta Raurica Foundation, having previously bought historically relevant land for the museum.

He bought the land and buildings of the current Clavel-Villa in the early 20th century. This site not only overlooked ancient Augusta Raurica but also had a rich Roman history of its own. In Roman times, there were large villas (domus) and residential areas (insulae) for the elite. Nowadays, we would speak of a villa quarter.

This ‘villa district’ also fell into disrepair after the fifth century, and it was not until the 17th century that documents mention vineyards, military buildings, and cannons at this location. The name Castelen probably dates back to this time, ‘auf Cästellein’.

Entrance to the Clavel-Villa

Clavel purchased the Castelen Plateau (land) to integrate the existing buildings into a new manor house, which is now known as the Clavel-Villa. Since 1969, the Römer-Stiftung René Clavel has owned the villa, which has since collaborated closely with Augusta Raurica and the Canton of Basel-Landschaft.

Wall of the Clavel-Villa and Emperor Augustus

The complex, interior, and garden have remained in the same state, apart from some extensions (including the meeting room (Plenarsaal)) and renovations. The client and his architect, Max Alioth (1883-1968), realised their goal: a historicising atmosphere with an eye for craftsmanship, the Roman past, and details in the so-called Heimatstil.

A Roman mosaic in the villa

The five bronze copies in the garden at the front of the house and the bronze statues at the back are made by the firm Chiurazzi in Naples. The decoration of several villa rooms, including the Pompeianum, is, as it were, the precursor of the Domus Romana.

The architectural garden in front of the Clavel-Villa 

and the private garden at the back

Augustus now looks out on the Clavel-Villa and even Romulus and Remus with respect, satisfaction, and approval. Following another legend about Rome’s origins, they stand apart from the wolf in the architectural garden at the front.

The wolf at the front 

and Romulus and Remus at the back of the villa

Today, the villa is a meeting place for various cultural events, including the Jacob Burckhardt-Gespräche, the Colloquia Raurica, university meetings and, of course, staff and researchers of Museum Augusta Raurica.

(Source and further information: H. Reinau, M. Schweizer, Castelen. Geschichte und Gegenwart, Augst 2010)

Impressions of the interior

A painting by Gilbert Clavel (1883-1927), brother of René, artist and resident in Italy

The heraldry of Clavel