Author: Maarten Koning

At last, on 9 August 1847, 175 years ago, the first train carrying passengers ran on the Zurich-Baden railway (Canton Aargau) to the station in Baden.

The railway was named Spanisch-Brötli Bahn because, according to the story, a patisserie in Baden transported Spanish sandwiches quickly and fresh to Zurich.

Railway Station Baden, 1890. Photo: Staatsarchiv Baden.

Railway Station Olten, commemorated by Paul Gugelmann (1929-2022), presented by the city of Olten to the SBB in 2006 on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Olten station (1856).

Olten, railway station. In 1856, the ‘zero hour stone’ marked the starting point for measuring the railway in terms of travel time. In 1875, the metre replaced the hour and the foot. Since then, it has been the Km 39.292 stone, measured from Basel, the seat of the railway management at the time. The stone remained popularly known as the ‘Kilometre Null-Stein’. However, the correct name is ‘Stunde Null-Stein’. The cross is a symbol for the central position of the station in the railway network; the ‘O’ is the hour zero.

Switzerland was last in Western Europe in 1848. The United Kingdom already had 10,000 kilometres of railway, Germany around 6,000 kilometres, and Switzerland only 2 kilometres, from St Louis to Basel, in 1844, as the last track of the Strasbourg-Basel railway.

The French Railway Station, Basel, 1845. Source:  Ein Jahrhundert Schweizer Bahnen 1847-1847. Jubiläumswerk des Eidgenössischen Post- und Eisenbahndepartementes in fünf Bänden. Bd. 1, Frauenfeld 1947. Photo: Wikipedia

SBB Railway Station Basel 2022

Disagreements between the sovereign cantons, the lack of coal for the steam locomotives, the absence of large urban agglomerations, and the mountainous landscape hampered construction.

However, after 1850, things moved quickly. The cantons had granted concessions to railway companies, and the federal government was not involved.

By 1864, Switzerland had about 1,400 kilometres of railway. These connected Geneva to Lake Constance, Basel to Chur (canton of Graubünden), and Bern to Brig (canton of Valais).

However, the Alps were still an obstacle. The railways stopped at Brig, Lucerne, Chur, and Thun. Credit Suisse was founded in 1856 to finance these ventures.

Tourism in the mountain regions led to further steps to build, continue or operate the mostly unprofitable railways. The travel agency Thomas Cook was one of the advocates.

Collection Museum zu Allerheiligen, Schaffhausen 

Poster Ecomuseum Simplon.

The cantons, railway companies, and later, the federal government also relied on the experience and knowledge of foreign (mainly English, German, and Austrian) engineers.

Moreover, ETH Zurich, founded in 1855, and later EPFL in Lausanne, combined knowledge, talent, and experience within their institutions. The wonders and achievements of bridges, viaducts, and tunnels can be seen throughout the nation.

In 1872, the federal government made an important decision: the railways became a federal competence (after the cantons’ agreement).

This was partly motivated by lagging behind France (the Mont-Cenis tunnel of 1871) and Austria (the Brenner tunnel of 1864). The Gotthard base tunnel was the result in 1882.

The federal government took over (often bankrupt and unprofitable ) railway companies in 1898.

The Schweizerische Bundesbahnen (SBB)/ Chemins de fer fédéraux suisses (CFF)/ Ferrovie federali svizzere (FFS)/Viafiers federalas svizras (VFS) was established in 1902.

By 1914, all regions of the country were accessible by train, and the country had the densest railway network in Europe.

Bahnmuseum Albula, Bergün/Bravuogn

Three regional private initiatives are particularly worth mentioning. The initiative to set up the famous Rhaetian Railway was taken by Dutchman Willem-Jan Holsboer (1834-1898).

Oberalppas. End of the railway

Another feat is the railway station at 3,454 meters on the Jungfrau (4,158 meters). The initiator, Adolf Guyer-Zeller (1839-1899), began construction; his successors completed the project in 1912.

Dampflok.7, 1873. Photo: Rigibahnen AG

The 1871 rack railway on the Rigi by Niklaus Riggenbach (1817-1899) was also revolutionary

Another notable fact is the early use of electricity. Switzerland has no oil, coal, or gas reserves. It made the country innovative in the Industrial Revolution, even visionary from today’s perspective.

The first hydropower plants for generating electricity were commissioned in the late nineteenth century. Steam trains disappeared relatively quickly. Since 1967, all trains have been running on electricity.

Switzerland also had its railway barons. Martin Escher (1788-1870) and Alfred Escher (1819-1882) stand out in particular.

However, the people and the cantons always had the last say in various referendums. The last two major projects, the Gotthard Base Tunnel in 2016 and the Ceneri Base Tunnel in 2021, were completed on time or ahead of schedule and without EU interference or subsidies.

Some other projects cannot be realised for the time being due to external reasons. The Rotterdam/Hamburg to Milan/Genoa direct rail link and the environmentally friendly transport of freight traffic on trains (1992 Transitabkommen and 1994 NEAT project) have been stalled due to delays/delays in other (EU) countries and EU blockades.

Lötschenbergbahn Kandersteg (canton Bern)-Goppenstein (canton Wallis)

However, the SBB and Switzerland have every reason to be proud of the operation and service in all seasons under almost all conditions, even if the timetable no longer always runs like Swiss clockwork on wheels!

(Source and further information: Bahn Extra, 3/2022, 175 Jahre Eisenbahn in der Schweiz. Geramond, 2022).

Which railway company has a play garden for children on board? 

Railway station Olten, Johann Jakob Speiser (1813-1856), founder of the Centralbahn.

The exhibition “Ave Caesar! Römer, Gallier und Germanen am Rhein” shows the relations between the civilisations of the Mediterranean and the tribes of the Celts (or Gauls) and Germans along the Rhine.

The Host Gaius Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) and his successors. Bust of the statue, legionary camp near Nijmegen, marmor, late 1. Century BCE. © Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden

The Celts are a name for many tribes that lived in central and western Europe. They had a common culture with many regional differences. They had no written culture and were not a political unity. Germans are the name for the tribes on the right bank of the Rhine.

The direct sources are archaeology and Roman and Greek authors. Nevertheless, a good picture of Celtic society exists today. The terms Gauls and Celts are both used and come from Greek (Keltoi/Galatae) and Roman (Galli/Celtae) authors.

This exhibition focuses in particular on the Celts on the left bank of the Rhine in the Basel region in the period from 500 B.C. to 260 A.D. It is part of the project ‘The Rhine. 3 countries –  38 exhibitions’

The Tabula Peutingerian and Rhine cities in blue

The Rhine has always been a frontier and a battlefield, a communication- and trade route and place of exchange of people and cultures. Until the arrival of the Romans, however, there were no bridges. While shipping on the Rhine already existed, it only flourished during Roman rule, from Basel to Nimwegen in the Netherlands.

Model Rhine pram, scale 1.22.5, c. 150 AD Original from Vleuten-De Meern. On loan : D. Usher

The arrival of the Romans dramatically changed Celtic societies along the Rhine. After their departure around 400-410 AD, a Gallo-Roman culture remained. The Alemanni and Franks filled the vacuum left by the Romans, but that is another story.

The Celtic Princes

The first part of the exhibition the Keltischer Fürstensitz deals with the Celtic society around 500 B.C. The Celts already maintained close contact with the Mediterranean (Greek and Etruscan) world at the time, centuries before the arrival of the Romans.

The Celts imported wine and luxury goods and mainly exported metals, salt, furs and slaves. The Rhone and its tributaries Doubs and Saône were important rivers as well. Trade was not limited to goods; there was also a lively cultural exchange

The smallest archaeological finds often have the greatest significance. The discovery of writing utensils and seal rings in Basel confirm the use of Greek script by merchants. This was already known from merchants from Genava (Geneva), inhabited by the Celtic tribe of the Allobrogens. After 52 BC and especially after 15-13 BC, Latin increasingly took over this function.

Seal ring and writing utensils, 2nd-early/ 1st century BCE, Basel Gasworks. Archäologische Bodenforschung Basel-Stadt.

The Celtic settlement

The second part is about the Celtic settlement (Celtic Siedlung). Julius Caeser called this fortified settlement an “Oppidum” in his de bello Gallico. In Basel, the oppidium was located on the Münsterhügel (next to the Cathedral).

The Murus Gallicus, an archaeological site on the Münsterhügel.

Hundreds of larger and smaller oppida existed, including in Avenches or on Mont Vully in Switzerland, Bibracte in France or various places in Germany and Austria. The Celtic pile dwellings, so beautifully reconstructed at Wauwil and in the Laténium at Hauterive, show another Celtic history.

Between 58 and 52 BC, Gaius Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) took advantage of the battle between the Celtic tribes and extended Roman rule to the Rhine. He defeated the tribes from Switzerland at Bibracte in 58 BC and conquered all of Gaul in 52 BC. The Romans founded the cities of Colonia Augusta Raurica (Augst) and Colonia Equestris Noiodunum (Nyon) around 44 BC.

In the years 15-13 BC, the Romans conquered all of the territory of present-day Switzerland and the Romanisation of the conquered peoples began. The Romans established numerous military camps on the left bank of the Rhine to secure the occupied territories, also in Vindonissa (Windisch).

Tens of thousands of Roman officers, soldiers, administrators, merchants and civilians lived along the Rhine. They stimulated the local economy and trade and expanded the infrastructure along the Rhine with bridges, roads, ports and warehouses. A modern road network guaranteed the supply of troops and supplies to the frontier.

The Roman legionary camp

The third part (Römisches Legionslager) shows the daily life of legionnaires lived and the campaigns against the Germanic tribes on the right bank of the Rhine. From about 85 AD, the conquered areas became Roman provinces. The Romans also occupied large (German) territories on the right bank of the Rhine by this time.

The Roman estate

Agricultural development is the next topic. More than 90% of the inhabitants lived outside the city. The elite also owned estates in the countryside, large villas with agricultural activities. This society is discussed in the section Römischer Gutshof.

The Roman colony

The last part of the exhibition (Römische Kolonie) shows the impact of the Roman presence and the romanisation of Celtic society. Cities were built, often ex nihilo,  based on Roman city planning, with stone buildings, theatres, amphitheatres, bathhouses, temples and other public buildings, an efficient water supply and a road network.

The Celtic elite was the first to adopt the Roman way of life in just one or two generations. It had an added value and offered interesting (economic, military, political and governmental) possibilities, prestige and status.

Lucius Giltius Cossus, son of Celtillus. Priest of the imperial cult. Augusta Raurica, 50-150  AD.  Augusta Raurica Museum.

The first known inhabitant of Basel was the Roman soldier Titus Torius, 20 BC-20 AD. Archäologische Bodenforschung Basel-Stadt.

Augusta Raurica, for example, had between 15 000 – 20 000 inhabitants around 200 AD, a thousand years later only a few hundred! It illustrates the growth, flourishing and prosperity along the (Upper) Rhine in Roman times.

And Augusta Raurica was just one of many new cities in the Roman Empire and along the Rhine. Basel was just a small settlement at the time and became important after the bishop settled on the hill in the fifth century.

After 260 AD

The economic and political situation deteriorated due to Germanic invasions, inflation, Roman civil wars and epidemics at the end of the 2sd and in the third centuries. Around 400-410 AD,  the last Roman legions left the area north of the Alps for good.

Conclusion

The trilingual (English, German, French) audio guide, the catalogue and the plan of the show guide the visitor through this exciting history. For learning and entertainment purposes, a card game Vade Mecum is also available.

Source and further information: Antikenmuseum Basel und Sammlung Ludwig