Author: Maarten Koning

Congress of the Swiss Abroad

The 98th Congress of the Swiss Abroad (Congrès des Suisses de l’étranger/ Auslandschweizer- Kongress) will be held in Lugano from 19 to 21 August. The themes are globalisation, migration, data protection, digitalisation, democracy, the rule of law, the Covid 19 pandemic, and possible future pandemics.

How is Switzerland’s democratic system responding to the current challenges? What is the need for reform? How can the country’s unique democratic system respond when increasingly exposed to supranational political, economic and financial forces?

Personalities from politics, business and science, discuss and reflect on these and many other questions.

(Weitere informationen: www.swisscommunity.org).

Gempen, its History and Nature

Nature is varied, and the Jura is at its best on the plateau of Gempen and Hochwald (canton Solothurn). Only the streams and ponds, which are so plentiful elsewhere in the Jura, are lacking. The region is renowned for its diverse landscapes, including fruit trees, forests, meadows, rocky outcrops, and stunning Alpine views.

The history of Gempen is as varied as its nature. The Celtic tribe of the Rauraken inhabited the area and went to Bibracte, only to be devastatingly defeated by Caesar in 58 BC. In Roman times, a road led to nearby Augusta Raurica on the Rhine. Gempen is derived from the Latin name campanus (field or plain).

The Alemanni invaded the area around 270 BC, and after the departure of the Romans (410 AD), it was Alemanni territory. This era was followed by the Franks (Merovingians and Carolingians), the Holy Roman Empire, the Bishop of Basel and the city of Basel.

Solothurn acquired the village and the region after the Schwabenkrieg (Swabian War) in 1499. Gempen changed its religion in 1526, only to return to the Catholicism of the Solothurn canton after the Kappelerkrieg in 1531.

Dornach was ruled by a bailiff. He resided in Dorneck Castle. The French invasion of 1798 marked the castle’s end. The ruins of the once mighty castle are prominently present on the hill.

Gempen’s last armed conflict was the Sonderbundskrieg of 1847. Five men fought alongside the Catholic canton of Solothurn against the Protestant Confederal cantons. All survived this short war. In the Second World War, the plateau was of great strategic importance. The Gempen Division was stationed in the area.

Today, the village is prosperous, with Sonnhalde as its most important landmark. Sonnhalde is an institution for children, youths and adults with mental disabilities.

Lousonna and Lausanne

Situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, Lacus Lemanus, the small Gallo-Roman settlement of Lousonna, boasted between 1,500 and 1,200 inhabitants, mostly merchants, fishermen, and artisans.

Its commercial prosperity was due to the privileged situation between the lake and overland routes connecting the Rhine and Rhone networks. From the end of the 1st century BC through the 4th century AD, Lousonna developed steadily under the influence of the Roman Empire and romanisation.

The town was a typical example of the Roman model, featuring a city grid plan, portico-lined avenues, houses with interior courts, artisans’ quarters, sanctuaries, a forum, a theatre, and other public buildings.

During the 4th century, the lakeside town was abandoned in favour of the hill, where the medieval and modern city of Lausanne developed.

(Quelle and source: Musée Romain de Lausanne-Vidy)

The Swiss Hero Maurice Bavaud

A 22-year-old Swiss man tried to kill Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) in November 1938. Maurice Bavaud (1916-1941) was born in Neuchâtel. After prematurely leaving the seminary of the Congrégation du Saint-Esprit in France, where he had wanted to become a priest, he returned to Switzerland in 1938.

Maurice Bavaud (1916-1941). Photo: Wikipedia

Although a deeply devout Catholic in Calvinist Neuchâtel, the idea of killing Adolf Hitler, whom he considered a danger to humankind, germinated in his mind.

He bought a revolver and ammunition in Basel and then went to Munich, where on 9 November 1938, the failed coup attempt of 8 and 9 November 1923 was commemorated.

The Führer was always present as one of the coup organisers at the time. Incidentally, he escaped death during this attempt. Several coup leaders were killed in the fighting in the city.

Maurice pretended to be a fanatical supporter of the Führer and was able to take a seat on the front row of the stage.

When the Führer passed, he was surrounded by many members of his Party. The enthusiasm was so great that many outstretched right arms obstructed the field of fire. In the previous weeks, the man from Neuchâtel had tried several times to get close to the Führer to shoot him, but never close enough or at the right moment.

Discouraged, he took the train to Paris. The Gestapo arrested him on the train. At the end of 1939, the infamous People’s Court sentenced him to death. On 14 May 1941, the sentence was carried out in Berlin.

The only thing that counts for me is the immortality of the soul.

(La seule chose qui m’importe, c’est l’immortalité de l’âme).

The sentence is at the foot of the monument erected on 13 May 2011 in memory of Maurice Bavaud in the Laténium Park in Hauterive (canton of Neuchâtel).

One year later, on 8 November 1939, the courageous George Elser (1903-1945) carried out another attempt in the Bürgerbräukeller in Munich. The bomb exploded indeed, but the Führer had left the meeting earlier than expected: the foggy weather conditions made it impossible to take the aeroplane to Berlin. The Führer took the train instead and left the Bürgerbräukeller an hour earlier than scheduled.

The Musical Tradition of Basel

Basel has a musical tradition of many centuries. The music theory and compositions of Bonifacius Amerbach (1495-1562), including the Codex Amerbach, were famous in the sixteenth century.

This homo universalis was also an art collector, jurist, humanist and, above all, a friend and contemporary of Erasmus of Rotterdam (1469-1536), who lived, worked, published and finally died in Basel.

Hans Holbein the Younger (1496-1543), Bonifacius Amerbach, 1519. Collection Kunstmuseum Basel. Foto/Photo: TES

The Amerbach Collection is the world’s first unofficial museum. In 1661, the city of Basel made this extensive collection publicly accessible. In the 19th century, it gave rise to the Kunstmuseum Basel, the Musikmuseum, and the Antikenmuseum Basel.

Music is in Basel’s DNA

Basel is a city of music, as is evident not only from the many orchestras, choirs and other ensembles but also from the extensive musical training of its inhabitants. Around 10,000 inhabitants play the piccolo and many more the tambourine or other instruments from an early age.

Musical education for children remains at a high standard. It is no coincidence that the innovative chamber orchestra was founded in Basel in 1926.

The Fasnacht (the Basler Carnival)or a wine festival, such as the Fête des Vignerons in Vevey, combines music, dancing, vocal art, masquerade, and choreography. The Fauteuil Theatre and the Charivari Association are well-known in Basel and Switzerland.

The Basel Tattoo

The Basel Tattoo is part of this tradition. This originally military gathering of army bands is enriched in Basel by dancing, singing and dialogue with the audience. The praise of the cow in the song Le Ranz des Vaches is not absent either. The farmer and his cows are highly esteemed in Switzerland, even in the cities.

The Tattoo, the Fête des Vignerons, and the Carnival also maintain a joyful and relaxed atmosphere, with no serious incidents. From 18 July to 8 August 2019, more than a million visitors came to Vevey (canton of Vaud) to attend performances in the temporary arena (20,000 seats).

The visitors consumed a lot of wine late into the night and in glasses without significant problems or broken glasses. A carnival is a distinct event, but the proceedings are essentially the same.

The Tattoo is also a festival that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors. Below is an impression of the premiere on July 15, 2022, and the parade on July 16.

The Basel Tattoo 2022

The Basel Tattoo takes place from 15 to 23 July on the site of the Klybeck Kaserne in Kleinbasel.

The Red Hot Chili Pipers and the Flings and Things Highland Dancers, famous Scottish bagpipe bands, the Top Secret Drum Corps from Basel, the Swiss Military Music Company, the Indian Kumudi Homes School Pipes and Drums Band, Bulgarian and South African national bands, Royal Bands of Great Britain and Norway, and the US Air Force will give their best.

The Swiss musical and vocal group Les Armaillis and their 21 cows will also perform in the temporary arena (12,000 seats). Armailli is patois French of the cantons of Fribourg and Vaud and means cow. The troupe will present the beautiful play Le Ranz des Vaches.

It is a show with high-level choreography, dance, singing and, of course, music with wind and percussion instruments in spectacular formations.

The Basel Tattoo is the largest event of its kind after the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Basel would not be Basel without a large parade of more than a thousand musicians, dancers, and (cultural) groups from society and the army.

Swiss citizens have great respect for their army. Men serve in the army for much of their lives, a milice system similar to that of Israel. The oldest recruits take part in the parade as a mark of honour. The farmers, too, receive a grateful welcome

As a tri-country region, the canton of Basel-Stadt, Alsace, and the Markgräflerland will participate in the parade through the city centre from Grossbasel to Kleinbasel with a joint delegation on Saturday, 16 July. Groups from the Netherlands, Austria, France, Germany, and the USA will also participate.

(Source and further information: www.baseltattoo.ch).

Below is an impression of the parade of 16 July 2022.

Media, Federalism and Democracy

The media are indispensable to the functioning of a democracy. This is particularly true of multicultural, federal, decentralised Switzerland, with its direct democracy and other forms of direct citizen and civil society participation.

What characterises the media in federalism in general and in Switzerland in particular? What is the current state of the Swiss media landscape? And how do the cantons address current challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, neutrality in times of war, or the financing of the media? The blog addresses these and other questions in a public debate to develop ideas and concepts for the future of Swiss media.

The ch stiftung, based in the House of the Cantons in Bern, regularly blogs on this topic (CH Blog). In addition to politicians and foundation employees, third parties from the academic world also have their say. All contributions share the common goal of starting a debate. This discussion could also be of interest to other countries.

Source and further information: www.chstiftung.ch

Erlebar-App Experience of Roman Towns

The Roman theatre of Aventicum (Avenches, canton of Vaud) has been undergoing restoration for several years. The building is the largest of the four Roman theatres in Switzerland (Avenches, Augst, Lenzburg and Lausanne).

Roman Theatre. Photo: TES

Roman Theatre. Photo: TES

The building could seat around 12 000 spectators. The monument was built in the second century AD with limestone from Neuchâtel and large blocks of grey sandstone.

After the departure of the Romans around 410 AD, the building was used as a quarry. In the 19th century, the demand for stone led to the almost complete destruction of the thus far relatively well-preserved monument.

In 1892, the Pro Aventico association put an end to the dismantling. In 1959, the theatre was classified as a historical monument.

The theatre, the amphitheatre, the temple and the shrine of the Cigognier can be discovered in 3D with the Erleb-AR application, developed by the Bernese Fachhochschule.

Amphitheatre. Photo: TES.

Le Cigonier and temple. Photo: TES

The Erleb-AR app shows the Roman towns and monuments of Aventicum and Augusta Raurica (Augst) and the Roman monuments of Bern as they would have looked at the time.

The name Erleb-AR is derived from erlebbar in German and Augmented Reality in English (Erleb-AR bfh.science).

The Engelhalbinsel in Bern,  Roman museum of Avenches and the Museum Augusta Raurica provide further information.

Gregorian Chants in Graubünden

The Fundaziun Origen is devoting the coming week to Gregorian chant. These ancient chants are part of the identity of monastic life. They structure the day and night.

The Origen Ensemble performs the Lauden, the prayer that welcomes the day, and the Complet, which bids farewell to the day and accompanies people to sleep.

They do this in monumental churches: the Carolingian monastery church of Mistail, the church of Son Martegn in Savognin and the church of Sta. Maria in Pontresina.

The Lauden takes place at sunrise at 5.30 am, and the Complet at sunset at 21.00 pm

Dates:

Church of St. Mistail in Alvaschein: 20 and 27 July 2022, 5.30 am

Church of Son Martegn in Savognin: 18 July, 21:00 pm

St. Mary’s Church in Pontresina: 22 July, 9 pm, 23 July, 5.30 am

(Source and further information: www.origen.ch)