Author: Maarten Koning

Patek Philippe Museum

The Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva houses one of the world’s most important and prestigious horological collections. Some 2,500 watches, automata, precious objects, and enamel portrait miniatures invite the visitor on a fascinating journey through five centuries of Genevan, Swiss, and European horological art, offering a panoramic view of Patek Philippe’s production since 1839.

The museum was founded twenty years ago and presents five centuries of watchmaking, as well as its significance for decorative arts traditionally associated with watchmaking, including engraving, enamelling, gem setting, and guilloché work.

The magnificent collections are divided into two complementary sections: a tour through the history of the portable mechanical timepiece, from its origins in the 16th century to the early 19th century, and a survey of Patek Philippe’s most beautiful creations from 1839 to 2000.

A library with over 8,000 works on horology and related subjects is available to the public, confirming the museum’s educational role.

(Source and further formation: www.patek.com/museum).

Romanesque Art in Alsace

Romanesque art in Alsace differs from that of neighbouring regions but shares many similarities.

Alsace is situated in the Upper Rhine region and has long been a crossroads of Latin and Germanic cultures. It can also be seen in the influences of Lombardy and other Italian regions, as well as Burgundy, Auvergne, and other regions in France, the Rhine region and southern Germany, and north-western Switzerland.

After the division of the Carolingian Empire in 843 (Treaty of Verdun), Alsace initially belonged to the Middle Kingdom, which stretched from what is now the Netherlands to Italy. This empire did not last long and was again divided among other rulers.

The last Carolingians were followed by the kings and emperors (from 962) of the Holy Roman Empire: the Ottonians (919-1024), the Salians (1024-1125) and the Staufers (1138-1250).

Ottmarsheim Abbey. Photo: TES

The first Romanesque art in Alsace dates back to the 11th century, at the end of the Ottonian era. The architecture of this period bears witness to the Carolingian tradition (for example, in Ottmarsheim, Epfig, Saint-Ulric d’Avolsheim, Dompeter, Altenstadt or Hohatzenheim).

Above all, the octagonal interior of the Ottmarsheim monastery church is reminiscent of the Aachen Cathedral, which Charlemagne built (747-814) between 796 and 804.

The 12th century and the first quarter of the 13th century were the golden age of Romanesque art in Alsace. This heyday coincided with the reign of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, especially under Frederick I, better known as Frederick Barbarossa (1122-1190).

The Route Romane d’Alsace (Romanesque Road in Alsace) promotes this artistic and cultural heritage. The route encompasses the entire region and features over 120 sites.

This route showcases Alsace’s original Romanesque style and its exchange with the aforementioned regions.

(Source and further information: www.route-romane-alsace.fr)

Heureka in Zurich

Jean Tinguely (1925-1991) created the huge kinetic sculpture “Heureka” out of iron bars, wheels, metal pans, and pipes for the National Exhibition in Lausanne in 1964.

The name is meant ironically, for the sculpture is a machine without purpose. His meta-mechanics are understood as allegories of consumerism in an industrial society that, exhausted in hectic activity, ends in absurdity.

Heureka was Tinguely’s first public work. The machine is still fully functional and runs thrice daily for 8 minutes.

(Source and further information: www.zuerich.com).

The Upper Rhine Cooperation

One more year, and the Association Regio Basiliensis will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2023 as one of the first cross-border partnerships in Europe.

Regio Basiliensis 

The Association (www.regbas.ch) is a successful pioneer of cross-border cooperation, distinguishing itself through its political and institutional framework. This is expressed, for example, in the Oberrheinkonferenz (Upper Rhine Conference), the Oberrheinrat (Upper Rhine Council), and the German, French, and Swiss Regierungskommission (Intergovernmental Commission of Governments).  

 General Assembly

 On 3 May, the Association met for its 59th General Assembly in Bad Bellingen (Baden-Württemberg). At the meeting, consideration was given to digitalisation, an integrated labour market, harmonised educational programmes and recognised diplomas in the Upper Rhine Region (Oberrheinregion).

The Corona pandemic shows the importance of agreements and cooperation in cross-border regions. It depends on the attractiveness of living and working in the Upper Rhine region.

 Action points  

A study conducted by the Association in collaboration with the Swiss economic consultancy firm BAK Economics AG (Schweizer Wirtschaftsforschungs- und Beratungsinstitut BAK Economics AG) provided the themes for the panel discussion. This report is the third in the “Arbeitsmarkt am Oberrhein” series. (Employment in the Upper-Rhine region).

In particular, the mutual recognition of diplomas, the harmonisation of educational programmes, the digital age, language skills, and projects to allow residents, especially young people, to work across borders, as well as good public transport, were identified as essential points for reflection and possible action. The increasing tightness of the labour market, as well as climate and demographic developments, are also topical issues.

 The report also highlights the differences between the regions of the Upper Rhine region, including Alsace, Baden, the southern part of Rhineland-Palatinate (Südpfalz), and Northwest Switzerland. The areas differ in industrial and economic development, innovation and research, (un)employment, and digitalisation.

Northwest Switzerland (the cantons of Solothurn, Aargau, Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, and Jura) has approximately 1.5 million inhabitants, Alsace has about 1.8 million, Baden has 2.5 million, and the Southern Palatinate has about 0.3 million (totalling over 6.1 million). Northwest Switzerland is the job engine and champion of patents, economic growth, innovation and income growth, closely followed by the Freiburg area in Baden.

 The Upper Rhine Region and the European Union

These facts also put the discussions on the (broken off) negotiations with the European Union into perspective. The subsequent sanctions (among others, the blocked access to the European stock market (Börseäquivalenz) and the EU educational programme Horizon) affect the entire region. This relationship was mentioned during the meeting, but it was not on the agenda and did not become an issue.

The following remarks do not accurately reflect the discussions at the meeting, nor do they represent the Association’s point of view; however, they are relevant topics nonetheless.

Significantly, the Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg is actively lobbying in Brussels and Berlin to lift these sanctions. At the meeting, there was, once again, a call for a willingness to compromise on both sides.

 Mont Terri Project

It is a fact that Switzerland is one of the world’s most innovative countries with the best research centres and scientists. The Mont Terri Project in St. Ursanne (canton of Jura) is a good example. This project was initiated and funded by Switzerland in 1996 and now has participating organisations from countries all over the globe. Even the European Union participates. The project is well-organised and based on transparent co-financing, objective partner selection, minimal bureaucracy, and unique results—quality over quantity.

 Internal market

Another aspect concerns the internal market. Northwest Switzerland is the job and economic engine of the region. Every day, around 34,000 French citizens cross the Swiss border to work, compared to 100 Swiss citizens, and over 36,000 Germans, compared to 400 Swiss citizens. Even so, Northwest Switzerland has the lowest unemployment rate.

 Inflation and the euro

The current inflation rate in Switzerland is around 2.5%, but it is approaching 10% in France and Germany. The euro’s depreciation against the Swiss Franc is also significant. Until 2002, Germany still had a strong currency. In 2002: 1 DM : 1.55 CHF, May 2022: 1. Euro: 1.04 CHF.

The soft euro, the hard Swiss Franc, and inflation are factors to be considered in the long term.  The situation will worsen with the European Central Bank (ECB) policy, the transfer union and the participation of ever more and poorer euro countries. Wages in Switzerland are already three times higher, and inflation and (cantonal) taxes are much lower than in Alsace, Baden and Südpfalz.

 Conclusion

The well-founded report, along with the focus and themes of the Association, demonstrates the added value for the Upper Rhine Region. At the same time, the many differences in this small region make it clear that reality is often more obstinate than ideals of undifferentiated unity.

Switzerland is a microcosm of the European Union. This also applies to the Upper Rhine region. The traditionally pragmatic policy of Switzerland, combined with the concrete action points and working methods of Regio Basiliensis, demonstrates that a bottom-up approach effectively identifies and analyses possibilities, problems, bottlenecks, and solutions for citizens and companies.

(Source: www.regbas.ch; Bak Economics AG, Arbeitsmarkt am Oberrhein, Regio Basiliensis (Herausgeber), Basel 2022).

Savoy, Chambéry, Swiss Confederation and the last Italian King

The Dukes of Burgundy, who do not know them from their heyday (1363-1477)? The last Duke, Charles the Bold (1433-1477), not only lost three battles (Grandson, Murten/Morat (1476) and Nancy (1477), but also his life in 1477 in the war against the Swiss Confederation.

Chambéry

Savoy

Another dynasty in this region, the Duchy of Savoy, is less well known but has played a much longer and more significant political role than the Dukes of Burgundy. The name Savoy is derived from Sapaudia, a term from the Gallo-Roman culture of the fourth century. 

The dynasty arose during the Second Burgundian Kingdom (888-1032) in an area that, in the fifteenth century and at the beginning of the sixteenth century, stretched from the present departments of Haute-Savoie and Savoie in France, Vaud/Waadt and Bas-Valais/Unterwallis (Lower Valais) in Switzerland to Piedmont, the Aosta Valley and Turin in Italy with Chambéry as the residence and governmental centre until 1563. The Duchy extended its territory to the County of Nice in the 17th century. Turin became the Dukes’ residence and the Duchy’s capital in 1563.

Hautecombe Abbey on the shores of Lac du Bourget. From the 12th century, it was the final resting place of the counts, dukes, and kings of the Savoy dynasty. The last Italian king, Umberto II (1904-1983), a direct family descendant, was also buried here in 1983, as was his wife, Marie-Josée of Belgium (1906-2001), in 2001.

Savoy and its Neighbours

From the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries onwards, the counts and dukes were in almost permanent conflict with the French king, the western cantons of the Confederation or Eidgenossenschaft (especially Bern), the city of Geneva and the seven Zenden (Dizains) of Oberwallis/Haut-Valais.

The bishops in Geneva and Sion/Sitten supported Savoy. In the fifteenth century, the Dukes of Burgundy were Savoy’s “natural” ally against the French king, the Eidgenossenschaft, the city of Geneva, and Oberwallis.

The defeat of Burgundy in 1476 and 1477 heralded the beginning of the end of Savoy’s presence on the territory of present-day Switzerland. The Confederates (Bern and Freiburg in particular) conquered Vaud in 1536. Oberwallis (Upper-Valais) occupied Unterwallis.

This situation lasted until the French invasion and the establishment of the Helvetic Republic (1798-1803) in 1798. Vaud became a canton in 1803 in a new Confederation (1803-1813). Unterwallis merged with Oberwallis to form the French puppet state of Valais/Wallis (1802-1810), which was then reorganised as the Department Simplon (1810-1813) and later became the Canton Valais/Wallis in 1815. Canton Vaud/Waadt became a canton of the new Confederation in 1815.

Champvent (canton of Vaud), carré savoyard

The Cultural and Political Heritage

Many Swiss castles, monasteries, abbeys and cities bear witness to the presence of the House of Savoy. For example, the Carrés Savoyards in Morges, Rolle, Romont, Yverdon-les-Bains, Champvent, and the Chillon Castle.

This exceptional dynasty lasted longer than the Austrian Habsburgs. The Habsburg Empire was dissolved in 1918. The descendants of the Counts (1029-1416) and Dukes of Savoy (1416-1713) were kings of Sicily, Sardinia, Savoy and Piedmont, with the title Kings of Piedmont-Sardinia (1713-1860) and Kings of Italy (1860-1946).

On 23 April 1861, following the dissolution of the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia due to the creation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1860, the citizens of Savoie voted in a referendum to join the French Empire of Napoleon III.

 Although Savoy can not compete with the splendour and culture of the Burgundian Dukes, the medieval castle, the beautiful Gothic chapel, the monasteries and churches, the cathedral, the city palaces, (medieval) streets in Chambéry, and the many works of art in the Musée Savoisien give an insight into their rich cultural heritage.

 (Source: Thérèse and Jean-Pierre Leguay, La Savoie, Rennes, 2014).

Chambéry

Rolle Castle

The House of Savoy founded the castle on Lake Geneva in the third quarter of the 13th century. Dendrochronological research confirms that the first castle was constructed between 1264 and 1269.

The Rolle fortress is first mentioned in documents dating from 1291, when it was owned by Count Amédée V of Savoy. The building, made of tuff, a local limestone, is one of the largest of its kind (the carré savoyarde).

The castle was used to store goods and for defence. There was even an inner harbour accessible from the lake. Around 1330, the Counts of Savoy founded the town of Rolle to the west of the castle.

In 1295, the fief was passed to Knight Jean de Greilly, whose descendants resided in the castle until the 15th century.  After 1400, the Lords of Greilly also inherited the extensive lands in Guyenne.

In 1531, the castle and its possessions passed to Jean Amédée de Beaufort. In 1536, Bern took over ownership after the conquest of Vaud (le Pays de Vaud). Jean Amédéus of Savoy, a member of the Ligue de la Cuiller (see Swiss Spectator, 5 April 2021, La Ligue des chevaliers de la Cuiller, League of the Knights of the Spoon), did not acknowledge his defeat until 1543.

The castle of Rolle was bought in 1558 by a wealthy Bernese patrician, Jean de Steiger. The family retained the castle and its seigniorial rights for almost two centuries. The castle was bought by the municipality of Rolle on 29 March 1799, after the French ‘liberation’ of Vaud.

Today, the monument houses an exhibition space and a historical library with over 13,000 books.

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

Association Danse Neuchâtel

The association, Association Danse Neuchâtel (ADN), was founded in 1996. In the summer of 2003, the ADN launched the Neuchâtel Scène Ouverte festival with dance performances in the city centre, in front of the City Hall, in the squares and in the parks and alleys.

With the Hiver de Danses event, the continuity of the artistic offer was guaranteed in winter till 2020. Building on its success, Hiver de Danses was introduced in more and more locations and places.

In 2018, a collaboration was established with the Centre neuchâtelois des arts vivants (Théâtre populaire romand) in La Chaux-de-Fonds and Neuchâtel.

ADN — Danse Neuchâtel newly organises dance events throughout the year, from January to December. The aim is to support contemporary dance and choreography in the canton (and other regions).

(Source and further information: www.danse-neuchatel.ch)

The St. Margarethen Church of Binningen and David Joris

Landowners built the St. Margaretha Church in Binningen in the 9th or 10th century. After their death, they were buried in their church.

The Bishop of Basel possessed the villages of Binningen and Bottmingen (canton of Basel-Landschaft). After the Reformation (1527), the City of Basel, the church’s owner, sold it to private persons.

Johann von Brügge, a Dutchman who had acquired Basel citizenship, bought the church and estate St. Margarethen in 1544. However, he was not just an emigrant. He was a leader of the Anabaptists in the Low Countries and fled to Basel after the persecution began.

He wisely presented himself as a follower of Huldrych Zwingli (1484-1531), the reformer of Zurich, who was admired in Basel. Johann von Brügge was a pseudonym of David Joris (1501-1556), his real name. He also owned the castle of Binningen and some other properties.

Huldrych Zwingli in the church. If he should have known……

He owed his wealth to his son-in-law, the nobleman Joachim van Berchem (1520-1574). After his father-in-law’s death, Joachim took over the castle, the church, and the estate.

The Leonardskirche

The Spiesshof

Johann von Brügge, also known as David Joris, was initially buried in the prestigious St. Leonardskirche. However, after his real identity was discovered, his remains were removed from the church and burnt.

An epitaph commemorates Niklaus von Diesbach, a Swiss army captain serving in Dutch service. The officer from Bern was on his way home when he fell off his horse near Binningen and died. He is also buried in St. Margarethen.

(Source and further information: https://altbasel.ch)

Vineyards on the St. Margarethenhügel

Trees on Stage in Basel

Various recent books, a freely accessible app (www.Basel-baeume.ch),  exhibitions (the Museum Kleines Klingental from 14 May 2022, in 2021 the Museum der Kulturen, the Natural History Museum Basel and Kulturstiftung Basel H. Geiger | KBH.G.) and from 29 April even the theatre play Unter Bäumen about, with and under trees, put the Basler trees in the centre of cultural life.  The budding leaves in the city’s green oases can be seen everywhere, a part of everyday life.

Trees and parks often also mark the site of lost cemeteries and city walls. Many trees have also disappeared over the centuries to make way for roads, urban expansion or renovation projects. Some of these projects are now regretted; others have been more successful. They all share the commonality that they are now viewed through green glasses.

The University of Basel, founded in 1460, was situated on the access road to the Münster. Its botanical garden was founded on the banks of the Rhine. The garden was relocated to another site in 1692, but the contours and trees of its ancient location can still be seen today.

The tree as a protagonist in a theatre play is truly remarkable, however, and stems from the prominent place trees hold in the city’s history.

(Further information: Museum Kleines Klingental, Bäume in Basel, www.mkk.ch; Unter Bäumen, Vorstadttheater Basel)