Author: Maarten Koning

Archaeological Site of Saint-Pierre Cathedral

The remains of churches predating the Saint-Pierre Cathedral are hidden beneath this medieval twelfth-century building. The oldest church dates back to the 4th century.

The site also holds evidence of the hill’s occupation dating back to the Celtic and Roman eras, including wells, wheat processing areas, statues, foundations of Roman buildings, tombs of the Celtic Allobroges tribe, and numerous other finds. It is one of the most significant archaeological sites north of the Alps.

(Source and further information: le site archéologique de la Cathédrale Saint-Pierre, www.site-archeologique.ch)

The Abbey of Ottmarsheim

The abbey of Ottmarsheim lies on the old Roman road from Strasbourg (Argentoratum) to Augst (Augusta Raurica). Ottmarsheim was first mentioned in 881 as property of the abbey of Murbach.

Ottmarsheim is the birthplace of the Habsburg dynasty, as a commemorative stone outside the church reminds us. Rudolf von Altenburg founded the abbey of Ottmarsheim in 1030. His brother, Radbot von Altenburg, founded the monastery of Muri (present-day canton of Lucerne) in 1028.

For centuries, Ottmarsheim Abbey was the scene of struggles between the Habsburgs, the bishop, and later the city of Basel. The relationship between Habsburg and Basel normalised after the Swabenkrieg (1499) and the Peace of Basel. Basel became a member of the Swiss Confederation in 1501.

The Reformation was the new threat in 1517. The region remained Catholic, however, and the monastery became a Stift, or foundation, for aristocratic ladies from Switzerland, Alsace, and Austria. This destination also guaranteed great wealth.

The Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) changed everything again. The nuns initially fled to protestant but neutral Basel when the French king confiscated this part of Alsace. However, the Catholic Louis XIV (1638-1715) guaranteed (financial and physical) security and integrity and a prosperous period began.

The French Revolution proved to be fatal 150 years later. The French regime nationalised the Stift in 1790 without compensation. They demolished the complex except for the abbey church. The Ottmarsheim town council had bought the church just in time. The municipality still owns the church today.

The church has largely retained its Romanesque architecture and Gothic frescoes from the 14th to 15th centuries. The interior resembles the cathedral in Aachen, built by Charlemagne (747-814) from 796 to 804.

(Source: H. J. Wörmer, J. Ottilie, Abteikirche Ottmarsheim, Ottmarsheim 2019).

The World Capitals of the Watch Industry

The towns of Le Locle and La Chaux-de-Fonds in the canton of Neuchâtel were built for the watch industry and watchmakers.

Their history of craftsmanship and industry is reflected in architecture and town planning. Nowhere else has the watch industry left such clear and well-preserved traces in urban development?

Le Locle is the oldest municipality in the Jura Mountains of the canton of Neuchâtel and is considered the cradle of the watch industry.

The first watch factory was founded in 1705 by Daniel Jean-Richard (1665-1741). Since then, the watch industry has been booming in the region (and Switzerland).

Picture: Espace de l’urbanisme horloger

The city of La Chaux-de-Fonds was also established to support the watch industry. The village was almost destroyed by fire in 1794. The reconstruction was wholly dedicated to the watch industry, the work, the workshops, warehouses and (comfortable) homes for the workers.  In the second half of the 19th century, the town experienced rapid development. In 1857, the city got one of the first railway lines in Switzerland.

The watchmaking metropolises of La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle have a watch museum with an impressive collection of some of the most beautiful watches from the last centuries.

The watch industry remains crucial to the region, and the Fin de Siècle, around 1900, is evident in the architecture of beautiful public and private buildings.

(Source: Musée d’horlogerie du Locle, www.mhl-monts.ch; Musée international d’horlogerie – La Chaux-de-Fonds).

The Zürioberland, Paul Burkhard and Tüfels Chilen

Not many Americans and Britons will associate the Zürcher Oberland, also known as Zürioberland, with one of the greatest musical hits of the 1950s. The composer Paul Burkhard (1911-1977) composed the musical ‘Das Schwarze Hecht’ for the Schauspielhaus in Zurich in 1939. One of the songs was the song “O mein Papa”. Het lived many years and died in Rämismühle-Zell.

One world war and eleven years later, the Swiss singer Lys Assias (1924-2018) chose this song to perform with the orchestra of Radio Beromünster conducted by the same Paul Burkhard.

Jack Metzger (1918-1999), Paul Burkhard, 1950. Foto: Sammlung ETH Zürich

The radio broadcast was a great success, and the song was recorded on a single, which at that time was beginning to take off (nowadays, it is almost forgotten: a single is a record with one song, a Long Player, LP, has many more songs by the same artist or group).

In 1954, O mein Papa was number 1 in the German hit parade for months. Soon after, a film of the musical was released under the name Feuerwerk, which further increased the song’s fame. Subsequently, the song has been sung in various versions by different artists. The song is available in over 40 languages, including Dutch, and remains a popular choice.

However, the most tremendous success was in America and the United Kingdom. In 1954, the comedy ‘Oh ! my Papa‘ was shown in London’s West End when The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie (1890-1976) experienced its first success in 1952. In America, the song was the first European hit to reach number 1 on the hit parade for eight weeks, with 1 million copies sold.

Not many Swiss will be aware of it, either. However, those who pass the village of Rämismühle-Zell will cross the Paul Burkhardweg. This village (canton of Zurich) is close to the castle (now a museum) of the Counts of Kyburg near the Tösstal. This dynasty played a prominent political and military role until its extinction in 1264. Together with Savoy and Habsburg, they were the most powerful rulers in this area.

The Paul Burkhardweg leads hikers through this beautiful area, featuring low mountains, forests, meadows, and villages. One of the unique features along the way is the Obstgarten in Oberlangenhard (Rikon).

The restaurant lives up to its name with its fresh vegetables, fruit, eggs, and meat, set amidst colourful meadows, blossoming fruit trees, and cattle. The restaurant is known as far away as Oslo. On 4 May 1997, Queen Sonja of Norway had lunch in the garden.

The many fruit trees and vegetable gardens are unsurprising in this fertile environment. Not far from Kollbrunn, in the Rörlitobel gorge, are the so-called Tüfels Chilen.

It is a collective name for water sources. A metres-thick layer of peat covered the spring from which two large and two smaller springs flow. They find their way into the Bäntalbach and its small side streams.

The steep rocks, the high deciduous and coniferous trees and the (sun) light are ideal for orchids and other plants that need a lot of light. They show off in and from the spring.

The Swiss Alpine Club

The Swiss Alpine Club (Schweizer Alpen Club, SAC/Club Alpin Suisse, CAS) regularly organises hiking trips in this region (and elsewhere).

The SAC organises ski tours, mountaineering, and other sports in the high mountains and the Alps, as well as activities in other regions.

Proofreader: Adrian Dubock

The Most Beautiful Swiss Towns

The second edition of the travel guide of the association Die schönsten Schweizer Dörfer/Les plus beaux villages de Suisse (www.borghisvizzera.ch). presents Switzerland and Liechtenstein’s most beautiful villages and small towns (45 municipalities under 10 000 inhabitants).

The book presents the culture and history of each place. The book is available in German, French and Italian. In this edition, three new villages are included: Dardagny in the canton of Geneva, Bursins in the canton of Vaud and Grüningen in the canton of Zurich. The latest edition has 224 pages with 50 maps and 200 photos.

The association is a member of the international federation “Les plus beaux Villages de la Terre”. The “Beaux Villages Suisse” app can be downloaded free of charge for Apple iOS and Android. This content is also available in English.

The Amphitheatre of Kaiseraugst

In December 2021, an amphitheatre was discovered during a building survey in Kaiseraugst (canton Aargau), near the museum Augusta Raurica (Augst, Canton of Basel-Landschaft).

The amphitheatre is the second amphitheatre in the canton of Aargau, after the one in Vindonissa (Windisch). In Augusta Raurica, it is already the third monument of its kind, although its two predecessors were abandoned in the 4th century.

A  farewell to the amphitheatre

Apart from Vindonissa and Augusta Raurica, amphitheatres are also known on the Engelhalbinsel in Bern (Bernodurum), Avenches (Aventicum), Martigny (Forum Claudii Vallensium), and Nyon (Colonia Iulia Equestris).

The amphitheatre, which dates back to the 4th century, measures 50 metres in length and 40 metres in width. It is located on the shores of the Rhine and outside the fortress.

It is the youngest known amphitheatre of the Roman Empire to date. The amphitheatre remains in the ground. Layers of gravel and sand cover the archaeological site.

Jakob Baerlocher, ‘Das neuentdeckte Amphitheater von Kaiseraugst’ in Augusta Raurica, 2022/1, S.12-15.

A Short History of the Engadine

The book is not limited to the village of Celerina, the book’s starting point. It presents the historical, social, economic and tourist context of the Upper Engadine in an accessible way and with many illustrations.

The book (available in the German and Italian languages) presents the Engadine’s historical, social, economic and tourist context in an accessible manner and with many illustrations: the Rhaetians, of whom little is known, the Romans, the fall of the Roman Empire and its consequences, the arrival of Walser and other German speaking immigrants, the military occupation of the Engadine from 1500 to 1800, the Reformation, the emigration of many inhabitants and many other topics are being dealt with.

Tiziana Cavadini-Canonica, Adriano Cavadini, Das Engadin-Kurze Geschichte einer alpinen Welt, Sondrio, 2009.

The book was first published in Italian in 2008, Piccola storia di un mondo alpino, Sondrio 2008.

Romansh Language and Culture

Approximately one-third of all Romansh language speakers now reside outside the canton of Grisons/Graubünden.

The (travelling) exhibition aims to inform the other language communities of the country (German, French and Italian) about this language and culture and enlarge the network of speakers of Romansh.

Even with only basic knowledge of Latin, German, French and/or Italian, one can understand at least the meaning of some quotes.

Even with only basic knowledge of Latin, German, French and/or Italian, one can understand at least the meaning of some quotes.

Some personalities contributed to the exhibition in their Romansh idiom:

“Rumauntsch nun es be üna lingua. Rumauntsch es ün’identited supplementera”(Annina Campell);”Rumantsch monta per me: mond, mitos, malancuneia, famiglia, cuntrada, semi, vischnanca, cant e cor”(Giovanni Netzer); “Da giuven al gimnasi da Losanna ha il romontsch levgiau a mi igl access al spazi da cultura franzos”(Reto Gurtner);”Il rumantsch è  per mai insatge total normal. Tuna da pauc ? Na! Tge datti pli impurtant per ina lingua che normalitad? ” (Ladina Heimgartner).

(See for the translation: www.dicziunari.ch).

The exhibition is designed for a broad audience and explores various historical, literary, linguistic, social, and cultural aspects of this language and its five main dialects.

The exhibition “Rumantsch è...” (www.rumantsch-e.ch) opened in September 2021 in the House of the Cantons (Haus der Kantone/Maison des Cantons) in Bern as part of the Conference of Cantonal Governments (Konferenz der Kantonsregierungen, KdK).

From mid-December 2021, the exhibition was on show at the City Hall in Chur and Lucerne. From 19 April to the end of May, it can be seen in the Romanesque Seminar at the University of Zurich and elsewhere.

(Source and further information: www.ub.uzh.ch).