Author: Maarten Koning

The Helvetians and Switzerland

The Helvetians (Helvetii in Latin) were the name given to certain Celtic tribes. They inhabited the Swiss Plateau, hence the formal name of the country, Confoederatio Helvetica.

Some tribes are known as the Tigurini, Ambrones, Verbigeni and Tugini. The Rauraci and Suebi inhabited the regions of Basel, Southern Alsace and Baden during the same period. The other tribes in present-day Switzerland and neighbouring areas were:

The Nantuates in Chablais, the Veragri in the Martigny region, the Seduni in the central part of Wallis, the Raetii in Graubünden (Grisons) and the area around St. Gallen, the Lepontii in Ticino, the Salassi in the Valley of Aosta and the Allobroges in Geneva (Roman territory from 122 B.C.).

Our sources include Roman and Greek authors, as well as archaeologists. The Celts had no written culture. Their culture, settlements (called oppidum/oppida by Caesar) and societies are much better known nowadays through archaeology.

The Bello Gallico by Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) describes the Helvetians’ history, migration, and defeat in 58 B.C. at Bibracte (near Autun in France).

However, the first testimony about the Helvetians dates back to the end of the 4th century B.C. The first concrete date and the historical Helvetian name is “Divico.”. He is known from the battle of Agen in 107 B.C. as captain of the Tigurini, who defeated the Roman legions. Caesar presented the  Helvetians as the most powerful of the Celtic peoples.

His information provides an insight into their society. Slavery, aristocracy and warlords were the main characteristics. Their priests were called druids.

Today, around fifteen oppida on the Swiss territory have been discovered, most of them in the Swiss Plateau (Mont-Vully, Lausanne, Roggwil, Bern, Basel (murus gallicus), Jensberg, Bois de Châtel, Sermuz, Yverdon, Üetliberg, Windisch, Rheinau, Zürich, Altenburg).

The course of history after the defeat in 58 B.C. is Roman. The centuries of Aventicum as the capital of the Helvetians and Romanisation began, particularly after the Roman conquest in 15-13 B.C.

(Source: G. Kaenel, L’an, -58. Les Helvètes. Archéologie d’un peuple celte, Lausanne 2012).

Basilia, the Roman vicus without a name

After Julius Caesar’s (100-44 BC) victory over the Celtic leader Vercingetorix at Alesia in 52 BC, Rome ruled Gaul, which is roughly equivalent to present-day France.

The Roman Republic also had a direct influence on the western and northwestern parts of Switzerland. The Celtic tribes in this region were allies (foederati) after the battle of Bibracte in 58 BC. Geneva (Genava) had already been incorporated into the Roman Gallia Narbonensis in 122 BC. 

Moreover, in 44 BC, the Romans founded the present-day cities of Nyon (Colonia Iulia Equestris) and Augst/Kaiseraugst (Colonia Augusta Rauracorum). They built these two cities as strongholds against Germanic tribes.

The Romans finally conquered the entire area of today’s Switzerland between 15 and 13 BC. For a time, the Rhine was the Roman Empire’s natural border.

The administrative organisation of the Roman Empire underwent significant changes under Augustus’s reign (27 BC to 14 AD). The area around Basel became part of Gallia Belgica, which extended from present-day Belgium and eastern France up the Upper Rhine to Lake Geneva (lac Lemanus).

The Romans founded new towns, such as Avenches (Aventicum), and settlements, like Baden (Aquae Helveticae), as well as military camps, among others, in Windisch (Vindonissa).

The Münsterhill on the right (with its murus gallicus, making it an Oppidum) and the location of the Alte Gasfabrik/nowadays Novartis on the right were two Celtic hamlets before the Roman conquest. Image: Antikenmuseum Basel und Sammlung Ludwig

Romanisation (the cultural, economic, and social changes of the Celtic population and the adaptation of the Roman way of life), which had already begun several decades earlier, accelerated with the integration of the Celtic areas into the Roman Empire.

This Romanisation was not yet immediately noticeable in today’s Basel. Although a Celtic settlement, known as an oppidum, existed on the hill that is today’s Münster, it stood in the shadow of the Roman city of Augusta Raurica.

Emperor Domitian (81-96 AD) reorganised the Empire. Basel became part of the Roman province of Germania Superior, which stretched over the Alsace, northern Switzerland, the Black Forest, and the Rhine and Main Rivers.

Image: Antikenmuseum Basel und Sammlung Ludwig

However, the small settlement of Basilia does not appear in Roman sources. Even the detailed Roman road map of the Tabula Peutingeriana, known as the Peutinger map, which dates back to the Middle Ages, does not mention Basilia. It was a vicus sine nomine, a settlement without a name. 

Basilia appeared in the fifth century when the bishop from Augusta Raurica went to the hill on the Münster.

Basel became an important episcopal city during the reign of Charlemagne (748-814), especially after its incorporation into the Holy Roman Empire in 1032. The German emperors made Basel an important religious and administrative centre. The cathedral’s construction in the 11th century reminds us of their commitment. The bishop was a powerful prince of the Holy Roman Empire. But that is another story.

The Celtic name of the oppidum was Basilia. The origin of the name Basel is still the subject of (scholarly) debate, but the name has nothing to do with a (Greek) queen (basileus/basilea is the ancient Greek word for king/queen). 

(Source: A. Hagendorn, ‘De la frontière à l’arrière-pays: la naissance d’un vicus’, dans Archéologie Suisse, Bâle, 2015).

Poggio Bracciolini in Baden

Baden (Aquae Helveticae) had five large bathing houses (thermae) on the banks of the Limmat in the second century.

There were also several small springs for bathing. Temples for offerings to the gods and houses for bathers were next to the baths. Today, this district is called the Römerquartier.

The Freibad and the St. Verenabad on Kurplatz were Roman baths until 1844. More bathing houses and residential complexes were built under Habsburg rule in the 13th and 14th centuries.

Baden was even the most important bathing resort in Central Europe. The Italian humanist Poggio Bracciolini (1380-1459) even described the baths as paradise on earth, an oasis of pleasure (un’oasi di ricreazione in questi bagni deliziosi), where men and women bathed together in scanty attire.

He came back from the Council in Constance (1414-1418). He was secretary to the Pope and wrote this in a letter to his friend Niccolò Nicole (1365-1437).

Six hundred and five years later, Bracciolini would write with the same enthusiasm about Baden and the recently opened bathing complex Fortyseven.

(Source: www.archaeokontor.ch).

Zermatt, the Matterhorn and the Matter Valley

The history of Zermatt im Mattertal dates back to the 13th century. In 1280, the village was first mentioned in a charter under the name “Pratobornum”.

The first German name was mentioned in documents from 1495 and 1544. The German names were “zer mat”, “zer Mat”, or “zur Matt”. “Zermatt” was the name in the 19th century.

In the 13th century, Zermatt was under the sovereignty of the Bishop of Sitten (Sion). One hundred fifteen families united to establish the first community on 25 January 1540.

France annexed the entire territory of today’s canton of Valais in 1810. In 1814, Valais gained its freedom as a republic and was able to join the Confederation in 1815.  And then came (English) tourism. The Matterhorn (Le Cervin in French) had been there for millions of years, waiting for them.

Cicely Williams wrote in 1970:

“Tourism is a highly developed industry in Zermatt. Yet the village has retained its ancient charm, with its ageing chalets huddled in its centre, its nimble goats parading the streets, and its seasoned guides roaming the streets on summer evenings, searching for their clients. These, together with Swiss hospitality, draw people of all nationalities to the mountain village, which, par excellence, epitomises Switzerland” (Cicely Williams, A Church in the Alps, Zermatt 1970, 6th edition in 2006). And it still applies to this village, neighbouring settlements and the valley.

Basel-Zermatt. Chinmoy Internationaler Friedensweg

Source: www.zermatt.ch

Europapark in Sust (Germany), stone from the Matterhorn

Gornergrat, the smallest Matterhorn

The Matterhorn. Viewpoint the Aletsch Glacier

The Matterhorn, viewpoint Mont Blanc

SBB Basel, 23 November 2022

Zinal, das Matterhorn

The Matterhorn, wall painting SBB Basel

The Matterhorn, image Verkehrshaus der Schweiz, Luzern

Impressions of Zermatt

The Catholic church

The Matterhornmuseum and the cog railway, an invention  from 1871

The English Church (1870)

The railway from Visp to Zermatt has existed since 1891. The Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn runs the line today

The Alexander Seiler (1819-1891) monument

Memorial of the first successful ascent of the Matterhorn on July 14, 1865. Four climbers died during the descent, however.

The alpine marmot

 

The Fens in Franches-Montagnes

The Parc Du Doubs in the Franches-Montagnes (canton of Jura) is known for its many streams, rivers, and fens, a heritage of the last ice age and melting water approximately 10,000 years ago.

The fens of Les Royes and Gruère are the best-known and largest. One smaller fen is l’étang de Bollement. The surface area is approximately 1 ha; the nature reserve covers 7.5 ha.

The fauna in the immediate vicinity shows remarkable diversity. The presence of flowing water from the stream, stagnant water from the fen, and peat soil is the origin of this rich biodiversity.

The mills and sawmills also played an essential economic role in Bollement from the 16th to the 20th century.  This was also the case for the fens of Des Royes and Gruère.

It is hard to imagine today that such quiet, beautiful natural areas were still bustling with economic activity a century ago. It also shows how quickly nature can recover.

(Source: www.parcdoubs.ch).

Smoke on the Water

One of the greatest success stories in the history of rock music was written in Montreux (canton of Vaud) in Switzerland. On 4 December 1971, fifty years ago, at 16.20 in the afternoon, the fire alarm went off in the famous Casino.

Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention finished their last song when singer Howard Kaylan called out, “Fire, ladies and gentlemen”. Initially, visitors thought it was a practical joke related to Arthur Brown’s song “Fire” (1968) and Deep Purple’s song “Fireball” (1971).

But it was a real fire. The Casino burned to the ground in a few hours. The two thousand visitors and the band managed to get out safely, but the instruments and equipment were lost.

The Rock band Deep Purple had rented the Rolling Stones’ mobile studio to record their new album, Machine Head, in the Casino the following day. The recordings took place at the Grand Hotel in the village of Territet, located near Montreux.

The band members saw thick clouds of smoke floating on the water of Lake Geneva. This event inspired them to compose Smoke on the Water for their new album, which became one of rock music’s biggest hits.

Deep Purple plays regularly in Montreux, and Smoke on the Water is the anthem in the rebuilt Casino and Montreux.

Montreux already had the reputation of a jazz city  (the annual jazz festival.  The world stars of rock music (a.o. Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, Deep Purple and Queen were regular visitors.

Roger Glover, the bassist of Deep Purple, chose Switzerland as his new home country. He lives in Frick (Canton Aargau). Freddy Mercury of Queen has a statue in his beloved Montreux. However, the most significant monument to Montreux is Smoke on the Water.

The text is, in fact, a report of the events on 4 December 1971:

We all came out to Montreux
On the Lake Geneva shoreline
To make records with a mobile
We didn’t have much time
Frank Zappa and the Mothers
Were at the best place around
But some stupid with a flare gun
Burned the place to the ground

Smoke on the water
A fire in the sky
Smoke on the water

They burned down the gambling house
It died with an awful sound
Uh, Funky Claude was running in and out
Pulling kids on the ground
When it all was over
We had to find another place
But Swiss time was running out
It seemed that we would lose the race

Smoke on the water
A fire in the sky
Smoke on the water

We ended up at the Grand Hotel
It was empty, cold, and bare
But with the Rolling Stones thing just outside
Making our music there
With a few red lights, a few old beds
We make a place to sweat
No matter what we get out of this
Ha, I know, I know we’ll never forget

Smoke on the water
A fire in the sky
Smoke on the water.

(Source: www.montreuxjazzfestival.com).

Architecture Walk Dornach and the Goetheanum

Over the last 100 years, approximately 180 buildings, including numerous private homes and functional structures, have been constructed around the Goetheanum. Their architecture is typical of the Goethean or sculptural-organic building style.

The buildings on a hill above the valley of the river Birs share the same architectural features as the Goetheanum and reflect the original concept of Steiner’s “Anthroposophists’ Colony”.

Four walks have been created that make these spatial qualities visible and open the Anthroposophists’ Colony to a broader public. The starting point for all four walks is at the Goetheanum, from where they lead off in four different directions towards Dornach or Arlesheim, set within enchanted gardens (Ermitage Arlesheim) and parkland (Gartenpark Goetheanum).

(Source: www.architekturpfad.ch)

 

Montfaucon, one of the oldest villages of the Franches-Montagnes

Montfaucon is one of the oldest villages on the Franches-Montagnes plateau (canton of Jura). The church of Montem falconis (Mont du Faucon) is mentioned in a bull by Pope Innocent II in 1139. The village already existed before the 12th century, however.

The church of Montfaucon was dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. In 1384, Imier of Ramstein, prince-bishop of Basel, issued a Franchise Charter exempting the inhabitants from all taxes and giving each citizen one hectare of land. This measure encouraged the settlement of new settlers.

The Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) had a profound impact on the region. It was plundered and destroyed by French troops. It was repeated by the French king Louis XIV (1643-1715) in his war against the Franche-Comté (a Spanish-Habsburg possession) in 1668.

Following the French Revolution (1789), the Prince-Bishopric of Basel was among the first to be conquered by French armies in 1792. It ended seven and a half centuries of the power of the Prince-Bishop of Basel in the Jura. The Prince-Bishop left Porrentruy, his residence since he left Basel in 1527, due to the spread of the Reformation.

On 17 December 1792, the “Free and Independent Republic of the Rauracia” was proclaimed. It included the regions of Porrentruy, Saint-Ursanne, Delémont, Laufon and the Franches-Montagnes.

The Rauracian Republic ceased to exist in March 1793. The department of Mont Terrible was created. In 1800, it was incorporated into the new department of Haut-Rhin.

The years 1813-1815 marked the fall of Napoleon and the period during which France regained its borders of 1792. At the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815), the victorious powers decided to allocate the territory of the former bishopric of Basel to the canton of Berne.

The Franche-Montagnes was a district with Saignelégier as its capital. Following the creation of the Canton of Jura in 1979, this situation remained unchanged.

(source: www.montfaucon.ch).

Wetting Monastery

The Cistercian Monastery of Wettingen (Canton of Aargau) was founded in 1227. The Cistercian Order – named after the first foundation in Cîteaux (Burgundy) – built its monasteries in the isolation of nature to be economically independent through farming. The location on the Limmat peninsula in Wettingen was ideal for this reason.

The monastery was inaugurated in 1256. The monastery came under the authority of the Confederation in 1415 with the conquest of Aargau. The fire of 1507 destroyed the monastery. The reconstruction was completed in 1517.

The monastery experienced a heyday between 1594 and 1633 when the abbot ordered numerous structural changes and extensions, which give the monastery great cultural and historical significance today.

The monastic community withstood the French period 1798-1813 well. However, discussions about the position of monasteries in Aargau after 1813 led to the dissolution of all monasteries in 1841.

The monks from Wettingen moved to Mehrerau near Bregenz (Austria), where the Cistercian community is still present.

With almost 800 years of history, the gardens are a cultural monument of the first order. Since 1227, vegetables, medicinal herbs, fruit, wine and ornamental plants have been cultivated.

The monastery park, modelled on the English style, and the various gardens kept their historical design.

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

Baden, Spanischbrötlibahn, SBB

The station building in Baden (Canton of Aargau) is the oldest in Switzerland. It was built in 1847. The Spanischbrötlibahn (railway) between Zurich and Baden was the first train connection in Switzerland. This railway was to connect Zurich and Basel.

Railway station Baden

However, the cantons and private railway companies prevented the realisation of cross-cantonal railways. Only after the Constitution of 1848 had granted the federal government (der Bund/la Fédération) more powers did the development of the national railway network begin.

The railway from Baden to Brugg was ready in 1856, and the line from Baden to Bern and Basel was completed in 1858.

Operation and exploitation were still in the hands of private companies. Many private railway companies went bankrupt, resulting in a poorly functioning transportation system. In 1898, railway companies’ nationalisation led to the creation of the SBB (Schweizerische Bundesbahnen).

Nationalisation took place after consultation with the people. In the referendum of 20 February 1898, the voters overwhelmingly approved the “Federal Act on the acquisition and operation of railways on behalf of the Confederation and the organisation of the administration of the Swiss Federal Railways.” (Bundesgesetz betreffend Erwerbung und Betrieb von Eisenbahnen für Rechnung des Bundes und die Organisation der Verwaltung der Schweizerischen Bundesbahnen). 

The history of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) dates back to 1902. The first railway station in Baden has been a monument of national importance since 2007.

(Source: www.baden.ch).

The first clock of the railway station in Baden 1847. Collection: Historisches Museum Baden