Author: Maarten Koning

L’Etang des Royes

The Fen (l’Étang) des Royes and the quarry (Carrière) des Royes are two remarkable places in the Franches-Montagnes (Canton of Jura). The quarry for the extraction of marlstone owes its existence to the collision of the continental plates of Africa and Europe 230 million years ago.

The result was the Alps and the Jura, surrounded by seas. This limestone developed on the seafloor over millions of years. Fossils in the limestone bear witness to the presence of oceans.

The creation of the Étang des Royes is of considerably more recent date. It is a remnant of the last ice age, 10 000 years ago. The many water sources in the Jura also led to the formation of peat bogs.

As early as 1589, a grain mill powered by water power was located at the Étang des Royes. Today, it is a nature reserve without industrial activities.

The Autonomous Region and City of Aosta

The city of Aosta is the capital of the small Autonomous Region of the Aosta Valley (Valle d’Aosta).

In 1725, a historian wrote: la Vallée d’Aoste ne doit être ni comptée, ni considérée comme une province du Piémont ou de la Savoie, mais comme un petit Etat intramontain, séparé des états voisins, avec des pouvoirs temporel et judiciaire indépendants, édictant ses lois et ayant ses propres us et coutumes. 

(The Aosta Valley should not be counted or considered as a province of Piedmont or Savoy, but as a small mountain state, separated from the neighbouring states, with independent secular and judicial powers, issuing its laws and having its customs).

History

The Aosta Valley was inhabited by the Salassians, a Celtic tribe. It took Rome more than a century to defeat this tribe.

The Salassians inflicted a bloody defeat on the Romans around 141 BC. After their victory, around 25 B.C., the Romans built a new city, Augusta Praetoria Salassorum, today’s Aosta.

Emperor Augustus, founder of Augusta Praetoria, erected a remarkable arch, a monument symbolising the city of Aosta, to show the final defeat of the Salassians and to celebrate the foundation of the new Roman city.

After the fall of the Roman Empire in 476, the Aosta Valley was inhabited by various groups, including the Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Vandals, Burgundians, Franks, Lombards, and Saracens.

The Autonomous Region of Valle d’Aosta was one of the first autonomous regions established within the Italian Republic in 1948. And the population of Valle d’Aosta was the first minority in Europe to recover its historical autonomy after 1945.

(Source: R. Berton, La Cité d’Aoste, Aosta 2009)

Impressions of the City of Aoste

 

 

   

  

The Thal Nature Park

The Thal Nature Park (canton of Solothurn) is characterised by its special geographical location.

The park (139.39 km2) is characterised encompasses deep-cut valleys, the north-facing face of the Weissenstein and the hills of the second and third Jura chains.

The large forest areas, especially on the northern side of the first Jura chain, are also typical of the Thal. The park provides a habitat for many (endangered) plants and animals

The Park comprises eight different municipalities: Aedermannsdorf, Balsthal, Herbertswil, Holderbank, Laupersdorf, Matzendorf, Mümliswil-Ramiswil and Welschenrohr-Gänsbrunnen.

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

Swiss Foundation of Photography

50 years ago, on 4 May 1971, the Foundation (Fotostiftung Schweiz) was founded in Zurich. The initiators’ aim was to preserve the archives of important photographers, to build up a collection and raise the public profile of photography as cultural heritage, in part through exhibitions and publications.

Among the early exhibitions was a tribute to Ernst A. Heiniger (1903-1993) in 1979. It is thanks to this history that the Fotostiftung is now responsible for maintaining Heiniger’s archive and can present his work in a first comprehensive retrospective (Ernst A. Heiniger – Good Morning, World!).

The museum also shows the most relevant documents of this period.

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

The Swiss Castle Day

The Swiss Castle Day on 3 October focuses this year on the role and position of women. 25  castles organise events and present exhibitions and attractions.

In the Middle Ages, wars created a surplus of 15% more women than men. The 17th century was marked by the development of women in education. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the literary vein of women became increasingly apparent. In the twentieth century, the desire for equality increased more and more. Strong women always made their mark on history  and in (Swiss) castles. Almost half of the 25 Swiss castles are run by women nowadays.

The following castle participate: Castelli di Bellinzona, Château de Chillon, Château de Grandson, Château de Gruyères, Château de Morges, Château de Prangins, Château de Romont, Château d’Yverdon, Stockalperschloss Brig-Glis, Schloss Burgdorf, Schloss Habsburg, Schloss Hallwyl, Schloss Heidegg, Schloss Hünegg, Schloss Jegenstorf, Schloss Kyburg, Schloss Landshut, Schloss Lenzburg, Schloss Oberhofen, Schloss Spiez, Schloss Thun, Schloss Waldegg, Schloss Werdenberg, Schloss Wildegg, Burg Zug.

(Source and further information www.dieschweizerschloesser.ch).

From Capital Aventicum to the Provincial Town Avenches

The Helvetians

The story of the migration of some Celtic tribes (Helvetii, Rauraci) from 58 BC to eastern France is known from Julius Caesar’s Book de Bello Gallico (100-44 BC).

Far less well-known outside present-day Switzerland is the history of their defeat in that year near Bibracte and their return to their homelands in Switzerland.

Avenches today

Roman period

Two colonies were founded by the Romans (Colonia Iulia Equestris (Nyon) and Augusta Raurica (Augst) around 44 BC. The tribes became allies of the Romans (foederati). The Pax Romana was about to begin;  it would last, with some violent interruptions (in the years 68/69 AD), until 260 AD.

The city of Aventicum (nowadays Avenches, Canton of Vaud) had approximately 20,000 inhabitants and served as the Helvetian provincial capital.

Image: Musée romain d’Avenches

Imperial representation and propaganda were omnipresent in the city. In 1939, the gold bust of Emperor Marcus Aurelius was discovered.

Many other finds—coins, medallions, ivory objects, portraits, statues, mosaics, symbols of power, religion, and myths—witness ceremonies of the imperial cult, which honoured the semi-divine imperial family.

One of the main centres of this cult was the theatre. The theatre was an essential social and political public medium, a place of propaganda and self-representation. The audience was seated according to their ranks and hierarchy.

The financing of these expensive and sumptuous edifices and spectacles was provided mainly by the members of the local elite (ordo decurionum) and wealthy citizens. The imperial cult in the theatre was a significant ceremony, marked by processions and sacrifices.

The amphitheatre became popular in the second century. The Colosseum in Rome (built around 70 AD) became the Roman model of way of life in provincial towns and Aventicum.

Monuments and statues were erected honouring the imperial family or local notables. They showed respect and gratitude for their euergetism (generosity, as evidenced by financing public buildings, games, food distribution, and other acts of euergetism).

Roman Museum

The Roman Museum (Musée romain) in Avenches, housed in the medieval tower of the Roman Amphitheatre, provides a comprehensive overview of life in a provincial Roman town.

The theatre complex, the temple’s remains (Le Cigognier), the amphitheatre, and other Roman artefacts and constructions still give Avenches the image of Aventicum.

(Source and further information: D. Castella (Ed.), Aventicum. Eine römische Hauptstadt, Avenches 2015; www.avenches.ch).

Kaiserstuhl, Rötelen Castle and the Chapel of Kaiserstuhl

The small town of Kaiserstuhl (Canton Aargau) is one of those surprisingly well-preserved medieval towns in Switzerland. Situated on the Rhine, it has a history of Celts, Romans, Alemanni, Franks, the Holy Roman Empire, the Habsburgs, the bishopric of Constance (Konstanz), the Eidgenossen, the short-lived Helvetische Republik (1798-1803) and finally the Canton of Aargau and the Swiss Confederation after 1803.

The tower (Obertor) of Kaiserstuhl marks the beginning of the small town’s history. Around 1260, the Barons (Freiherren) of Regensberg built the tower and the city wall at the Rhine crossing. They controlled the vital trade route between southern Germany and the Swiss Plateau.

In 1294, the town became the property of the Bishop of Constance. The bishop’s bailiffs resided on the right bank of the Rhine in the Rötelen Castle. The Rhine was not a border yet. This situation changed in 1803. Kaiserstuhl was assigned to the new canton of Aargau; the Rhine became the national border.

One of the jewels is the small chapel (Friedhofkapelle zu den Vierzehn Nothelfern) from 1530 near the cemetery. It is a late Gothic polygonal building with a pointed arch window and an interior from the Baroque period.

Chapel zu den Vierzehn Nothelfern

This chapel is also the last resting place of two fathers from the Rheinau monastery in the Protestant canton of Zurich, which closed in 1862. The Fathers Ambrosius Widmer (1807-1874) and Basilius Maienfisch (1808-1881) were renowned art experts and scientists of their time.

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

Impressions of Kaiserstuhl

 

 

 

125 Years Roche in Basel

The two Roche towers in Basel not only equal the two church towers of the Basler Münster ir cathedral. Like the two church towers, the Roche towers are not of equal height. Only the towers of the Münster have been there a bit longer.

However, this fact does not detract from the prominent presence of the pharmaceutical multinational. Roche was founded 125 years ago, in 1896, and has become the largest pharmaceutical company in the world.

The company’s website and (international) media provide extensive information about the firm and its history. Roche and Basel have a close relationship. The company has consistently demonstrated its generosity by supporting the city. The Tinguely Museum and numerous other projects confirm the special relationship.

Roche also celebrates its 125th anniversary with the city of Basel. The Zoological Garden (Zoologischer Garten) receives CHF 20 million for extensions and renovations. From September 28, one of the towers presents a light show featuring drawings and pictures that showcase the city and its inhabitants. For four days, the Roche Tower will be the shining centre of the town.

On 13 October, the art project “The Cost of Life” starts in the Pharmaceutical Museum and the Tinguely Museum. The artist Paddy Hartley will address the tension between life and medical progress, genetic technology and the role of technology in life in general.

The ARTour app showcases works of art throughout the city. Many artists created works for this event. The Augmented-Reality-Technology (ART) will visualise them.

(Source: www.roche.com, www.pharmaziemuseum.ch).

New Centre of the Augusta Raurica museum

The new scientific and administrative centre of the Augusta Raurica open-air museum (Sammlungszentrum) in the canton of Basel-Landschaft was recently inaugurated.

The centre is near the Ostport, the Roman viaduct on the east side of this Roman city, and the archaeological zoo. The centre concentrates all the museum’s activities in one building. Previously, the departments were spread over five locations.

The library and various storage and research rooms for archaeological finds have state-of-the-art equipment. The building also has seminars and other reception rooms. The centre houses the administration and other departments of the museum.

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

Michael’s Chapel in Ligerz

The Michael’s Chapel in Ligerz is one of the most remarkable churches in the canton of Bern. 1261 is the first documented mention of a church in Ligerz.

The increasing number of pilgrims in the Middle Ages necessitated larger church buildings. Between 1522 and 1526, the church adjacent to the tower was built in the late Gothic style.

The wooden ceiling, dating back to 1526, features a Latin inscription band that marks the completion of the church’s construction. The Reformation put an end to the pilgrimage in 1528, however.

Reconstructions characterised the interior of the church after 1669. The pulpit, numerous choir stalls, and the unique French-language tablet of the Ten Commandments date back to that time.

The church underwent a thorough renovation in the 1960s and 1970s.

(Source: www.bielersee-tourismus.ch).