Local history in Switzerland.
21 September 2021
In Roman times, a road already ran through Trasadingen (canton of Schaffhausen). The community of Klettgau is a rural village with an old centre. The village’s name appeared in a document 878 for the first time. The centre lies at the foot of sunny vineyard hills. The present Protestant Reformed Church was built in 1840 on … Read more » “Trasadingen and the Navigation System TRA”
19 September 2021
The grave of Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926) is at the church cemetery in Raron. The inscription reads: ‘Rose, oh reiner Widerspruch, Lust, Niemandes Schlaf zu sein unter soviel Lidern‘ . From 1921, Rilke lived in a castle near Siders (Sierre) in the canton of Valais. Prague-born Rilke felt at home in the Valais and never … Read more » “The grave of Rainer Maria Rilke”
14 September 2021
Ermatingen (Thurgau Canton) on Lake Constance (Bodensee) was already inhabited in the Stone Age with stilts. Graves from the Hallstatt period, a Roman settlement and Alemannic cemeteries have also been found. The village is documented as Erfmoutinga in 724. Many documents show the great importance of the House of Hard. They were often in the … Read more » “Ermatingen”
13 September 2021
Eglisau (Canton Zurich) gained importance due to its location on the old military road between Schaffhausen and Zurich, as well as its role on the shipping route to Basel. The Lords of Tengen founded the town in the mid-13th century. In May 1463, Eglisau passed to the city of Zurich. Between 1497 and 1798, 57 … Read more » “The medieval townscape of Eglisau”
7 September 2021
Diessenhofen means “farms of Diezo”. Later, a priest named Lazarus donated the village with the church to the monastery of St. Gallen (757). Count Hartmann II of Kyburg granted city rights. The charter is considered the oldest surviving text of a city charter on Swiss territory. After the Kyburg counts died out, the town came … Read more » “Diessenhofen”
25 August 2021
Eastern Switzerland (Ostschweiz) is a real textile country. It was one of the world’s most significant exporters of embroidery products for a long time. Around 1910, over half of the world’s production came from Eastern Switzerland. With about one-fifth, the embroidery was the largest export branch of the entire Swiss economy. The First World War … Read more » “Textile Country Eastern Switzerland”
18 August 2021
The village of Flüeli (Canton of Obwalden) is on a high plateau. Niklaus von Flüe (1417-1487) lived in this village. Contemporaries regarded him as a saint. In 1947, he was indeed or finally canonised. His birthplace is on the estate of the von Flüe family. He built a new house, where he lived for twenty … Read more » “Flüeli, Niklaus von Flüe, Stanser Verkommnis and the Chapels”
8 August 2021
The village of Tiefencastel (Tüffenkasten in the Middle Ages) lies at the foot of the Albula Pass and the Julier Pass. A castle stood on the hill in Roman times, hence the name. The village was part of the jurisdiction of Oberhalbstein in the Gotteshausbund (founded in 1367). The church of St. Stefan was extended in … Read more » “Tiefencastel”
6 August 2021
Meltingen has been part of the territory of the canton of Solothurn for centuries. The village belonged to the lordship of Castle Gilgenberg, a Höhenburg, in the nearby municipality of Zullwil. The pilgrimage church “Maria im Hag” stands about 40 m above the village. The church was mentioned in documents as early as 1375. The … Read more » “Meltingen and Maria im Hag”
1 August 2021
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