Local history in Switzerland.
22 January 2026
The Many Names and Famous Figures of Villeneuve on the Shores of Lake Geneva The town of Villeneuve (Canton of Vaud) has borne various names throughout its long history, dating back to Celtic and Roman times. However, the area was already inhabited after the last Ice Age, about 10,000 years ago. Its location on the … Read more » “The many names and celebrities of Villeneuve on Lake Geneva”
11 January 2026
More than two centuries before the ‘famous’ fire in the Casino of Montreux on 4 December 1971, Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) wrote his Nouvelle Héloïse in 1761. Lord Byron (1788-1824) wrote his Prisonnier de Chillon in 1816. Both works significantly influenced the reputation of the village of Montreux (canton of Vaud) among the European beau monde. … Read more » “Montreux Riviera, Artists, Nature and Smoke on the Water”
3 October 2025
Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois in Basel has a history dating back to the first inn, which was established in the 11th century, coinciding with the construction of the cathedral or Münster. The town of the bishop was part of the Kingdom of Burgundy (888-1032) and, from 1032 onwards, the Holy Roman Empire. The German … Read more » “Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois in Basel”
28 August 2025
The Counts of Gammertingen initially owned the village of Chamues-ch. The Diocese of Chur acquired the village in 1137. The location at the entrance of the valley and at the foot of the Albula Pass was of strategic importance, and Bishop Volkhard of Chur built the Guardaval Castle in 1250. A bailiff resided there on … Read more » “La Punt Chamues-ch, Mia Engiadina, and the Albula Pass”
19 August 2025
Scuol first appears under the name ‘Schulle in a document from around 1095, in connection with the construction of a Benedictine monastery and a church. The monasteries of Marienberg (Austria) and Müstair, as well as the Habsburgs, owned what is now the Lower Engadine (Unterengadin), including Scuol, for a long time. It was not until … Read more » “Scuol, Tarasp and Vulpera”
8 August 2025
Before the arrival of the Walsers, the Davos area (Canton of Graubünden) was inhabited by Romansh-speaking people. The German-speaking Walser settled in the 13th century from Obervaz, Lenz, Brienz and Alvaneu. The area belonged to the barons of Vaz. The Walsers had the right to expand their living space. They founded other villages, such as … Read more » “The Walser, Davos, Holsboer, the Zauberberg and Kirchner”
19 July 2025
Sent (Lower Engadin/ Unterengadin, Canton of Graubünden) was first mentioned in 930. It has been the official name since 1879. In 1572, the reformer and chronicler Durich Chiampell (1510-1582) mentioned more than 300 houses and around 1000 inhabitants, the largest village in the Engadin and just as many as there are today. The Reformation also … Read more » “Sent, the highest Engadiner Church Tower and the Alberto Giacometti Museum”
23 June 2025
Sion (Sitten in German) in the canton of Valais (Wallis) is one of Europe’s most important prehistoric archaeological sites. The basin of the Sionne, the Rhone, the Valeria and the Tourbillon hills have been continuously inhabited since prehistoric times. At the end of the 1st century BC, Sion became the capital of the Sedunes, one … Read more » “The ancient centre and nature of the Episcopal town of Sitten”
18 June 2025
In the predominantly French-speaking city of Sierre (Siders in German, canton of Valais/Wallis), traces of various civilisations dating back to prehistoric times are still visible: hunters, the first farmers, the Ligurians, the Celts, the Romans, the Alemanni, the Franks, Christianity, the Holy Roman Empire, and then the Republic of the Seven Zehnden, and in 1815, … Read more » “Sierre, Muzot and Rainer Maria Rilke”
10 June 2025
The village and municipality of Bellwald (including the hamlets of Ried, Eggen, Bodmen, and Fürgangen) is the highest in the region of Goms (Conches in French, canton of Valais) at an altitude of 1,560 m. The Alemanni immigrated to this region in the 8th and 9th centuries and cultivated the land. They settled on farms, … Read more » “Bellwald, Ernen, the bishop, the Binn Valley and the Suspension Bridge”
