Local history in Switzerland.
13 February 2021
The roads in the Val-de-Travers in the Jura Mountains of the canton of Neuchâtel form an east-west connection. The valley has always been an essential trade route from the Franche-Comté to the Swiss Plateau. The valley became an industrial hotspot for the production of textiles, asphalt, absinthe, and watches in the eighteenth century. The heart of the … Read more » “Swiss Rhythm in Fleurier”
11 February 2021
The village takes its name from Pery (Champ à Péry, Champ Péry and Champéry), apparently the first inhabitant of the valley in the Middle Ages. The village was part of the second kingdom of Burgundy (888-1032) and was ruled by the Dukes of Savoy until 1536. In 1536, the Sieben Zenden ( les Sept-Dizains) of … Read more » “Champéry”
10 February 2021
Available in French and Dutch.
3 February 2021
Wibrandis Rosenblatt (1504-1564) lived in the rectory of St. Martin’s Church in Basel, near the cathedral on the Münster. She was married to the reformer Johannes Oecolampadius, also known as Oekolampad (1482-1531), one of the reformers in Basel. The Reformation and this marriage had nothing to do with the emancipation of women. Wibrandis took care of … Read more » “Wibrandis Rosenblatt”
23 January 2021
The Count of Neuchâtel founded the city of Le Landeron in 1325. In 1449, however, the city concluded an alliance with the town of Solothurn. The Counts of Neuchâtel, the Prince-Bishopric of Basel, and Bern were seeking influence in this area. A fierce religious dispute arose between Bern and Solothurn after 1530. Bern tried to introduce … Read more » “Le Landeron Remains Catholic”
15 January 2021
The new history of Basel (Die neue Basler Stadtgeschichte ) appears in 2024. This book tells the story of the economic, social, and cultural successes of the canton of Basel-Stadt and the city on the Rhine, as well as the missed opportunities. From an economic and cultural perspective, medieval Basel was mainly focused on the … Read more » “The Independent Republic of Grossbasel”
14 January 2021
Available in French and Dutch.
22 December 2020
The modern Chablais is an area that covers parts of Eastern France and Western Switzerland. The Swiss area extends over the cantons of Valais and Vaud. In France, this region is located in the department of Haute-Savoie and is bordered to the north by Lake Geneva and the Swiss border town of St. Gingolph. At … Read more » “Swiss Chablais”
13 December 2020
d’ Orléans-Longueville and the Prussian King The county was inherited by German princes of the Houses of Freiburg and Hochberg (1395-1504) and the French dynasty of Orléans-Longueville (1504-1706). The Swiss Confederation 1512-1529 The Prince of d’Orléans-Longueville rarely showed up in the principality after 1504. The Confederates (Eidgenossen) were interested in this area. The Burgundian Wars … Read more » “The Forgotten Occupation of Neuchâtel”
20 November 2020
Switzerland consists of 26 cantons nowadays. Each canton has its history. The canton of Graubünden (Les Grisons), for example, is the creation of a centuries-old alliance of three regions: the Gotteshausbund (League of God’s Hause), the Grauer or Oberer Bund (The Grey or Upper League) and the Zehngerichtebund (League of Ten Jurisdictions, actually eleven). These Alliances united … Read more » “Gersau, Europe’s smallest Republic”
