Local history in Switzerland.
9 October 2019
The village of Wassen, situated at the foot of the Gotthard Pass, was quiet in the nineteenth century. The construction of the Gotthard railway (1882) changed life forever. The Antonini quarry in Wassen changed the landscape. The jobs also attracted many workers, mainly from Italy. There were other granite quarries in Göschenen, Gurtnellen and other … Read more » “Granite in Urner Oberland”
9 October 2019
The Swiss chocolate producers presented a carillon on the occasion of the first National Day of Swiss Chocolate, September 12, 2001. The carillon (Glockenspiel of Sisikon) is the largest in Switzerland and consists of 37 bells with the tones e1-e4 and a bronze weight of about 6,000 kg. Both chocolate and chimes represent innovation and … Read more » “The Carillon of Sisikon”
4 September 2019
The tribe of Helvetians inhabited the area of the canton of Neuchâtel before the arrival of the Romans in 15-13 BC. The Laténium in Hauterive shows pile dwellings and other Celtic objects from this period. Rudolph III (977-1032), the last king of the Kingdom of Burgundy (888-1032), built a new castle (Novum Castellum) on a … Read more » “Neuchâtel from Village to City”
26 August 2019
The Romanesque church of Montcherand was built in the eleventh century and donated to the monastery of Baulmes. Documents confirm the foundation of the monastery of Baulmes in the 7th century and its subordination to the Abbey of Cluny by no later than 1123. The clergymen of Payerne and Baulmes shared the same prior in … Read more » “The Mural of Montcherand”
24 August 2019
The History Museum of Vevey presents the city’s heritage and the region (Lavaux). The museum is housed in a 16th-century castle. There are two collections: a collection of ancient keys, locks and boxes and the works by the painter F.A.L. Dumoulin (1753-1834). Dumoulin witnessed the Franco-English naval battles in the West Indies (1775-1783). He painted … Read more » “Les Cent Suisses”
24 August 2019
The art of paper cutting is a tradition in Château-d’Oex in the Pays-d’Enhaut. The Musée du Vieux Pays-d’Enhaut showcases masterpieces and hosts events and exhibitions. Paper cutting was imported from the Orient. Johann Jakob Hauswirth (1809-1871) and Louis Saugy (1871-1953) introduced this art. Several of their magnificent artworks are exhibited in the museum. (further information: www.chateau-doex.ch).
2 August 2019
Altdorf is the economic, political, and cultural centre of the canton of Uri and has traditionally been a gateway to the Gotthard Pass. It is also the town of William Tell (Wilhelm Tell), the legendary hero. Altdorf is the town where popes, politicians, soldiers, pilgrims, craftsmen, artists, and poets stopped to exchange horses, take a … Read more » “Altdorf, Goethe, Gotthard, Suvorov and Tell”
2 August 2019
The meaning of the word “Chalet” as a characterisation of all wooden houses in Switzerland dates back to the nineteenth century and can be attributed to English tourists. Until then, a chalet was a wooden house located high up in the alpine meadows, intended to accommodate farmers during the summer. In the nineteenth-century sense of … Read more » “Chalets and Woodcarving in Brienz”
12 April 2019
Napoleon assigned Tarasp to the canton of Grisons in 1803 (Act of Mediation, Mediationsakte). The town and its hamlets had been an enclave of the Habsburgs for centuries. Tarasp is, for this reason, a Catholic community. The mineral springs Luzius, Emerita, Bonifazius, and Carola generated the prosperity after 1860. Large spa hotels (Kurhaus Tarasp, Schweizerhof and … Read more » “Tarasp”
11 April 2019
The Hotel Waldhaus in Sils (Canton Graubünden) was built in 1908. The guests appreciated the view of Lake Sils, the Maloja pass, the mountains, and the valley. Many famous guests, including writers, movie stars, politicians, artists, and aristocrats, visited the hotel to be seen and to see others. It was the time of the booming … Read more » “Grand Riom Palace in Villa Carisch”
