Local history in Switzerland.
10 April 2019
The foundation of Aquae Helveticae (present-day Baden in Canton Aargau/Argovie) by the Romans is primarily attributed to the establishment of the army camp in Vindonissa (Windisch) around 17 AD. Aquae Helveticae was a large bathing complex for the military and (Roman) citizens due to the springs of mineral water. The museum, located in the monumental Landvogteischloss on … Read more » “Aquae Helveticae or Baden”
10 April 2019
The village of Savognin was first mentioned in 1154 in a document by the Bishop of Chur. It is in the Surses Valley and Parc Ela, Switzerland’s largest regional natural park. The beginning of tourism in the mid-19th century increased the number of travellers passing through the village. The bridge spans Julia, one of the … Read more » “Savognin, the Surses Valley and Parc Ela”
27 March 2019
Available in Dutch and German
22 March 2019
The Rhaetian Alpine passes in Graubünden have long played a significant role. Since the construction of tunnels (for example, the Vereina tunnel) and the beginning of the railway and automobile era, they have lost their former significance. There are 33 passes in this area: Albula, Aprica, Arlberg, Bernhardin, Bernina, Chaschauna, Crispalt/Oberalp, Flüela, Fraele, Fuorn/Ofen, Julier, … Read more » “The Rhaetian Alpine passes”
18 February 2019
Morat (Murten in German) is one of the cities that, by the fate of history, belongs to the canton of Fribourg (Freiburg). The Dukes of Zähringen founded the city in the second half of the twelfth century, in the same period as the foundation of Bern and Fribourg. The Burgundian wars (1474-1477) were crucial. The … Read more » “Morat, Burgundy, the Obelisk, the Panorama the Eidgenossen”
16 February 2019
The history of the bishopric of Basel (Basilia in Roman times) goes back to the Roman Empire. In the fifth century, the bishop moved from Augusta Raurica (Augst) to Basel, prompted by the invasions of Germanic tribes (Alamanni). The hill in Basel offered an excellent refuge and had some defensive walls. The ancient palace of the … Read more » “The Prince-Bishopric of Basel till 1813”
9 February 2019
Schwarzbubenland consists of the Dorneck and Thierstein districts in the Solothurn canton. Dornach is derived from Tornacho, Tornegg, or Tornach, the Celtic-Latin name for a type of fundus turranicus. A Gallo-Roman settlement existed in the first centuries AD. The medieval ruins of the castles Dorneck and Hilzenstein, the Goetheanum, the monastery, and the Nepomuk bridge have stories … Read more » “Dornach, 1499, Nepomuk and Schwarzbubenland”
31 January 2019
The High Rhine (Hochrhein) region stretches from Lake Constance to the Upper Rhine and is bordered to the north by the Black Forest and to the south by the Swiss Jura. The High Rhine leaves Lake Constance at Stein am Rhein and becomes the Upper Rhine in Basel. The Rhine flows 150 km through various … Read more » “The High Rhine Region”
31 January 2019
The city of Avenches was founded around 1259 by Jean de Cossonay (c. 1219-1273), bishop of Lausanne. Avenches was the successor to the Roman city of Aventicum, the capital of the Helvetians, founded by Emperor Augustus and Emperor Vespasian in 70 A.D., and upgraded to Colonia. The Alemanni destroyed the town in 270. The city … Read more » “The City of Avenches”
31 January 2019
The cattle descent (Alpabzug) is an old tradition and an annual festival in the Alps nowadays. The cows and their farmers return to the valley in September after the summer in the mountains. They go along steep and and often centuries-old pathes, for example the Scala Mola alpine, constructed in 1645 in the rocks of … Read more » “The Cattle Descent in the Alps”
