Reigoldswil, Region Wasserfallen, Mills, Cable Car and Rifenstein Castle

9 February 2024

The first known owners of the village Reigoldswil (canton of Basel-Landschaft) were the Lords of Frohburg. The name Rigoltswire (Rigolt’s hamlet) was first mentioned in 1152. In 1366, the village passed to the Bishop of Basel. Between 1400 and 1798, the village was under the rule of the city of Basel. Rifenstein Castle was inhabited … Read more » “Reigoldswil, Region Wasserfallen, Mills, Cable Car and Rifenstein Castle”

Balsthal, Alt- and Neu-Falkenstein and the Inns

21 January 2024

The first inhabitants of Balsthal (Canton of Solothurn), the Celts, lived on the Holzfluh about 4,000 years ago. In Roman times, the fastest road connection from Aventicum (Avenches) to Augusta Raurica (Kaiseraugst) passed through Balsthal. After the Christianisation of the Alemanni in the 5th and 6th centuries, the prince-bishops of Basel ruled the region for … Read more » “Balsthal, Alt- and Neu-Falkenstein and the Inns”

Mir rede au Elsassisch, Leymen and Hagenthal-le-Bas

16 January 2024

A Swiss cartoon symbolises and puts the Röstigraben into perspective, the difference between the French and German-speaking parts of the country. On the German side of the Saane near Freiburg, a sign reads: “Ici on parle français”. On both sides of the river, however, there are identical houses and identically dressed people, who eat Rösti; … Read more » “Mir rede au Elsassisch, Leymen and Hagenthal-le-Bas”

The Burg Castle and Village Burg in the Leimen Valley

6 January 2024

The castle was built in 1250 and rebuilt as Schloss Burg after 1600. In 1168, Emperor Frederick I or Emperor Barbarossa (1122-1190) of the Holy Roman Empire sold the castle and Dinghof Biederthal to the House of Habsburg. Most of the territory was sold in 1269 to the prince-bishop of Basel. However, a third of … Read more » “The Burg Castle and Village Burg in the Leimen Valley”

Niederwald, Carlton and The Ritz

26 December 2023

Available in German and Dutch

Delémont, Prince-Bishopric Basel, Canton Bern and Canton Jura

19 December 2023

Available in German, French and Dutch

Arth, Celts, Romans, Alemanni, Habsburger, Schwyzer, Nicodemits, Villmergerkrieg and Rigi-Träger

29 November 2023

Available in German and Dutch

Locarno and Ascona, Cities of Peace

15 November 2023

In 1919, at the end of the First World War (1914-1918), strict peace conditions were imposed on the defeated states at Versailles. In addition to territorial losses and the demilitarisation of the Rhineland, high reparation payments were imposed on the Weimar Republic. Locarno, 1925. The participants in the conference hall It caused tensions, which culminated … Read more » “Locarno and Ascona, Cities of Peace”

Cevio, Grotti, Filippini and the Wine Press

3 November 2023

Cevio (Maggiatal/Valmaggia, Canton of Ticino/Tessin) and Enrico Filippini (Cevio, 1932-1988) may not be very well-known names. Yet, the Italian-speaking Filippini introduced famous writers such as Walter Benjamin, Günter Grass, Max Frisch, and Friedrich Dürrenmatt to Italy. He studied in Locarno, Milan, Berlin, Munich and Paris. He worked at the Feltrinelli publishing house in Milan and … Read more » “Cevio, Grotti, Filippini and the Wine Press”

Lausanne, City of Culture, History, Parcs and Pierre de Courbertin

29 October 2023

The urban development of Lausanne has been rapid since the early 20th century. The first skyscraper in Switzerland was built in this town in 1931 (Bel Air). Lausanne has been the seat of the International Olympic Committee since 1915 and was named the Olympic capital in 1993. The city currently has a population of 140,000. … Read more » “Lausanne, City of Culture, History, Parcs and Pierre de Courbertin”