This section contains an overview of the most relevant monuments in Switzerland.
17 March 2021
Montreux (Canton of Vaud) is derived from the Latin word monasterium, meaning a monastery. The church of St. Vincent was the centre of the village. The monastery’s location indicates where the old centre of Montreux was until the 19th century. Nowadays, one drives past this beautiful monument, which is also worth visiting. The first building … Read more » “The St. Vincent Church in Montreux”
8 March 2021
Alt-Falkenstein Castle, located in the municipality of Balsthal (canton Solothurn), was built in the 12th and 13th centuries in the Balsthaler Klus. The Neu-Frankenstein castle is situated on the other side of the valley. The castles of Alt-Bechburg and Neu-Bechburg, located near Oensingen, were built during the same period. The Bechburg and Falkenstein dynasties, along with … Read more » “Alt-Falkenstein Castle”
3 March 2021
Mills were the first technologically advanced large-scale works in the Middle Ages. Basel had two large mill districts, one in Kleinbasel and one in the St. Alban Valley (St. Albantal). After the foundation of the monastery of St. Alban in 1083, the monks built mills and mill wheels for grinding grain, wood saws, forges, and … Read more » “The Gallizian Mill”
2 March 2021
Neu-Bechburg Castle in the town of Oensingen (canton of Solothurn) is situated on a trade route that was already important in Roman times. The castle was built in the second half of the thirteenth century by the Lords (Freiherren) of Bechburg. The owners changed many times, including the Counts of Froburg, Nidau and Kyburg. Bern … Read more » “Neu-Bechburg Castle”
1 March 2021
Lord Byron 1788-1824) wrote in 1816: “While Waterloo with Cannae’s carnage vies, Morat and Marathon twin names shall stand; They were true Glory’s stainless victories, Won by the unambitious heart and hand Of a proud, brotherly, and civic band….”. The Battle of Murten (Morat in French, located in the canton of Fribourg/Freiburg) was one of … Read more » “De obelisk of Meyriez”
27 February 2021
The Tour de Diesse in Neuchâtel was built in the late tenth and early eleventh centuries as a defence tower for the Diesse family. This family lived in the tower until 1580. They were not the owners but held the donjon in fief from the Counts of Neuchâtel (until 1395), the (German) Lords of Hochberg … Read more » “The Tour de Diesse”
17 February 2021
Lavaux is a region in the canton of Vaud and has been registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2007. The region encompasses villages and towns and their medieval (Romanesque and Gothic) churches, squares, houses, castles, manoirs, towers, (open air) museums, vineyards and panoramic views of Lake Geneva and the Alps, amongst others, Pully, … Read more » “Monuments in Lavaux”
16 February 2021
The De Monthéolo family governed the town of Monthey (canton of Valais) at the beginning of the 14th century. They (re) built the castle in the 15th century. The Republic of the Seven Tithings in the Upper Valais (Republik der Sieben Zenden, Oberwallis/République des Sept-Dizains, Haut-Valais) conquered the Lower Valais (Unterwallis/Bas-Valais) from the Dukes of … Read more » “The Castle of Monthey”
15 February 2021
The Protestant church of Kleinhüningen (canton Basel-Stadt, city of Basel) was built in 1710 by Peter Racine in a simple Baroque style. The church replaced the medieval village church. This church was destroyed in the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648). The ceiling, the western entrance and the octagonal shape of the tower are exceptional, the so-called … Read more » “The Church of Kleinhüningen”
13 February 2021
The castle of the Counts of Gruyère was entangled in the disputes between Savoy, Burgundy, Bern and Freiburg in the fifteenth century. Gruyère was a vassal of Savoy, but Gruyère chose the side of Bern and Freiburg in 1475 (during the wars against Burgundy). Freiburg became the new owner after the bankruptcy of the last … Read more » “Gruyère Castle”
