This section contains an overview of the most relevant monuments in Switzerland.
10 September 2020
There was only one river crossing between Bern and Büren an der Aare in the twelfth century: in Aarberg. The Count of Neuchâtel built a castle near this bridge around 1140. The city was founded afterwards, in 1220. Town Hall (Amtshaus) The new bridge was built in 1568. The Aare was diverted during the first … Read more » “The Bridge of Aarberg”
12 August 2020
The canton of Tessin welcomed many German-speaking Swiss visitors in the summer of 2020. For many, it was a discovery of this beautiful canton. How many, however, know the Tondü Palace in the village of Lionza, near Locarno? The village now has only twenty inhabitants. The Italian palace, situated at an altitude of 780 meters … Read more » “The Tondü Palace”
11 August 2020
The monastery of nuns of the Order of Ursuline was built in 1629. A significant extension and renovation took place in 1654. The monastery later changed to the Order of Augustinians. A new monastery replaced the complex in 1972. The (female) monastic community left the old monastery, which is now called Vecchio Monastero. The monastery is … Read more » “The Vecchio Monastero Poschiavo”
4 August 2020
The Birsfelden hydroelectric power station (Rheinkraftwerk Birsfelden) in the canton of Basel-Landschaft was built in 1954. The first plans date from the last decades of the 19th century. At that time, however, there was no need for (clean) electrical energy. Alternatives (mainly coal and wood) were cheaper and available. However, the Second World War led … Read more » “Birsfelden hydroelectric power station”
2 August 2020
Lake Thun (Thunersee) overlooks Alpine peaks and is home to three medieval castles and an impressive nineteenth-century replica. The castles in Spiez, Thun, and Oberhofen, as well as the castle Hünegg and its museums, are open to the public. The Hünegg castle was built in 1861. The castles in the French Loire region were the inspiration. … Read more » “The Castles of Lake Thun”
2 August 2020
The architect Rudolf Olgiati (1910-1995) pioneered modern architecture in Grisons. He was mainly interested in the architecture of the Engadine, ancient Greece and the designs of Le Corbusier (1887-1967). Le Corbusier was inspired by Engadiner houses as well. He donated the Gelbe Haus (Yellow House) to Flims on the condition that it be plastered white and used … Read more » “The Yellow House in Flims is White”
1 August 2020
The monumental building, Ital Reding Hofstatt in Schwyz, was built in 1636 by Itali Reding (1573-1651). The huge mansions in Schwyz date from this period. The Reding Hofstatt family also built the House of Bethlehem in 1287. A foundation maintains both buildings and they are open to the public. (Further information: www.irh.ch).
27 July 2020
The Walser immigrated to the Safiental (canton of Graubünden) in the fourteenth century. One of the characteristic features of the Safier cultural landscape is the fragmented construction of houses, stables and mountain huts. The oldest buildings were erected in the 17th century. Hundreds of stables and barns are reminiscent of traditional agriculture. Many stables and barns … Read more » “the Safien Valley and the Walser”
18 July 2020
Available in Dutch and German
14 June 2020
The urban villa in Auvernier (canton of Neuchâtel) was built in the first half of the seventeenth century. The French family d’Orléans-Longueville (1504-1706) ruled the county of Neuchâtel. Karl von Bonstetten bought the building in 1630, followed by the Châtenay familly. The seventeenth century was the Golden Age of this village (commune of Milvignes).
