The Johanniter Order and their Chapel in Rheinfelden

28 November 2023

25 November saw the publication of the new edition of the Swiss Art Guide series (Schweizerische Kunstführer), a publication of the Gesellschaft für Schweizerische Kunstgeschichte (GSK)/Sociéte d’histoire de l’art en Suisse (SHAS). The beautifully illustrated edition highlights the Johanniter Chapel of the Johanniter Order in Rheinfelden (canton Aargau). The Johanniter Order was founded in the … Read more » “The Johanniter Order and their Chapel in Rheinfelden”

Monte Verità near Ascona

19 November 2023

Canton Tessin has long been (and still is) a haven for political refugees, artists and the avant-garde. Locarno, Lugano and Ascona were sought-after towns. Houses, islands and even hills and mountains got new destinations after 1848. Alfredo Pioda (1848-1909), Franz Hartmann (1838-1912), and Countess Constance Wachtmeister (1838-1910) founded a theosophical institution on Monte Verità near … Read more » “Monte Verità near Ascona”

Wartenfels Castle and the Bishop who did not spend the night

6 November 2023

Avaliable in German, French and Dutch

Bosco Gurin and the Walser

3 November 2023

The inhabitants of Canton Tessin speak Italian. All the inhabitants? About 70 descendants of German-speaking Walser live in the village of Bosco Gurin. The village was first mentioned in documents in 1253. The inhabitants mostly speak the German dialect Ggurijnartitsch (Gurinerdeutsch). Bosco Gurin (1,506 m.) is located in a side valley of the Maggia Valley … Read more » “Bosco Gurin and the Walser”

Wildenstein Castle and its oaks

3 October 2023

The former prince-bishopric of Basel ceased to exist more than two centuries ago. But the oak trees, over 500 years old, and Wildenstein Castle still experienced its heyday. Most of the land in what is today the canton of Basel-Landschaft was owned by the prince-bishopric. The village of Bubendorf and its surroundings also belonged to the … Read more » “Wildenstein Castle and its oaks”

Wildegg, Habsburg and Effinger

27 September 2023

Wildegg Castle was also founded by the House of Habsburg. They laid the foundations of Wildegg in the first half of the 13th century on the foothills of the Chestenberg near the villages of Holderbank and Möriken (today, the canton of Aargau). The castle was long inhabited by stewards of Habsburg, most recently by the … Read more » “Wildegg, Habsburg and Effinger”

Aarburg Castle

25 September 2023

Aare and Burg (castle) make Aarburg (canton of Aargau). The river Aare has been a defensive barrier since the Roman Era. Aarburg was not founded by the Romans but one thousand years later by the Counts of Froburg, a local dynasty. The Habsburgers took control of the town in the thirteenth century. Bern occupied the … Read more » “Aarburg Castle”

The Federal Square of Bern

6 September 2023

The part of the city centre, the Federal Square (Bundesplatz) in Bern, was once part of the medieval fortifications and features a moat called the ‘Oberer Graben’. They were built before 1256. This area developed further between the years 1570 and 1630. The Square reached its present form in the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1858, the city … Read more » “The Federal Square of Bern”

The Clock Tower of Bern

5 September 2023

Switzerland is a country of wristwatches, meteorological clocks, and astronomical clocks. The Zytglogge (also known as the Zeitglockenturm) is the first western gate of the city of Bern and was built between 1200 and 1256. The tower was integrated into the city wall on both sides. Today, it is part of the rows of houses. The tower is in … Read more » “The Clock Tower of Bern”

Wonnenstein and St. Gall

23 August 2023

Wonnenstein Monastery holds particular cultural and historical significance for the two Appenzell cantons, St. Gall Abbey, and the former Diocese of Constance. Located near the village of Niederteufen (Appenzell Ausserrhoden), the monastery has linked the two Appenzell cantons since 1597. The monastery buildings belong to Appenzell Innerrhoden, the farmland to Appenzell Ausserrhoden. Wonnenstein was initially a Beguine community at the … Read more » “Wonnenstein and St. Gall”