Nature in Switzerland.
12 July 2021
Twelve municipalities in the region between Sierre and Gampel (canton of Valais) form the Pfyn-Finges Regional Park. The Rhone flows through the valley and the park, but the area remains exceptionally dry. Avalanches, landslides, fires and dryness created a special landscape. The flora and fauna (pines, Mediterranean (small) mammals, birds and insects) also point to … Read more » “Pfyn-Finges Regional Park”
4 July 2021
The Grande Cariçaie covers the entire southern shore of Lake Neuchâtel (45 km). It is home to over 800 plant species and more than 10,000 animal species, i.e. about a quarter of Switzerland’s flora and fauna. The Latin name Carex (sedge) can be traced back to the Latin word carectum, which refers to an area … Read more » “The Grande Cariçaie”
30 June 2021
One of the many beautiful villages in Switzerland is located on Lake Neuchâtel. The wine and fishing village of Auvernier was already inhabited around 5000 BC. When the lake’s water level dropped during the first works of the Juragewässerkorrektion (1868-1891), the remains of stilt houses from the first centuries B.C. were found. The Bay of … Read more » “Auvernier on Lake Neuchâtel”
29 June 2021
The gardens of the Pierre Gianadda Foundation in Martigny (Canton of Valais) feature interesting Gallo-Roman remains and a rich flora in a setting of ponds, streams, and rocks. Each ancient building shown inside the Fondation belonged to a large sacred enclosure, a temenos, measuring 85 m in width and more than 135 m in length. … Read more » “Gardens of the Pierre Gianadda Foundation”
21 June 2021
The rivers and lakes in the Three-Lakes area (das Drei-Seen-Land, le Pays des Trois-Lacs) were ingeniously adjusted in the years 1868-1891 and 1962-1971 in the Juragewässerkorrektion/ la correction des eaux du Jura. It was and remains a unique, pioneering project for the region’s development. Between 1868 and 1891, the water levels of the three lakes … Read more » “The Hagneck Channel”
20 June 2021
Hagneck (Canton of Bern) is one of the oldest hydropower plants in Switzerland and the world. It is a monument of technological and architectural, as well as cultural-historical significance. Generating electricity from water is a visionary masterpiece of the late 19th century. On 30 May 1891, the government of the canton of Berne granted the … Read more » “Hydroelectric power plant Hagneck”
14 June 2021
Saint Aubin has been inhabited since ancient times, as evidenced by the remains from the Neolithic period. Romans, Burgundians and Franks then colonised the region. In 1176, the bishop of Lausanne donated the church to the abbey of Saint Maurice. Abbot Guillaume (who died in 1198) rebuilt the church in 1180. From then on, the church … Read more » “La Grande Béroche and Saint-Aubin”
12 June 2021
Available in French, Dutch and German.
27 April 2021
The source of the Rhine is in the Gotthard massif in the Swiss Alps (Lake Toma (Lai da Tuma or Lag da Toma in the Romansh language at an altitude of 2,344 meters). From there, the river begins its 1250-kilometre journey to Rotterdam in the Netherlands. The river is navigable from Basel to the North … Read more » “The Rhine and Basel”
11 April 2021
Available in French, Dutch and German.
