Nature in Switzerland.
12 March 2025
The Aare flows into the Rhine at Koblenz (Canton of Aargau). On its 295-kilometer journey from its source in the Oberaar Glacier, it flows through the Aareschlucht (Aare Gorge), Lake Brienz and Lake Thun, the capital Bern, Lake Biel, Solothurn, and through various places that bear its name, such as Büren an der Aare, Aarwangen, … Read more » “The Aare, its Towns, Nature and Jura Water Correction”
10 March 2025
Helvetia gazes westward from the Mittlere Brücke in Basel, downstream along the Rhine. What is she thinking about? In the good old days, when the Rhine was still called Renos (Celtic) or Rhenus (Roman), was it meandering and flowing wherever and as high as it wanted? About the river landscape on both banks of the … Read more » “The Rhine is a hiking trail and a trading, border, energy and boundary river”
9 March 2025
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8 February 2025
Paris has its Eiffel Tower (built in 1889), but Hasenberg has the Hasenberg Tower (Hasenbergturm). Although this tower (Gemeinde Widen, canton of Aargau) is considerably lower (40 metres) and younger (2021) than the Eiffel Tower (312 metres, 1665 steps to the top) and has fewer steps (210), it stands out far above it because of … Read more » “The Hasenberg Tower, Rhine Swimming, Wettingen Monastery and Swiss Wood”
20 January 2025
As we know, the British introduced climbing the highest peaks in Switzerland from 1850 onwards. They have always remained successful in this sport, which is in stark contrast to skiing, although the British were also pioneers in this sport. Arnold Lunn (1888-1974) founded today’s slalom skiing. The first race occurred in 1922 in Mürren (canton … Read more » “Mürren, Slalom, James Bond, Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau”
18 January 2025
Every year, around 60,000 visitors visit Wengen (canton of Bern) in January to experience the International Lauberhornrennen. The legendary downhill run (since 1930) is the longest in the entire Ski World Cup. The list of winners since 1930 and a part of the International Lauberhornrennen parcours Wengen is situated at an altitude of 1,274 metres in the … Read more » “Wengen, Kleine Scheidegg, Nature and Winter and Summer Sports”
14 January 2025
Nomen est omen: Lauterbrunnen (canton of Bern) takes its name from its many waterfalls and the babbling sound of streams and springs. The municipality of Lauterbrunnen consists of the villages of Lauterbrunnen, Gimmelwald, Isenfluh, Mürren, Stechelberg, and Wengen. The Staubbachfall, the highest waterfall in Switzerland The Inter lacus monastery in Interlaken was also the major … Read more » “Lauterbrunnen, 72 Waterfalls, Walser and monastery Inter lacus”
5 January 2025
Where there is a (Grand-) Lucelle or (Gross-) Lützel, there is also a Kleinlützel, Petit-Lucelle (Solothurn canton). Lucelle (France) is a town in the Sundgau (Alsace) and borders the canton of Jura. Kleinlützel Habsburg, France, the diocese of Basel, and successive German states (1871-1918, 1940-1945) contested this region for centuries. A Roman road between Kleinlützel, … Read more » “Kleinlützel, Lucelle, Felsplatte and European History”
17 December 2024
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) was an enthusiastic hiker and admirer of nature in Switzerland. However, the Geneva-born writer mainly stayed in French-speaking Switzerland. His German contemporary, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), also enjoyed staying and hiking in the German-speaking part of the country. He was particularly impressed by the Rhine Falls (Rheinfall) near Neuhausen (canton Schaffhausen) … Read more » “Along the Rhine with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe”
7 December 2024
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) was one of the most influential philosophers of the Enlightenment (second half of the 18th century). His political, educational, and literary works, as well as his novels, were bestsellers during his lifetime. It brought him not only fame but also trouble with the authorities. His passion for hiking, however, is less well-known. … Read more » “Hiking with Jean-Jacques Rousseau”
