Pyramides, Ossona, Evolène, Triton Alpestre and Marie Métrailler in Val d’Hérens

1 July 2026

The name Valais (French) or Wallis (German) is derived from the Latin word valles (valley). During the conquest of what is now Switzerland between 15 and 13 BC (Geneva, inhabited by the Celtic Allobroges under the name Genava, had already been conquered in 120 BC), four Celtic tribes lived in Wallis: the Nantuates, Veragri, Seduni, … Read more » “Pyramides, Ossona, Evolène, Triton Alpestre and Marie Métrailler in Val d’Hérens”

The Burgundian Wars, the Bishop of Basel and the Swiss Confederation

26 May 2026

The Burgundian Wars (1474–1477) were already described and illustrated at the time in numerous chronicles, songs, poems, pamphlets, and local archives. Various museums (including those in Grandson, Murten, and Bern) and publications are devoting considerable attention to this period this year. Moreover, the museum in Saint-Imier is presenting an exhibition on an underexposed subject related … Read more » “The Burgundian Wars, the Bishop of Basel and the Swiss Confederation”

Kairos and Chronos and the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva

22 May 2026

Kairos is the Greek god of the right moment, experience, beauty, and perception. Chronos is the economy, the orderly functioning of the private and public spheres, and above all, of the temporal, the mortal. For these reasons, the symbols of Chronos are the hourglass and the scythe. Kairos, by contrast, is the patron of feelings, … Read more » “Kairos and Chronos and the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva”

The Burgundian Wars, Switzerland and Academic Anachronism

16 May 2026

Coincidence or not, the fact is that the renovated Grandson Castle and Museum in the canton of Vaud have been opened to the public, as well as the exhibition ‘The Battle of Murten’ (Murten ausgeschlachtet) at the Bernisches Historisches Museum. The year 2026 marks the 550th anniversary of the battles of Grandson (2 March 1476) and Murten (22 … Read more » “The Burgundian Wars, Switzerland and Academic Anachronism”

Elgg and the United Dutch Provinces

14 May 2026

Elgg (Canton of Zurich) is a town with a rich history on the upper reaches of the river Eulach. The first written mention dates back to 760 under the name Ailaghoga. St Gallen Abbey, founded only in 719, acquired the town and the surrounding region in 760. Elgg The Lords of Elgg then served the … Read more » “Elgg and the United Dutch Provinces”

A Miracle of Nature and Art at Underground Mills of Col-des-Roches

28 April 2026

The Netherlands have long been known as a land of polders, tulips, and windmills. Switzerland may lack tulips, but its waterworks also look back on a centuries-old history of canalisation, the reshaping of river catchments, the drainage of peatlands, and even the lowering of lake levels. Swiss watermills At first glance, there seem to be … Read more » “A Miracle of Nature and Art at Underground Mills of Col-des-Roches”

Swiss Water Management and the Delta Works of the Alps

17 April 2026

Swiss engineers can not only drill tunnels and build railways, but are also canal diggers, dyke builders and excellent water managers. The Thielle between Nidau and Büren before the Jura water regulation project. The flood of 1817. Bern State Archives Seeland Seeland and the big marsh (das Grosse Moor/ le grand marais) is the region … Read more » “Swiss Water Management and the Delta Works of the Alps”

Erlenbach, Pfannenstiel, Natur, Meilen and Friedberg

12 April 2026

The shores of the Zürichsee (Lake Zurich) were shaped during the advance of the Rhine and Linth glaciers in the last Ice Age. The lake owes its very existence largely to the melting of these glaciers. Lake Zurich and its flora and fauna have experienced several ecological lows over the past 150 years. Due to … Read more » “Erlenbach, Pfannenstiel, Natur, Meilen and Friedberg”

Laufenburg, the Habsburgs, the Rhine and the Piles of Amsterdam

31 March 2026

Since the glaciers melted after the last Ice Age (around 12,000 BC), the Rhine has carved its way through Switzerland. At the location of today’s Swiss and German town of Laufenburg, a gorge and a waterfall were formed, which at its narrowest point was only 12 metres wide. This is why the waterfall was also … Read more » “Laufenburg, the Habsburgs, the Rhine and the Piles of Amsterdam”

Frontaliers symbolise Jewish History near Allschwil

29 March 2026

The beautiful village of Allschwil (canton of Basel-Landschaft) lies at the border near the Sundgau (Alsace). Every day, tens of thousands of French citizens—frontaliers—cross the border for well-paid jobs in northwestern Switzerland. Hundreds of thousands live and work in Switzerland for the same reason. Across Switzerland, about 400,000 people are cross-border commuters. Switzerland is the … Read more » “Frontaliers symbolise Jewish History near Allschwil”