Rötteln Castle and Markgräflerland as Symbol of centuries-old relationships between both Banks of the Rhine

5 November 2024

Today, Rötteln is part of Lörrach (Baden-Württemberg), just across the border near Basel. However, the former village of Rötteln, not to be confused with the hamlet of Röttelnweiler a few hundred metres away, was one of this region’s most important political centres until 1503. Rötteln The Margraves of Baden, namesakes of the Markgräflerland, and their … Read more » “Rötteln Castle and Markgräflerland as Symbol of centuries-old relationships between both Banks of the Rhine”

The Eiserne Hand and the Memorial 1933-1945 in Riehen

18 October 2024

The jagged border of today’s Switzerland, with its many twists and turns and even some foreign enclaves, results from nature, politics, and sometimes chance. The borders of the 26 cantons mostly follow the same pattern. Within several cantons, there are even enclaves of other cantons, and sometimes, the border looks more like a patchwork of three … Read more » “The Eiserne Hand and the Memorial 1933-1945 in Riehen”

Alsatian German and the Little Prince in Alsace

16 October 2024

Languages are still the most important means of communication, orally, in writing, and through words and gestures. Multilingual and multicultural Switzerland has known this for centuries. However, neighbouring regions also have a fascinating linguistic history and development. It applies to Savoy in France, South Tyrol (Adige), the Aosta Valley, Piedmont and Lombardy in Italy, Tyrol … Read more » “Alsatian German and the Little Prince in Alsace”

The Clavel-Villa, Emperor August and Augusta Raurica

8 October 2024

Emperor Augustus (63 BC-14 AD), whose statue stands on the Castelen Estate in Augst (Canton of Basel-Landschaft), rightly turns his gaze to the Clavel-Villa. Basel did not yet exist in his time, and the Rhine still flowed in various tributaries through uninhabited land. There were only a few small Celtic settlements, including on Münster Hill … Read more » “The Clavel-Villa, Emperor August and Augusta Raurica”

Evian, Vevey, Savoie and the Ancient Swiss Confederation of Cantons

21 September 2024

Politically, linguistically, economically, and culturally, the Lac Léman area has always been a region of intense mutual contact. The bishops of Geneva, the city of Geneva, abbots, counts, and dukes of Savoie, kings of the kingdom of Piedmont-Savoie and France, the Swiss Confederation, Wallis (Valais), and other players determined politics, trade, war, and peace until … Read more » “Evian, Vevey, Savoie and the Ancient Swiss Confederation of Cantons”

The Anabaptists of Zurich, Zollikon, the Netherlands and humanists from Basel

20 September 2024

While many Protestant citizens from the (Habsburg) Low Countries and later the  Republic of the Seven United Provinces were students at the academy (founded in 1559) of John Calvin (1509-1564) in Geneva, other Protestant citizens fled the Netherlands precisely for Calvin and his teachings. Martin Luther (1483-1546) initiated the Reformation in 1517. Many predecessors had … Read more » “The Anabaptists of Zurich, Zollikon, the Netherlands and humanists from Basel”

A Small History of the Litte and Great St Bernard Passes, their Hospices and Bernadiner Dogs

19 September 2024

Napoleon’s (1769-1821) famous march over the Great St Bernard (2469 metres) in 1800 went in a different direction from that of emperor Claudius (10 BC-54 AD) in 43 AD. Claudius marched south to north toward Britannia, and Napoleon marched north to south towards Habsburg Italy and its allies. In both cases, Martigny (Forum Claudii Vallensium, … Read more » “A Small History of the Litte and Great St Bernard Passes, their Hospices and Bernadiner Dogs”

The Monastery Road of Lake Constance

16 September 2024

Maximilian I (1469-1519), Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, called the Rhine from Chur to Utrecht the ‘Pfaffengasse’. The Rhine offers this sight from Chur to Constance, Basel, Strasbourg, Worms, Speyer, Mainz, Bonn, Cologne, Xanten Nijmegen and Utrecht.  The region on the shores of Lake Constance (the Bodensee) can then be called the Monastery Road. This … Read more » “The Monastery Road of Lake Constance”

Baden, Baden-Baden and Badenweiler and their bathing Complexes

15 August 2024

Only a few cities have a double name, and certainly not when it is a repetition. The name of the German town of Baden-Baden (Baden-Württemberg) is functional to differentiate between Baden (canton Aargau) and Baden in Austria (near Vienna). Then there is Badenweiler in southern Baden-Württemberg. Aargau was administered by Habsburg until 1415. The Confederation conquered … Read more » “Baden, Baden-Baden and Badenweiler and their bathing Complexes”

The Peace Treaties of Utrecht, Rastatt and Baden and Catalans

12 August 2024

What do Utrecht, Rastatt (Baden-Württemberg) and Baden (Canton Aargau) have in common? These cities not only played a role in the constitutional history of the Netherlands, the Federal Republic of Germany and Switzerland, respectively. The most relevant (bilateral) treaties to end the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1713) took place in these cities in 1713 … Read more » “The Peace Treaties of Utrecht, Rastatt and Baden and Catalans”