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”
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”
23 March 2026
The village of Arlesheim (Canton of Basel-Landschaft) is best known for the English Garden of 1785, the Ermitage, and the Dom. The English Garden, also known as the Ermitage, was created in 1785 by Heinrich von Ligertz, the chaplain, and Balbina von Andlau-von Staal (1736-1798). It is the most extensive English garden on Swiss soil … Read more » “Arlesheim, Hermitage and the Congress of Vienna”
12 March 2026
Few French, Germans, or Swiss today know where Mömpelgard is located. This is hardly surprising, since its French name today is Montbéliard (Franche‑Comté). This town has held city rights since 1283 and enjoyed imperial immediacy (Reichsunmittelbarkeit). It is situated not only on the Franco‑German linguistic border, but also at the Burgundian Gate (Burgundische Pforte/Porte de … Read more » “Swiss-, French- and German history, Montbéliard, Belfort and the Burgundian Gate”
12 March 2026
The abbey in Säckingen (Baden-Württemberg) was founded in the 8th century. The monastery played a crucial role in securing the connection across Lake Walen (Walersee) and the mountain passes from Graubünden to Italy. Glarus bought itself free from the abbey in 1395. The abbey had its heyday from the 10th to the 12th century. The … Read more » “The Säckingen Abbey, Glarus and Fridolin”
10 March 2026
The Basel Carnival (Fasnacht, from Monday, 23 February, 4:00 a.m., until 26 February, 4:00 a.m.)—apart from the three following “Bummelsonntage” (Bummel Sundays)—has once again come to an end. After the events of the Vorfasnacht (pre-carnival) season and the Carnival Mass (Fasnachtsmesse) in the Elisabethen Church, the annual call “vorwärts, marsch” (forward, march) sounded punctually at … Read more » “The Basel Carnival is also a Serious Affair”
15 February 2026
The town of Rheinfelden (Kanton Aargau) was founded in 1130 by the Dukes of Zähringen. In 1218, the town gained the status of a free imperial city, known as imperial immediacy. Ten towns donated a commemorative plaque in the town hall for the town’s 850th anniversary in 1980. The city was Austrian until 1803. The … Read more » “850 Years Rheinfelden”
9 February 2026
The Museum of Austrialian Aboriginal Art “La grange” in Môtiers (canton Neuchâtel), the Fondation Opale in Lens (canton Valais), the museum Musée cantonal d’archéologie et d’histoire in Palais de Riponne in Lausanne (canton Vaud), Museum Rietberg (canton Zürich), Musée Barbier-Mueller in Geneva (canton Geneva), the Tibet Museum in Gruyères (canton Fribourg), and Europe’s first ethnological museum, … Read more » “A Mandala on the Rhine in Kaiseraugst”
25 January 2026
In the 13th century, Val d’Ormont (Canton of Vaud) was divided into several areas belonging to the Count of Savoie, the Abbey of St Maurice, the Lords of Saillon in Valais and other noble families. In 1475, during the Burgundian Wars (1474-1477), Bern acquired the valley. The Bernese rule was apparently tolerable to the inhabitants, … Read more » “The Ormont Valley, Glacier 3000 and Les Diablerets”
21 January 2026
Switzerland is renowned not only for its visionary public transport policy and commitment to environmental preservation (for example, the transport of goods by train through an extensive network of tunnels, connecting the continent in a climate-friendly way without European Union (EU) subsidies, even in the most inhospitable regions). EU Policies and Swiss Railway Constructions It … Read more » “Trains and Tunnels in Switzerland”
