Alsatian German and the Little Prince in Alsace

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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”

Porrentruy, the Bishop and the canton of Jura

Porrentruy (Pruntrut in German, canton of Jura) was the seat of the bishop of Basel for a long time after he left his episcopal palace at the Münster in Basel during the Reformation in 1529. The large episcopal complex on the hill still bears witness to this period. The canton’s coat of arms still shows … Read more » “Porrentruy, the Bishop and the canton of Jura”

A Town, Village or Flecken, the history of Stans

Is Stans, a main town (Hauptort) of Canton Nidwalden, a village, ‘Flecken‘ or a city after all? Like the other ‘Hauptorte’ of cantons in the Urschweiz (and both Appenzeller), Stans has the appearance of a town. Monumental buildings, colossal churches, large monastery complexes and other (public) buildings dominate the street scene. St Peter and Paul … Read more » “A Town, Village or Flecken, the history of Stans”