Author: Maarten Koning

In many major European cities, from the 18th century to the early 19th century, reading societies were prevalent. Remarkably, Switzerland remains the only country to host this type of organisation in its four principal cities: Basel, Geneva, Lausanne, and Zurich.

For over two centuries, members have been able to read or borrow a large number of national and foreign newspapers and magazines, literary works, scientific publications, maps, dictionaries, and various other writings, all gathered in spacious reading rooms.

Salon in la Société de lecture de Genève

Moreover, these organisations originally also had a social function as meeting centres, with billiard rooms, a bar, and more. Today, this social role is fulfilled by a varied program of literary, musical, and cultural events.

Until the end of the 19th century, membership was reserved exclusively for men. Afterwards, the process of emancipation accelerated, and today, women and men participate equally in the life of the reading societies.

Le Cercle de littérature de Lausanne

Until the First World War (1914-1918), members were mainly from the bourgeoisie, just like the founders. After 1918, and especially after 1945, this distinction largely disappeared.

Smoke-filled rooms (from cigars) are as much a thing of the past as “men-only clubs,” but what still characterises these reading societies after more than two centuries is their quality, continuity, good management, and their ability to innovate and adapt to social changes.

In this respect, they also symbolise Switzerland in a certain way. Below you will find a brief chronological overview (by year of foundation) of the country’s four reading societies (the Allgemeine Lesegesellschaft Basel, the Société de lecture de Genève, the Cercle de littérature de Lausanne, and the Verein Museumsgesellschaft in Zürich).

The Allgemeine Lesegesellschaft Basel

The Allgemeine Lesegesellschaft in Basel

Basel is not only renowned for its prestigious university, founded in 1460 (the first in the country), or its public art collection, established in 1671 and considered one of the world’s foremost museums. It is also the birthplace of Switzerland’s first reading Society, the Allgemeine Lesegesellschaft, founded in 1787 by a group of enlightened notables.

It was the age of the Enlightenment, marked by salons, societies, and the works of Voltaire, Rousseau, and Diderot, as well as the rise of the ‘cultured bourgeoisie’. Although the aristocracy did not play a significant political role in Switzerland, the wealthy upper class was mainly oriented towards French culture (and language).

In Basel, near the French border, it was no different. With its prestigious university and dynamic economic elite, the city had all the ingredients necessary for the founding of a reading society: a cultured public and the resources to bring the initiative to fruition. From its inception, the reading society’s building was located on Münsterplatz.

Reinacherhof 18

Until 1832, the Reinacherhof housed the library and reading rooms. At that time, the reading society was also a ‘Casino-Gesellschaft’ with a social function and a meeting place. However, in 1826, Basel constructed a Stadt-Casino for concerts, and in 1831, a Stadttheater was built. These institutions increasingly assumed the social role of the Casino-Gesellschaft.

In 1830, an opportunity arose to respond to the changing Society. That year, the building at Münsterplatz 8, which remains the current location of the reading society, was up for sale.

The building is not only situated on the banks of the Rhine, but also adjacent to the Münster and its Romanesque Gallus Gate. Until the Reformation (1529), it belonged to the canons. After that, it served as a warehouse for a long time.

The reading society tackled the project with enthusiasm, appointing a building committee, and the first renovation work began as early as 1830. Perhaps the prestigious buildings of the reading societies founded in Geneva (1818) and Lausanne (1819) provided additional motivation. These cities were the capitals of the new cantons of Geneva and Vaud, and (unacknowledged) competition between the cantons served as a catalyst.

The coffeeroom

In any case, it was during this period that the Neo-Gothic decorative style took shape, integrated into a classical architectural design. Two figures in particular left their mark on the renovation: Johan Huber (1767–1832) and Marquard Wocher (1760–1830), best known for the Thun Panorama, but who also left his neo-Gothic mark on Basel.

This building is one of the first neo-Gothic buildings in Switzerland. The inspiration for this neo-Gothic style is also linked to the proximity of the Gothic cathedral. Even the colour matches the cathedral.

The Gothic bay window (1528) in the large reading room

After the festive inauguration of the new building on 26 October 1832, various adaptations, renovations and modifications were still necessary. However, the character remained unchanged. Many authentic details have been carefully preserved, some dating back to the time of the canons.

The small reading room

The main reading room

Initially, the Lesegesellschaft was exclusively reserved for men; it was not until 1901 that women were admitted as full members. Today, the reading society has around 1,300 members, who can not only use the library, café, and reading rooms but also regularly attend lectures, literary readings, and other cultural events.

The owl, symbol of the goddess of wisdom Athena – and therefore also of the reading club – is stamped on the cover of every book.

For the second time, the Lesegesellschaft is also organising an open night with accommodation for children (Kindernacht am Münsterplatz) on 21 November. Because for this nearly 240-year-old organisation, young people are the future.

The library has around 80,000 publications and plenty of seating with a view 

(Source and further information: Allgemeine Lesegesellschaft Basel; Doris Huggel, Haus der Allgemeinen Lesegesellschaft in Basel, Bern, 1996)

La Société de lecture de Genève

The Société de Lecture de Genève

Geneva had been established for centuries as a city of merchants, industrialists (including watchmakers), theologians, lawyers, writers, scientists, and publishers when the Geneva Reading Society was founded in 1818. From 1536 onwards, the city was even the Calvinist capital of Europe, with an academy (the precursor to the university) and at the heart of a vast European intellectual network.

The Enlightenment found particularly fertile ground here, and France, especially Paris, was a source of artistic and cultural inspiration. Although French-speaking, Geneva remained independent: the bishopric (until 1536) and then the sovereign republic (until 1798) were never under French control. Only the Duchy of Savoy posed a threat for centuries, with the Escalade of 1602 as its last assault.

However, Napoleon’s annexation (1798-1813) considerably reduced enthusiasm for France, and in 1815, citizens even voted overwhelmingly to join the new Swiss Confederation.

However, this did not mean that French culture and the ideals of the Enlightenment had lost their importance. On the contrary, even after 1815, close cultural, social and economic ties with France continued.

In addition, many French exiles found refuge in Geneva or its surroundings, but many had already arrived before 1789 (the French Revolution) and after Napoleon (the restoration of the French monarchy). In Geneva, the idea of a reading society was already familiar; in 1818, the time seemed right to make it a reality.

The reading society is housed in an 18th-century  city palace. Today, the library has a collection of 200,000 books. This collection has been assembled over the centuries through purchases and donations since 1818, including unique editions such as the first edition of “Un Souvenir de Solférino” (1862) by member Henry Dunant (1828-1910), l’Histoire universelle by Théodore-Agrippa d’Aubigné (1616), le Discours de la méthode by Descartes (1637), l’Histoire naturelle by  Buffon (1749) and De la démocratie en Amérique by Tocqueville (1835). The collections also include books annotated by John Calvin and Lenin.

Its international reputation was quickly established. Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte (1808-1873), the future Emperor Napoleon III (1852-1870), met there in 1835 with Camillo Benso di Cavour (1810-1861), one of the founders of Italian independence and unification in 1861. Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (1870-1924), better known as Lenin, became a member in 1904. He was a regular visitor to one of the reading rooms, which was filled with magazines and newspapers in German, English, and French.

The Reading Society organises two literary gatherings per week and, for the past three years, a children’s literature festival called ‘Croque-Livres’ during the first weekend of November.

The jury of the prestigious Europa Nostra Award justified its decision in 2020 as follows:

“This universal library and place of discussion has existed without interruption for 200 years. Throughout this time, the Reading Society has remained faithful to its original objectives of bringing together people interested in literature, science and the arts.

It has become a centre for the most enlightened representatives of different European cultures, and its activities express a spirit of openness and a willingness to innovate, qualities that the Society continues to promote within its walls.

The Société de Lecture’s contribution to the promotion and dissemination of cultural values in their various forms is recognised as an exceptional example of Swiss multilingualism, also relevant at a broader European level”.

(Source and further information: la Société de lecture)

Le Cercle littéraire de Lausanne

 The Cercle littéraire de Lausanne

The Geneva Reading Society had been in existence for less than a year when the Cercle littéraire de Lausanne was founded on 24 January 1819. The new canton of the 1815 Confederation was bursting with energy and new momentum after centuries of Bernese domination. Like Geneva, Lausanne was a cosmopolitan city:

‘Frequented by the elite and inhabited by distinguished families who led a sophisticated social life, the capital of the Département du Léman displayed an intellectual and artistic cosmopolitanism that was exciting for the mind and likely to fuel both conversation and dreams’ (Maurice Denuzière, Helvétie, Paris 2010).

For centuries, the canton had been a European crossroads of cultures, trade and science. Nyon and Avenches were important towns in Roman times. Lausanne became an episcopal city shortly after the departure of the Romans, and the diplomat Frédéric-César de la Harpe (1754-1838) served as the governor of the young Tsar Alexander I (1777-1825) for many years. He maintained close relations with Napoleon during the Helvetic Republic (1798-1803) and played an essential role for Switzerland and the canton at the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815).

French cultural influence in the French-speaking canton was also undeniable. Social and economic ties with France and the Duchy of Savoy (the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia) were close.

 Cercle littéraire de Lausanne, 1955. Archive: Cercle littéraire de Lausanne

For centuries, viticulture shaped the landscape along the shores of Lake Geneva. Trade and maritime traffic flourished between Montreux, Vevey, Nyon, Lausanne and Geneva on the one hand, and the French and Swiss shores (Saint-Gingolph, canton of Valais) of Lake Geneva on the other.

In addition, Madame de Staël’s (1766–1817) salon in Coppet was one of Europe’s most famous meeting places for scientists, writers (including historian Edward Gibbon, 1737–1794), politicians and exiles. Other women also left their mark on literary life in Lausanne, notably the writer Isabelle de Charrière (1740-1805), who lived in Colombier.

Salon in the Cercle littéraire de Lausanne, 1955. Archive: Cercle littéraire de Lausanne

In short, the time had come to create a reading society in Lausanne, too, called Le Cercle littéraire. The aim here was also to provide members with newspapers, magazines, books, and specialist works in the main languages, in reading rooms and a library.

Since 1821, Le Cercle littéraire has been housed in the Saint-François building on Place Saint-François, opposite the church of the same name, a few steps from the cathedral. This building also holds symbolic value for this literary organisation, as it is the birthplace of Benjamin Constant (1767-1830).

Today, the library manages over 70,000 publications, including several unique items dating back to previous centuries, spanning various fields, as well as magazines and newspapers in multiple languages. Today, the building also hosts conferences and various other cultural events.

(Source and further information: Le Cercle littéraire)

Die Museumsgesellschaft Zürich

The Museumsgesellschaft Zürich

Since 1834, the country’s largest city has been home to the Museums Society, also known as a reading society. At the time of its founding, ‘Museumsgesellschaft’ was a common name for a reading society. ‘Museum’ did not primarily refer to an exhibition space, but to a place where scholarly activities took place.

The commercial city was not only on the cusp of an industrial revolution. It was also inspired by Alfred Escher (1819–1882), who founded the Schweizerische Kreditanstalt, which would later become Credit Suisse, as its main financial backer.

Excerpt from the first annual report of the Museum Society from 1934. Collection: Archiv Museumsgesellschaft

In 1830, the canton had recently undergone a democratic revolution, introducing constitutional freedoms and guarantees for citizens that were unique for the time. Additionally, the university was founded in 1833.

Like Basel, Lausanne and Geneva, Zurich had always been a cosmopolitan city and a refuge for political refugees from other European countries, much to the chagrin of its authoritarian neighbours. During the First World War (1914-1918) and the Second World War (1939-1945), the city was also a centre for (political) emigrants and refugees.

The main reading room. Photo: Verein Museumsgesellschaft

In 1834, there was a need for a place to house an extensive collection of domestic and foreign newspapers, magazines, specialist works in various fields and literature. Anyone could become a member, regardless of their religion, profession or political views, including women from 1894 onwards.

Sophie Heim (1845–1916), joined the Museum Society in 1894 and was the first female doctor in Switzerland. Image: Verena E. Müller, Marie Heim-Vögtlin, die erste Schweizer Ärztin (Baden, 2008).

In keeping with the liberal spirit of the cantonal constitution, the reading rooms and library also reflected a wide range of (political) opinions, (social) backgrounds and religions. Various foreign personalities had joined the Society and were regular visitors to the reading rooms and libraries.

Gotffried Keller (1819-1890), a renowned German-speaking author from Zurich, was a notable member and visitor to the reading room and library. Foreign personalities, including (again) Lenin, Kurt Tucholsky (1890-1935), Stefan Zweig (1881-1942), James Joyce (1882-1941), Lev Bronstein alias Trotsky (1879-1940) and the Dadaists were also members.

Collection: Archiv Museumsgesellschaft

In the 1860s, the Museumsgesellschaft commissioned the construction of its own building on Limmatquai, which opened in 1867. The Museumsgesellschaft then expanded in 2000 with the creation of a literature house (Literaturhaus). It broadened its offering to include lectures and other events.

(Source and further information: Museumsgesellschaft and Literaturhaus Zürich)

St. Blasien Abbey (Baden-Württemberg) in the Naturpark Südschwarzwald and the Albsteig was founded in the 11th century. A document of the Rheinau Abbey near Schaffhausen mentioned around 800 monks in a community at this site in the Alb Valley (Albtal).

The Benedictine abbey was dedicated to Saint Blaise (4th century), an Armenian martyr. The Abbey of Cluny took over the monastery in the 11th century and built the first large stone church on the foundations of the ‘Alte Münster’ (9th or 10th century).

Coat of arms (dated 1563) of the Bläsihof (demolished in 1909) at Untere Rebgasse 27–29 in Basel. In the Middle Ages, this was the seat of the Basler stewart estate of St. Blasien Abbey.

The complex expanded further in the following centuries. Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque innovations, extensions and styles alternated. A fire in 1768 destroyed the church, only to be resurrected around 1783, like a phoenix from the ashes, as an overwhelming domed church modelled on St. Mary’s Church, the Pantheon, in Rome.

Abbot Martin II. Gerbert

The prior abbot (abbot and prince of the Holy Roman Empire) Martin II. Gerbert (1729-1793) was the initiator. He was a man between the Baroque and the Enlightenment, and the new church showcases both styles.

Rome, the churches of Saint-Geneviève, Saint-Sulpice, and Val-de-Grâce, and the architectural style of the Dôme des Invalides in Paris influenced him.

Thus, the small complex in the Black Forest, not far from the Wiese and Alb springs at the Feldberg, grew into one of the largest Doms in Europe. The tall fountain figure of St. Blasien has been watching over the cathedral on the market square since 1716.

But in 1806, the monastery was dissolved, and the proud Dom was demoted to a parish church. To make matters worse, this parish church, one of Europe’s most giant domes, was utterly destroyed by a fire in 1874.

The domed church was rebuilt in 1913. In the 1970s and 1980s, a thorough renovation was undertaken to restore the cathedral, including its narthex, loggias, and Doric columns, as much as possible.

The rotunda and its classical architecture, the decoration featuring late Baroque elements (including paintings in the dome and on the chancel arches), the four large windows, the Ionic and Corinthian columns, and the simplicity of the interior all reflect the spirit of the age of 1783 in this part of Germany.

The monk’s choir and its wooden chairs were the last phase of the 1983 renovation, just in time to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Dom’s consecration (Domweihe).

The Dom has a diameter of 36 metres and a height of 32 metres. The inner Dom is 18 metres high, while the gilded outer Dom measures 14 metres. The columns supporting the Dom are 18 metres high. The total height of the building is 62 metres. The first wooden structure of the Dom, destroyed in 1874, was replaced by a steel construction in 1913.

As early as 1783, Abbot Martin II Gerbert was criticised by his contemporaries, who considered him to be behind a megalomaniacal project. He countered this by saying:

‘If the powerful of this world build their magnificent castles and palaces, then surely a glorious house is befitting for the majestic Lord and God’ (Wenn schon die Mächtigen der Welt ihre Prunkschlösser und Paläste bauen, sei doch wohl dem majestätischen Herrn und Gott ein glanzvolles Haus angemessen).

The majestic sight of the Dom and monastery complex still exists under the watchful eye of St Blaise. However, after 1806, secular power and the widely scattered lands, other possessions, and political relationships in Baden, Austria, and Switzerland belonged to the past. However, the Abbey Trail (Klosterweg) from St. Blasien to Klingnau reveals the abbey’s past and regional network.

The professional glass carrier (der Glasträger) first appeared in 16th-century sources. He was indispensable in the production chain. Image: Gemeinde St. Blasien. Photo: TES

Glass production

Glass production in the glassworks was a crucial industry of the abbey. The foundations of the St Blasian glassworks, their locations and operating times were:

1480-1515  Bernau am Todtmooserweg

1516-1567  Glashof St. Blasien

1560-1587  Bernau am Rechberg

1579-1684  Blasiwald Habsmoos

1597-1684  Blasiwald Munchenland ob Neuhäuser Bach

1611-1716  Grünwald bei Kappel

1622-1684  Blasiwald Schmalzberg Althütte

1684-1712  Glashütte am oberen Windbergbach

1716-1878  Glashütte Äule

An impression glass production in a production facility. Image: Gemeinde St. Blasien. Photo: TES

(Source and further information: J. Adamek, St. Blasien: Kirche-Kloster-Kolleg, St. Blasien, 1992)

Impressions of the former abbey and the Dom

In the centuries between the (slow) dissolution of the Roman Empire (5th century) and the rise of the great Monarchies (from the 10th-13th centuries), the Church, abbeys and dioceses were the most important social, economic and political institutions with great secular power on the territory of what is called Switzerland today.

The bishopric was a new sovereignty based on a church area (the diocese and land ownership) and secular, political and military power in this area and sometimes far beyond.

The bishop was the highest religious authority, formally subordinate to the archbishop of the archdiocese and the Pope in Rome, and with local secular rulers and princes as direct competitors or allies. The division into dioceses and their archdioceses gives a good impression of Switzerland’s rich cultural heritage.

Abbeys also played an important role, as abbots were appointed by the political rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, Burgundian dukes or French kings.

Basel

The first bishop of Basel had his seat in the Roman city of Augusta Raurica, today’s Augst (canton of Basel-Landschaft). The bishop probably left this city in the fifth century for security reasons (because of the Alemanni raids). The hill in Basel, on which today’s cathedral was built (the consecration of the Münster, the cathedral, took place in 1019), offered more protection.

The diocese of Basel fell under the archdiocese of Besançon from the Middle Ages onwards. The French-speaking culture was prominently present in this area. The diocese of Basel reached far into Alsace and north-western Switzerland. Kleinbasel, however, was under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Constance and the Archbishopric of Mainz until 1803.

The bishop of Basel, also a prince in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, relocated his seat to the French-speaking Porrentruy (today’s canton of Jura) due to the Reformation in 1529. Since 1828, Solothurn has been the seat of the Diocese of Basel.

Solothurn

In the small farming village of Arlesheim (today’s canton of Basel-Landschaft), with a few hundred inhabitants, the chaplains built a huge cathedral and palaces in 1670-1680. Catholic Arlesheim was not far from the Protestant city of Basel.

Lausanne

The Roman city of Aventicum, the capital of the Helvetians, today’s Avenches in the canton of Vaud, was the seat of a bishop in the sixth century. The diocese was first located in Vindinossa, present-day Windisch (canton of Aargau). Lausanne (Lousonna) became the episcopal city at the end of the sixth or beginning of the seventh century.

The Diocese of Lausanne was dissolved in 1536 after the Protestant canton of Bern occupied it. The bishop fled to Savoy. Today, Fribourg, Geneva, Neuchâtel, and Laussane form the Diocese of Lausanne, Geneva, and Fribourg, named after the three cathedrals in Lausanne, Fribourg, and Geneva.

Fribourg/Freiburg

The red church in Neuchâtel, Notre-Dame de l’Assomption, was officially elevated to the rank of minor basilica in 2008, following a positive response from the Vatican. Neuchâtel joined Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg, which already had a minor basilica in the same diocese.

Chur and Konstanz

Until 1801, the diocese of Konstanz (Germany) also extended over areas in central and north-eastern Switzerland, including Kleinbasel. The diocese was part of the Archbishopric of Mainz from 843. The bishop fled to Meerburg in 1527 because of the Reformation. The Bishopric of Konstanz was abolished in 1821.

The Cathedral of Konstanz

The Cathedral of Chur

Bishopric of Chur

Chur (Curia in Latin) is a bishopric dating back to Roman times. Chur’s first bishop, known from sources (451), bore the name Asinio. Chur is one of the oldest episcopal cities north of the Alps. The diocese of Chur was under the Archdiocese of Milan until 843 (Treaty of Verdun).

During this period, there were many cultural influences from Lombardy and the dioceses of Como and Aquileia. From 843, the diocese of Chur fell under the Archdiocese of Mainz. It increased German influence.

The diocese survived the many political upheavals and even the Reformation, although the town of Chur also switched to Protestantism, as did most towns and inhabitants of present-day Graubünden.

Sion (Sitten)

In the canton of Valais, the Roman city of Forum Claudii Vallensium, today’s Martigny, was the first episcopal city. In the sixth century, the bishop settled in Sion/Sitten (Sedunum). The bilingual diocese of Sion (Sitten) was under the jurisdiction of the archdiocese of Tarentaise (France) until 1801. The diocese was in direct contact with Savoy and its French-speaking culture on one side and the German culture of the Oberwallis on the other.

Geneva

The Diocese of Geneva was part of the Archdiocese of Vienne in France. Consequently, Provençal culture and language had a significant influence on Geneva. Isaac is the first bishop mentioned in written sources dating back to around 400. The first foundations of the cathedral date back to the first half of the 4th century. The archaeological site provides a fascinating glimpse into the origins of this diocese and cathedral.

However, Geneva has not been an episcopal city since the Reformation (1536). On the contrary, the city became the capital of Calvinism (a museum dedicated to the Reformation in Geneva recounts this history). Today, the former bishopric is part of the diocese of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg.

1801

From 1801, the dioceses of Switzerland (then the Helvetic Republic 1798-1803) fell directly under the authority of the Vatican and were no longer part of an archdiocese outside Switzerland.

St. Gall

This diocese was established in 1847. Its diocese (the cantons of St. Gall and both Appenzeller) originally belonged to the diocese of Constance. The renowned abbey of St. Gall has existed since the 7th century and has consistently played a pivotal role in this region. The diocese of St. Gall was created in 1847 and included the cantons of Appenzell.

Lugano

This diocese has existed since 1971 and comprises the canton of Tessin. After independence from Italy in 1884, Tessin was under the Diocese of Basel until 1971. In 1971, the first bishop was appointed for the diocese of Tessin, which thus effectively became an independent diocese.

Conclusion

Swiss dioceses have directly interacted with various languages and cultures since the early Middle Ages. The six current dioceses (St Gallen, Lugano, Sion, Basel, Chur, Lausanne, Fribourg and Geneva) still reflect the country’s multicultural character.

(Sources: K. Speich, H. Schläpfer, Églises et monastères suisses, Zurich 1979; F. Mazel, L’Évêque et le territoire.) L’invention médiévale de l’espace (Ve-XIIIe siècles, Paris 2008).