Author: Maarten Koning

Swiss Canals and Dykes

Swiss engineers can not only build tunnels and railways but also dig canals and build dykes.

Le Grand-Marais is the region in the Three-Lakes Land (Drei-Seen-Land/le Pays des Trois-Lacs) lakes of Neuchâtel (Neuenburg), Bienne (Biel) and Morat (Murten) and stretches across the cantons of Bern, Freiburg, Solothurn, Waadt and Neuchâtel.

During the last ice age, a large lake over 100 kilometres long stretched from Yverdon-les-Bains to Solothurn.  The rivers Aare and Thielle crossed this region, causing numerous floods.

It was not until the second half of the nineteenth century that it became technically possible to regulate these rivers (and the Seyon near Neuchâtel) by water management, the Jura Water Correction (La Correction des Eaux du Jura/Juragewässerkorrektion).

The project took place in two stages. The first from 1868-1891. The Aare was diverted into Lake Bienne by digging a canal between Aarberg and Hagneck.

Three other canals are: the channel between Lake Morat and Lake Neuchâtel, the channel of la Broye, the channel between Lake Bienne and Lake Neuchâtel, the canal of Thielle, and the canal between Nidau and Büren.

One of the first hydroelectric works, the BKW (Bernische Kraftwerke), was built in Hagneck in 1900. The water level of the lakes dropped almost three metres. This development created new agricultural, natural and recreational areas.

The island of St. Pierre, the residence of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) in 1765, became a peninsula.

The water flooded the fruit and vegetable barns of Seeland again in 1954 and 1955. The answer was the second stage of the Jura Water Correction: dikes were built and/or raised near Epsemos and Hagneck between 1962 and 1973.

 Nature, humankind, and culture can coexist harmoniously, as this project in the Three Lakes Land demonstrates.

Today, the area is under the protection of the Fondation suisse pour la protection et l’aménagement du paysage/stiftung Landschaftsschutz Schweiz.

The Castles of Colombier and Boudry

The castles of Colombier and Boudry in the canton of Neuchâtel are a reminder of ancient (Roman and medieval) times.

The castle of Colombier

The medieval castle of Colombier was built on the foundations of a Roman villa dating back to the 1st century AD. The estate of around 500 m2 was situated on the crossroads of the rivers Areuse in Boudry and the Seyon in Neuchâte,l and a road.

Picture: www.3d-maquettes.com

The transport ran north of the villa along the southern foot of the Jura. It was the centuries-old link between the waterways of the Three Lakes region and the Jura passes. Travellers reached the Saône plain via the Val-de-Travers. The castle is a military training centre nowadays and houses a history museum.

The medieval castle of Boudry is a (wine) museum and presents the history of the vineyards and winegrowers.

(Source and further information: www.milvignes.ch).

Third Art Safiental

The temporary artworks in situ of the third Art Safiental are distributed throughout the Safien Valley (canton Graubünden) from Valendas and Versam at the entrance of the valley, to Tenna and Safien in the middle of the valley and Thalkirch and Turrahus at the end of the valley. The thematic focus of this edition is Analog-Digital. The works result from a dialogue with nature and environment and might also be seen as potential proposals for the next edition which integrates landscape, nature, environment, history and society. (Source and further information: www.artsafiental.ch).

 

 

Cressier a Catholic enclave

Cressier is a village of approximately 1,900 inhabitants located between the lakes of Neuchâtel and Bienne, on the edge of the Thielle canal. This canal connects both lakes.

The village does not distinguish itself from its surrounding villages: viticulture is a significant economic activity. The village has a medieval history closely linked to Le Landeron. The wealthier citizens of Le Landeron built their houses in Cressier, which eventually became an independent municipality in the county of Neuchâtel.

The most important political decision in the Middle Ages was the agreement between the (last) Countess of Neuchâtel, Isabelle (1335-1395), and the town of Soleure in 1376. Soleure would remain Catholic at the time of the Reformation and was a loyal ally of France.

The powerful Vallier family, which owned the castle of Cressier (see Swiss Spectator 18.09.2020 under Monuments), guaranteed both the Catholic faith and a good relationship with the French king.

The successors of this dynasty, the De Roll family from 1716, and the De Diesbach dynasty from 1752, would maintain this relationship, even when the protestant Prussian king became Prince of the territory of Neuchâtel in 1707.

Cressier remains a Catholic enclave in the predominantly Protestant canton of Neuchâtel. The Catholic church of St. Martin (1872) is a witness. The church replaced the medieval chapel Du Rosaire.

The Castle of Cressier

Jacob Vallier (1555-1623) was born in Cressier in the county of Neuchâtel. The French (royal) d’Orléans-Longueville dynasty ruled the county. He served as a captain in the French army, like so many Swiss men.

He also worked at the French Embassy in Solothurn. King Henri IV (1553-1610) granted him (French) titles of nobility and the Seigneurie of Saint-Aubin.

From 1596 until his death in 1623, he was the Governor of the County. He built the castle in 1616. The castle has been the property of the municipality of Cressier since 1859.

The Walserweg trail

The Walserweg trail leads in stages from San Bernardino (Canton Graubünden) to Brand in Vorarlberg (Austria).

The long-distance hiking trail stretches along historic hiking trails, villages and towns (a.o. Safien, Avers, St. Antoniën, Langwies, Lenzerheide, Arosa, Davos, Nufenen et Splügen) for around 300 km through remote Walser communities and valleys.

The trail is route number 35 and is part of the Kulturwege Schweiz network.

(Further information: www.walserweg.ch).

The Temple of St. Blaise

The church (le Temple) in St. Blaise (canton Neuchâtel) was built on the site of a church from Carolingian times.

Some features are romanesque (the tower), gothic (the vault) and neo-gothic (the stained glass windows by Edmond Bille (1878-1959). The church adopted the Protestant faith in 1530.

Büren an der Aare

The town of Büren an der Aare (canton of Bern) has a medieval town centre. The river and the road have always been of great importance for trade, markets, shipbuilding and warehouses for salt, iron, wool, cattle, and agricultural products.

Late medieval/early modern buildings are still visible. The Castle (sixteenth century) is a national heritage site of importance. The city was Catholic until the Reformation.

(Further information: www.bueren.ch).

The Bridge of Aarberg

There was only one river crossing between Bern and Büren an der Aare in the twelfth century: in Aarberg. The Count of Neuchâtel built a castle near this bridge around 1140. The city was founded afterwards, in 1220.

Town Hall (Amtshaus)

The new bridge was built in 1568. The Aare was diverted during the first water correction of the Three Lakes Area (the so-called Juragewässerkorrektion 1868-1891). From 1891 onwards, however, the Aare became a small river, known as the Old Aare (die Alte Aare). The bridge shows the width of the river before the correction.

(Source and further information: www.aarberg.ch).