Author: Maarten Koning

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 predecessors, the Freiherren of Rötteln, resided in Rötteln Castle for centuries (c.1100-1503). From there, they ruled not only the Wiesental and other areas of Baden but also, for a long time, the County of Neuchâtel, the possessions of the monastery of St. Alban (Basel) on the right bank of the Rhine, and parts of Alsace, Franche-Comté, and the Duchy of Burgundy.

The southern gate of the castle

Rötteln Castle today

Moreover, the margraves and their predecessors played a prominent role in the European power play, on equal footing with the Duchy of Burgundy, France, Habsburg and the Holy Roman Empire, dioceses (including Constance, Basel, Mainz, Strasbourg, Besançon), powerful abbeys (including St. Blasien, St Gallen, St Alban and Säckingen), the Eidgenossenschaft (especially with Basel, Bern and Solothurn), the counts of Rheinfelden, the dukes of Zähringen and other rulers.

Markgräflerland around 1556. Picture: Wikipedia

Relations between the city and the bishopric of Basel were very tied. At this time, Basel was not yet a member of the Eidgenossenschaft. Basel became a member in 1501 after the Schwabenkrieg and the Treaty of Basel (1499).

French troops destroyed Rötteln castle during the so-called ‘Niederländische Krieg’ (1672-1678). However, its ruins still majestically overlook Alsace, the Wiesental, Markgräflerland, and Basel.

The castle in the Topographia Alsatiae

Collection: Burgmuseum Rötteln

The grandeur and prestige of the castle are also evident in a description in the third volume (Topographia Alsatiae) of Matthäus Merian’s Topographia Germaniae (1644). The castle emerges as one of the ‘vornehmbsten Oerther‘. The other two volumes of the Topographia Germaniae were the Topographia Helvetiae and the Topographia Sueviae.

For a comprehensive understanding of the castle’s history, one must not only cross the Rhine but also consider the broader context, extending beyond the current national borders of France, Switzerland, and Germany. This includes the Rötteln family, its tributary, the Rotenberg family, and their heirs, the Margraves of Hachberg-Sausenberg.

The Freiherren of Rötteln

One of the oldest charters of St. Gallen Abbey mentions a villa Raudinleim (leim for “Lehm” (clay) and Rau for “Rot” (red)) in 751. The Rötteln family first appears in a text (1083) by Bishop Burkhard von Fenis of Basel (1040-1107). The bishop appointed Theodericus of this family as overseer (Schirmvogt) of the possessions of the monastery of St Alban on the right bank of the Rhine.

In the following centuries, this dynasty acquired more possessions in the Wiesental and built several other castles, including Minseln, Schopfheim, Brombach, Wies, Lörrach (which was then a village), and Nordschwaben. A side branch of the Rotenberg dynasty built castles in this region, including those in Hammerstein, Rotenberg, Steinen, and Hasel.

Collection: Dreiländermuseum Lörrach

Contacts with the bishopric and the city of Basel were especially intense. The Lords of Rötteln belonged to the ‘inner circle’. They participated in the prestigious tournaments at the Münster and provided three bishops (Walter, Liutold II, and Liutold III).

The heraldry of Rötteln, northern side of the Basler Münster 

On the left, the Neuenburger heraldry

However, the dynasty died out in 1316, and the era of the Margraves of Hachberg-Sausenberg began. This dynasty died out in turn in 1503, making Rötteln the administrative centre of the Margrave of Baden for almost two centuries.

Basler Münster, Katharina,  Markgräfin von Baden

The main gate to the castle (Oberburg) and the heraldry of von Hachberg-Sausenberg

Moreover, during this period, the territory of the Markgräflerland (following the acquisition of Badenweiler in 1444) was expanded to distinguish it from the northern part of the margraviate.

This dynasty and its side branch, the Hochberg, acquired not only the county of Neuchâtel but also territories in Franche-Comté and the Duchy of Burgundy. Due to the close association with the dukes of Burgundy, the old medieval castle was rebuilt around 1470 in the Prestigious Burgundian style.

The ‘Marquis de Rothelin‘ was also active in other areas, including in the diplomatic service of the dukes of Burgundy and as governor of Luxembourg around 1470, as bishop of Constance and patron of the Council of Basel (1431-1439) in an earlier period and for a long time as a mediator between Habsburg and the Eidgenossenschaft and between Burgundy and France.

The Romanesque church in Rötteln was rebuilt in the Gothic style in 1403 and was the last resting place of this dynasty. At the time, the complex had more of the character of a convent with a school, dwellings, and buildings. The monks also performed administrative duties for the margrave. 

1503-1678

Baden’s heirs and the new margraves relocated their residences to Baden-Baden, Rastatt, and eventually Karlsruhe. However, Rötteln Castle remained the regional administrative centre (Oberamt) of Markgräflerland, the Margrave county, until 1678. Its destruction in 1678 marked the end of the castle, physically and as an administrative centre.

The era of Lörrach began. This village already had some significance during the time of the Freiherren of Rötteln. They resided at their castle in Lörrach but had the misfortune of being near Basel.

Although Lörrach’s location was favourable, economic development did not take off due to its proximity to this large and powerful city. Lörrach had already been granted market rights in 1403, but remained an economic and political dwarf. The margraves at Rötteln Castle did not tolerate political competition.

However, the destruction of Rötteln Castle led to the upgrading of Lörrach. In 1678, it received city rights and became the administrative centre of the Oberamt.

Conclusion

The history of this castle tells the story of this region of Alsace, Baden and Basel. Many aspects cannot be covered in this short contribution, including the relationship with other lineages (e.g., Reich von Reichenstein, Münch, Rotberg), villages and towns (e.g., Inzlingen, Schopfheim, Hausen, Kandern, Rottweil), abbeys, the city and bishopric of Basel, Constance, and other bishoprics.

Kandern

That in itself is also irrelevant, however interesting. This ruin, well-maintained by the Röttelnbund e.V. Haagen, symbolises centuries of economic, political, religious, and social interdependence and connection on both banks of the Rhine.

(Source and further information: R. Wagner, U. Brachthäuser, M. Volk (Red.), Burg Rötteln. Herrschaft zwischen Basel und Frankreich, Neulingen, 2020; Markgräfler Museum in Müllheim)

Impressions of the ruin and the environment

Winegrowing in the Markgräflerland

The Markgräfler Museum in Müllheim

The jagged border of today’s Switzerland, with its numerous twists and turns and even some foreign enclaves, is the result of a complex interplay between 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 cantons.

Since 1803, the High Rhine (and Lake Constance) has been the natural border between the Swiss Confederation on the left bank of the Rhine and the German (Grand Duchy of) Baden and (Kingdom of) Württemberg, Bundesland Baden-Württemberg since 1947.

Collection: Dreiländermuseum Lörrach

However, this border river also has exceptions: the canton of Schaffhausen lies mainly on the right bank of the Rhine, and the canton of Zurich extends for several square kilometres along the right bank.

However, the most striking Swiss appearance on the right bank of the Rhine is in the canton of Basel-Stadt. The Basel-Stadt canton comprises three municipalities: Basel, Riehen, and Bettingen. Riehen and Bettingen lie on the right bank of the Rhine. Still, a part of Basel (Kleinbasel) also lies on the ‘German’ side of the Rhine, with the Badische Badenhof of the Deutsche Bahn (DB) in Kleinbasel being located in German territory within Switzerland.

Today, this is not an obstacle for travellers. However, from 1933 to 1945, and especially from 1938 onwards, it was a border between life and death, freedom and dictatorship, for many.

Border Stone in the Eiserne Hand, Riehen

1933 – 1945

The Nazis’ seizure of power on 30 January 1933 led to terror and persecution of political opponents, dissenters and Jewish citizens from the very beginning. After the pogrom of 9 November 1938 (Kristallnacht) until Germany’s occupation and capitulation in 1945, thousands of Jewish civilians, refugees from occupied territories, Allied soldiers and forced labourers crossed this Swiss border on the right bank of the Rhine.

Collection: Gedenkstätte Riehen

Although the German campaign against the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France in May 1940 did not lead to a German invasion of Switzerland, plans were in place (Operation Tannenbaum). Perhaps France’s rapid capitulation prevented this invasion. The costs for Germany (and Italy) no longer outweighed the benefits of a neutral neighbouring country with essential transport links and (weapons- and financial) industry, which could not be bombed.

However, the permanent fear of a German invasion determined daily life in Canton-Basel-Stadt and Switzerland (see also the German occupation of Italy in 1943 and Hungary in 1944).

In any case, from 10 May 1940, the border on the right bank of the Rhine was and remained hermetically closed with barricades and patrols. This ended centuries of social and economic contacts and relationships for many residents.

Moreover, many Germans (even then) lived or worked in this canton and supported the new regime. However, most Swiss citizens did not support the ‘Hilter-Zeug’, which led to tensions with the large German community.

Collection: Gedenkstätte Riehen

Refugees

The permanent fear of Germany, economic problems, unemployment, poverty for parts of the population and anti-Semitism of the time took their toll on many (Jewish) refugees.

Switzerland remained a democratic and multicultural oasis surrounded by ruthless regimes. Hitler had once called Switzerland an ‘Ungeheuer,’ and Heim ins Reich also applied to German-speaking Switzerland. Mussolini had Italian-speaking areas of Switzerland in mind ( Irredentismo). Concessions, compromises, and cooperation with these dictators were a matter of survival for the small country amid a desert of thousands of kilometres of dictatorship.

Collection: Gedenkstätte Riehen

The details of the formal Swiss attitude towards Jewish and other refugees are well-documented and widely known (see, among others, the Bergier-Kommisson report of 22 April 2022). Federal President Kaspar Villiger already aptly summarised this attitude on behalf of the Swiss government in a statement on 7 May 1995:

’ Ich will aber nicht verhehlen, dass es einen Bereich gab, der sich aus heutiger Sicht der Rechtfertigung durch irgendwelche ‘äusseren Umstände’ entzieht. Es steht für mich ausser Zweifel, dass wir mit unserer Politik gegenüber den verfolgten Juden Schuld auf uns geladen haben.

Die Angst vor Deutschland, die Furcht vor Überfremdung durch Massenimmigration und die Sorge um politischen Auftrieb für einen auch hierzulande existierenden Antisemitismus wogen manchmal stärker als unsere Asyltradition, als unsere humanitären Ideale.

Schwierige Zielkonflikte wurden auch überängstlich zu Lasten der Humanität gelöst. Wir haben damals im allzu eng verstandenen Landesinteresse eine falsche Wahl getroffen. Der Bundesrat bedauert das zutiefst und er entschuldigt sich dafür, im Wissen darum, dass solches Versagen letztlich unentschuldbar ist’.

Riehen and the Eiserne Hand. Collection: Gedenkstätte Riehen

The Eiserne Hand

The tragedy for Jewish refugees, in particular, occurred at all Swiss border posts, in Tessin, Geneva, St Gallen, Schaffhausen, Graubünden and other border cantons. However, the situation on the right bank of the Rhine in Canton Basel-Stadt was exceptional.

First, there were train connections to the Badische Bahnhof across Swiss territory (the Wiesentalbahn), from Weil am Rhein via Kleinbasel to Grenzach and from St Louis to the French station in Basel. Refugees sometimes used these trains to escape into Swiss territory.

However, the main escape route was the Eiserne Hand (the Iron Hand) in the municipality of Riehen. This strip is about 2 kilometres long and 300 metres wide, stretching like a hand (or finger) into Germany.

The Germans had stopped enclosing this area with barbed wire and other barricades due to a lack of materials, and the Swiss government refused to do so despite German exhortations.

Maienbühl today

Despite numerous patrols, thousands of refugees managed to reach this border. Maienbühl Farm was often the first point of reception where hospitable shelter was offered.

However, there was a legal obligation to inform the authorities, and then the bureaucratic procedure with the border police and authorities began. Jewish people were not political refugees according to the national government, and had to be sent back for this reason. The border of hope and life thus became a border of disappointment and death.

Borderstone 51 was a point of hope, liberty, and life, but it appeared to be a deception and death for too many. Collectie: Gedenkstätte Riehen

Most citizens took the asylum policy for granted. However, a small minority of organisations, churches, and politicians opposed the national government’s policy and helped refugees obtain shelter and documentation.

Even some border guards did not send refugees back. The vast majority, however, fulfilled their bureaucratic duties, though often, archives testify, with great reluctance.

The government of Canton-Basel-Stadt also disagreed with the national government’s policy and used its cantonal freedom to grant residence permits to as many refugees as possible. However, the Eiserne Hand was no barrier to life and liberty for too many.

Gedenkstätte Riehen

The municipality of Riehen gives this history, especially the stories of rescued and rejected refugees, a face and sometimes even a voice. An extensive documentation centre and many personal testimonies from refugees, border guards, residents, refugee helpers, politicians, and journalists put this tragedy in perspective.

Also on the German side of the border were some brave people who risked their lives to help Jews and other refugees. Some train drivers even slowed the speed of the train on Swiss territory, allowing refugees to jump off the train.

Afbeelding: Gedenkstätte Johann George Elser, Königsbronn

One refugee, however, deserves special mention. Johann Georg Elser ( 1903-1945 ), a carpenter from Königsbronn, committed an unsuccessful attack on the Führer in Munich on 8 November 1939. He was arrested by the German police when he tried to cross the Swiss border near Constance.

This place does not judge. It does, however, prominently feature Kaspar Villiger’s testimony alongside some of the citizens, officials, and politicians who did not follow the national government’s policies.

Collection: Gedenkstätte Riehen

Switzerland is not the only country that has been confronted with this past. It is easy to judge and especially condemn with the benefit of hindsight. Who becomes the hero when it matters is impossible to predict in peacetime and a democracy. The same applies today to the many activists.

In any case, Switzerland did not fail as a nation against the German and Italian aggressors. The country had no choice but to resist these dictatorships to the best of its capabilities.

The Eiserne Hand symbolises moral, political, and (in)human attitudes in an (in)human time. The memorial is also a place for (self) reflection.

(Source and further information: Gedenkstätte Riehen)

Impressions of the Eiserne Hand

Borderstone 60 of the Eiserne Hand. Collection: Dreiländermuseum Lörrach

Impressions of the Gedenkstätte Riehen

Impressions of the surroundings

Inzlingen (Germany)

Languages remain the most important means of communication, both orally and in writing, through the use of words and gestures. Multilingual and multicultural Switzerland has long been aware of this. 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 and Vorarlberg in Austria, the Lake Constance region, Baden, Franche-Comté and Alsace.

Alsace

Originally German-speaking, Alsace gradually became bilingual after its annexation to France in the 17th century. From 1945, the region began to develop increasingly as a purely French-speaking area.

Until World War II, residents of Baden, Basel, and Alsace, for example, could communicate well with each other in the Alemannic dialect. After 1945, however, these regions developed their linguistic paths.

Image: Ecomusée d’Alsace

For some years now, Elsässerditsch (German spoken in Alsace) has been experiencing a revival. Place names are (again) bilingual (in Alsatian German and French), and the media and culture pay more attention to the linguistic identity of the region.

The centuries-old Alemannic and Francish languages in Alsace are thus not wholly lost. Due to the centuries-long connection with the north-western German-speaking cantons (Solothurn, Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, and Aargau) and the French-speaking Swiss Jura, the development of the Alsatian dialect and French is briefly discussed, using Information from the Ecomusée d’Alsace in Ungersheim.

Elsässerditsch, French and Alsatian-Yiddish

The museum tries to raise awareness of the dialects and presents a bilingual model of name-giving for the municipalities in Alsace.

Five Germanic dialects.

Hochalemannisch in southern Alsace (Sundgau), Niederalemannisch in the north, Niederalemannisch in the south, Pfälzer Rheinfränkisch (francique rhénan palatin) in northern Alsace and Lothringisches Rheinfränkisch (francique rhénan lorrainor Lothringer Platt) in the Krummen Elsass (l’Alsace Bossue) near Lorraine.

The two Roman dialects are spoken in northern and southern Alsace. In addition, Yiddish existed.

The Germanic and Roman dialects derive from dialects underlying High German and modern French. Germanic dialects in Alsace are found in neighbouring areas of Switzerland, Germany, and Austria.

Two Roman dialects

Le Roman-Lorraine occurs in four Vosges valleys in Alsace: Bruche, Lièpvrette, Giessen, and Weiss. They are called ‘Welche’ in Alsace (Welsche in Swiss German!). These dialects are derived from Latin.

The Roman dialect in Upper Alsace (le roman du Haut-Rhin), Franche-Comté, and the Swiss Jura developed around the 7th century. Words of Celtic and Alemannic origin were also adopted in this area.

These Roman-Lorraine dialects in Alsace belong to the Oïl languages, which include all Roman languages north of the Loire and from which modern French emerged. In areas close to the Frankish and Alemannic language border, many Germanic expressions were incorporated into these Roman dialects.

Today, modern French is the standard language almost everywhere, both in France and in French-speaking Switzerland. Patois has practically disappeared or no longer plays a role, except in a few regions such as Valais.

Conclusion

Today it is hard to imagine that until 1945, Alsatians could communicate in dialect with inhabitants of Basel and Baden without any problems! The Sprachpanorama in Laufenburg also offers detailed and fascinating insights into this perspective, Alemannic dialects, and the history of the German language.

The Ecomusée d’Alsace places its language model in the perspective of Alsace in past centuries, a Ballenberg Museum in Alsace.

Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince) also watches from a small distance at the Parc du Petit Prince, a theme park set around the world of Le Petit Prince (1944) by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944).

The author would have been proud of the ‘D’r Klein Prinz’ edition of his world-famous story in the Alsatian dialect.

The DreylandDichterweg/ Poetry Trail along the Rhine features 24 Alemannic poets from Alsace, Baden, and Basel. The route runs from Basel to Huningue and Weil am Rhein.

(Source and further information: Ecomusée d’Alsace in Ungersheim)

Impressions of the Ecomusée d’Alsace