Author: Maarten Koning

The Barryland Theme Park in Martigny

The laying of the foundation stone yesterday, 30 January 2024, marks the start of construction work on the future Barryland Theme Park (Parc thématique Barryland) in Martigny (canton of Valais). A time capsule was placed in the concrete as a symbolic gesture for future generations.

The Barry Foundation (Fondation Barry) plans to open the new 20,000 m2 park in the summer of 2025. Construction work began in August 2023 to carry out several preparatory phases before final planning permission was obtained in September.

Picture: Bureau d’architecture GAME, Martigny

Work on the foundations is now nearing completion, and the concrete walls of the museum’s central building will soon be erected.

The building was designed in the original shape of a paw print of a St Bernhard by GAME architects in Martigny. Visitors to the 20,000m2 park will learn everything about this human friend and social animal, from the history, myths and legends surrounding its 300-year history to its unique character.

Pictures: Bureau d’architecture GAME, Martigny

The Barry Foundation took over the legendary breeding of Saint Bernard dogs from the Congrégation des chanoises de l’Hospice du Grand-St-Bernard in 2005. Its mission is to continue the breeding of this race that is more than three hundred years old and to present the St Bernard dog to the public in all its facets.

The old museum building will be part of the Barryland Theme Park.

(Source and further information: Fondation Barry)

Quadrilingual Switzerland in the picture by HistoriaHelvetica

The website historiaHelvetica.ch is a new quadrilingual initiative which publishes documents from four history platforms: notreHistoire.ch (French), lanostraStoria.ch (Italian), nossaistorgia.ch (Romansh) and unsereGeschichte.ch (German).

The portal combines the best photos, videos and audio archives published by the public and institutions in the country’s four language regions. The content, selected by regional publishers, presents a unique panorama of everyday life in Switzerland spanning over a century.

The site is a first step in the rapprochement between the four platforms mentioned above. The portal is multilingual in scope, creating a unique digital space where the audiovisual archives from more than a century are brought together. A newsletter informs about the new publications on the website.

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

The Roman bridges of Augusta Raurica

From 80 AD, parts of the area on the right bank of the Rhine also came under the control of the Roman Empire. The road network played a decisive role in controlling and administering the empire, as well as military transport and trade. There was also an extensive and well-functioning postal network.

About 80,000 kilometres of long-distance roads (!) made this possible. In addition to the long-distance routes, up to seven metres wide, there were also numerous regional roads.

However, the civil engineers’ masterpieces were the bridges and aqueducts that spanned valleys and rivers. The various Rhine bridges of Augusta Raurica (Kaiseraugst) across the right bank of the Rhine were of great importance. Augusta Raurica, with a population of over 20,000, was situated at the intersection of two major roads and held significant importance.

The west-east connection from Basilia (Basel) to Vindonissia (Windisch) and the road from the south towards Aventicum (Avenches) to the north crossed each other.
The oldest bridge was near the present village of Kaiseraugst.

The two other bridges were the lower and middle bridges near Gewerth Island. These bridges are gone nowadays. Just a few fundamentals remind us of their existence 2,000 years ago.

(Source: Museum für römische Alltagskultur, Grenzach).

The Mulhouse Symphony Orchestra in Basel

The regional cooperation on the Upper Rhine (Oberrhein/Haut-Rhin) continues to develop. Regio Basilisiensis and Art’Rhena have been active across the border for some time.

The Mulhouse Symphony Orchestra has rarely given concerts on the other side of the border. However, the orchestra is repositioning itself and will travel to Basel for two concerts. They will be part of the KG Sinfoniekonzerte and the Volkssinfoniekonzerte, where guest orchestras can perform at the Stadtcasino Basel.

This concert’s programme combines composers from Switzerland, France and Germany and highlights three styles: German Romanticism, French Impressionism and Swiss Neoclassicism.

The programme: Johannes Brahms, Concerto pour piano n°2, Arthur Honegger, Pastorale d’été et Claude Debussy, La mer

Performances: Wednesday, 31 January, 7.30 pm and Thursday, 1 February, 7.30 pm, Stadtcasino Basel

(Source and further information: www.tickets.sinfoniekonzerte.ch)

The Amphitheatre and (Roman) History of Martigny

During the reign of Emperor Claudius (41-54 AD), Martigny, a small village of the Celtic tribe of the Veragres, was turned into a Roman city. When he became emperor, he conquered Britain. He made the most direct route to Britain accessible, the Great St Bernard Pass, and reorganised the Valais.

The capital was a newly founded city at the foot of the pass. He named it Forum Claudii Augusti, which later became Forum Claudii Valensium, now known as Martigny. It was also one of the two residences of the governor of the Roman province of Alpes Graiae.

The city was built based on the Roman grid system, formed by three series of five insulae, districts for poor inhabitants. Streets separated these residential blocks.

In the centre were the forum, the temple, the basilica, the public baths and other public buildings. The amphitheatre was built in the early 2nd century near the quarry.

The amphitheatre was used until the end of the 4th century. It could accommodate 5000 spectators. The walls have been restored to their former glory.

(Source and further information: www.martigny.ch; F. Wiblé, Martigny-la-Romaine, Fondation Pierre Gianadda, Martigny 2008; F. Wiblé e.a., Vallis Poenina, Sitten, 1998; Fondation Pierre Gianadda)

See also: the Fondation Barry and the Médiathèque Valais

Collection: Fondation Pierre Gianadda. Photo: TES

Reconstruction of the Forum and Roman city. Collection: Fondation Pierre Gianadda.

The ancient Via Rome-London

The Mithraeum temple  

The Domus Minerva

The location of the Roman thermes 

Martigny, copie of a masque from the Roman theatre  of romain de Vaison-la-Romaine (France)

The Tepidarium

One of the Insulas

Impression of the amphitheatre

Impressions of Martigny

The old town

The Bâtiaz bridge (Le pont de Bâtiaz) 

Bâtiaz Castle (Château de la Bâtiaz)

The church Saint-Michel

 

Napoleon and his generals stayed in these houses upon their crossing of the Grand-Saint-Bernard.

Napoleon on the Grand-Saint-Bernard

The main square in the city centre

The town hall

The church Notre-Dame de la Visitation

The moulin (mill) Semblanet and the museum

The Manoir de la ville

Beinwil, Passwang, Mills, Iron, Hohe Winde and Kamms

The former monastery of Beinwil and the Benedictine monastery of Mariastein (canton of Solothurn) are as inseparably linked to each other as the river Lüssel is to the Jura mountain range of Passwang with Vogelberg (1204 m) in canton Basel-Landschaft as its highest point.

View from the top of the Vogelberg.

The source of the Lüssel is located near the Vogelberg in the municipality of Lauwil, at an altitude of 1,080 metres. It flows through the Bogental (Canton of Basel-Landschaft), the Chessiloch and the valley of Beinwil (Canton of Solothurn), past the ruins of Neu-Thierstein Castle (11th century, Canton of Basel-Landschaft) and flows into the Birs at Zwingen (Canton of Basel-Landschaft).

The Benedictine monastery of Beinwil was founded in the 11th century. Beinwil owned a lot of land. For this reason, the municipality of Beinwil is still one of the largest in the canton. There exists even an Unterbeinwil and an Oberbeinwil in this commune of a few hundred inhabitants! The Lüssel flows past the former monastery, and along the river stood an old mill, ‘the Säge’ (sawmill), a smithy (Hammerschniede), and brickworks (Ziegelhütte).

Die Schmitte or Hammerschmiede in Joggehus

Another mill in the hamlet of Joggenhut (canton Solothurn), the forge ‘die Schmitte or Hammerschmiede‘, stands along the Lüssel. It has been known since 1693 and continues to function. The forge shod the horses of the tenants of the monastery’s farms. After all, iron was plentiful in the area.

Bergrestaurant Erzberg

The village of Erschwil along the Lüssel and the Ertzwil Inn (Bergrestaurant Erzberg) is a reminder of this past. The forge was bought in 1868 and has since been continued by George Anki. The company George Anki AG in Erschwil still exists today. The two wheels of the forge still function. The large wheel drives a hammer and a grinding stone, and the small wheel operates a bellows.

Restaurant-Gasthaus Zum Reh in Joggehus, dating back to the beginning of the 20th and 19th centuries in 2024. 

The abbot of Beinwil also founded an inn at Joggenhut in 1708 to accommodate the many pilgrims.

Nature is also of great beauty. For this reason, the SAC has even named a path, the SAC Anniversary Trail, to the Hohe Winde (1,206 m), the highest peak in the area. Another path leads to the Kleine Winde.

The Lüssel  near Joggenhut at the beginning of the Hohe Winde path of the SAC (Jubiläumsweg Hohe Winde)

The trail

The Lüssel  near Erschwil

The mountains, hiking trails, forests, meadows, streams, and Alpine views of the Jubilee Trail give an impression of the varied and impressive Jura and Alpine landscape.

The summit of the Hohe Winde offers views of Passwang, the Schwarzbubenland, the Jura, the Alps, the Lüssel Valley and the cantons of Jura, Solothurn, Bern and Basel-Landschaft.

The summit of the Hohe Winde

The 20-kilometre Passwangstrasse (Passwang Road) runs along the Lüssel. This road and the Passwang Pass (943 m) connect Laufen (Canton of Basel-Landschaft) and Balsthal (Canton of Solothurn). The Pass has also always had strategic and military significance.

The 200-metre Passwang Tunnel (from 1933) gives an impression of the mighty natural fortress, where from 1939 and during the Cold War (motorised) divisions, tanks and a border brigade were stationed. Its headquarters were in nearby Mümliswil.

Mümliswil and the Haarundkamm Museum

Mümliswil (Solothurn canton) in the Guldental valley is not just any village. British royalty, German emperors and half of Europe used combs made in Mümliswil!

The even smaller village of Ramiswil is home to one of the country’s best-preserved mills (Mühle Ramiswil), built in 1596. Another place of interest is the Heilig-Blut-Kapelle and its remarkable history, which spans from Schellenberg (Liechtenstein) to Dayton (Ohio) in America.

Ramiswil

The Heilig-Blut-Kapelle

Mühle Ramiswil

The Gulden Valley (Guldental) and its stream

The Swiss Alpine Club

The Swiss Alpine Club (Schweizer Alpen Club, SAC/Club Alpin Suisse, CAS) regularly organises hikes in this area and elsewhere in the country.

(Further information: www.sac-cas.ch)

Impressions of the Landscape

Mariastein Abbey, the Gnadenkapelle and the Mirakelbild

A Maria chapel, “im Stein” (in stone), was first documented in 1434. However, there was already another chapel, a rock chapel. The Chapel of Grace (Gnadenkapelle) remains a popular destination, attracting around 250,000 pilgrims annually.

It is the heart and destination of the Mariastein pilgrimage. Over the centuries, the rocky cave has been converted into a chapel, accessible by a staircase with 159 steps carved into the rock.

The Chapel of Grace

The legend

It is said (according to legend) that the chapel of the Virgin Mary is located here because, in 1442, a boy fell into the valley at this point and miraculously remained unharmed due to the intercession of the Mother of God.

From this event, a richly embellished legend developed. Soon, the place of pilgrimage attracted believers from near and far. The priest of Metzerlen had to be supported by a pilgrim’s priest. Around 250,000 pilgrims visit the chapel annually!

The Chapel of Sorrows is a pilgrimage chapel built at the end of the 15th century on the edge of the rock above the ground. Today, the chapel is integrated into the monastery’s complex.

The Reichenstein family adorned the chapel with its coat of arms. On the opposite wall is the large votive image of the municipalities of the area called “Leimental”, which reminds us that these communities put themselves under the protection of Mary in the rock “Im Stein”). The swords are emblematic representations which point to the seven sorrows of Mary.

The miraculous image

On the wall of the windows hangs the so-called miraculous image (Das Mirakelbild), which reminds us of the salvation of the Junker Hans Thüring Reich of Reichenstein. In a scenic process (fall, discovery, rescue, cure in the Mill of Flüh (Flühmühle) and return to the Landskron castle, the whole story is shown.

The miraculous image (1543) in the Chapel of Sorrows

The mill, Flühmühle, 1543

The Flühmühle in 2022. 

History

In the mid-17th century, the Benedictine monks from Beinwil (Canton Solothurn) relocated their monastery to Mariastein.

The monastery and church of Mariastein in Metzerlen (Solothurn Canton) were built between 1636 and 1655. The church of the new Benedictine monastery was consecrated on 31 October 1655.

Mariastein and the Landskron

Initially, the late Gothic style gained popularity. However, between 1830 and 1834, the façade and the church tower were erected in the classicist style. The church was decorated and painted in a neo-Baroque style between 1900 and 1934. Ludwig Stocker (1932) designed the cloister square in 1997.

On 5 July 1926, Pope Pius XI (1857-1939) raised the monastery church to the status of Basilica Minor.

The monastery, around 1680. Information Centre Mariastein

The monastery complex

The interior

The monastery has an eventful history. In March 1798, the French general Balthasar von Schauenberg (1748-1831) entered Mariastein, destroyed the monastery and sold its possessions. The ruined abbey was repurchased in 1802 by Abbot Hieronymus Brunner (1739-1804).

However, the Solothurn canton and the federal government wanted to keep and bring economic life under strict control and a special tax impoverished the monastery. Two monks stayed, and religious life and pilgrimage continued in the Catholic canton.

The rest of the monastery moved to Delle (France) but had to leave France in 1901. The monks moved the monastery to Bregenz (Austria). In 1941, the Gestapo forced the Benedictines to leave their monastery.

Information Centre Mariastein

The Canton of Solothurn permitted the monks to return to the monastery. On 21 June 1971, the canton finally handed over a document sealing the abbey’s return to the Benedictine Order.

(Source: www.kloster-mariastein.ch).

The St. Anna-Chapelle and the Passion Trail (Kreuzweg) 

The former pilgrimage auberge and present-day Klosterhotel Kreuz and garden 

Brochures in more than 30 languages, including Romansh

Balsthal, Alt- and Neu-Falkenstein and the Inns

The first inhabitants of Balsthal (Canton of Solothurn), the Celts, lived on the Holzfluh about 4,000 years ago. In Roman times, the fastest road connection from Aventicum (Avenches) to Augusta Raurica (Kaiseraugst) passed through Balsthal.

After the Christianisation of the Alemanni in the 5th and 6th centuries, the prince-bishops of Basel ruled the region for many centuries. They built the castles Alt- and Neu-Falkenstein.

Neu-Falkenstein

Solothurn acquired Balsthal in 1402. The Bailiffs and other officials lived and worked in the two castles. Balsthal was the gateway to the pass over the Hauenstein, and several large inns and businesses flourished. Their premises still characterise the village today.

(Source: www. balsthal.ch).

Impressions

 

Mir rede au Elsassisch, Leymen and Hagenthal-le-Bas

A Swiss cartoon symbolises and puts the Röstigraben into perspective, the difference between the French and German-speaking parts of the country. On the German side of the Saane near Freiburg, a sign reads: “Ici on parle français”. On both sides of the river, however, there are identical houses and identically dressed people, who eat Rösti; in short, they are Swiss.

The Alsatian dialect

This image comes to mind when one approaches the municipality of Leymen in Alsace, in the department of Haut-Rhin: ´Mir rede au Elsassisch´. This ancient Oberrheinisch dialect was the spoken language in this region (the Sundgau) of the Upper Rhine (Oberrhein). Political developments after 1918 and 1945 nearly drove this dialect into oblivion, but it has made a comeback in recent decades.

For centuries, the inhabitants of the village of Rodersdorf (canton Solothurn) communicated in this dialect with the inhabitants of the French villages of Biederthal, Leymen, Hagental-Le-Bas and Hagental-Le-Haut in the Sundgau.

Cultural trail

Therefore, the path between these French and Swiss villages is a linguistic, historical and cultural trail. Landskron Castle on the 530-metre mountain is visible from all sides, and even the Waggis of Alsace have been well-established in Basel for generations! (Fortunately, Woke did not exist back then. A Waggi is an Alsatian caricature of a peasant.

Waggis in a restaurant in Hagental-Le-Haut

This Jura landscape is also home to the sources of the Birsig River and the Strängenbach stream. The Strängenbach flows into the Birsig, and the Birsig flows through Alsace and the cantons of Solothurn and Basel-Landschaft into the Rhine in Basel in the canton of Basel-Stadt.

The history of these villages is closely linked to the dynasties in the neighbouring Swiss cantons and the Habsburgs. The bishop of Basel, the counts of Thierstein and Ferrette, the dynasty of Eptingen and Reich von Reichenstein (of the Landskron) were the principal landowners in the area.

The area was part of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation and its Habsburg emperors until 1648. France acquired the Sundgau at the Peace of Westphalia in 1648.

Jewish community

The villages of Hagenthal-le-Bas and Hagenthal-le-Haut (Alsace) also had a sizeable Jewish community in the 18th century. The Jewish cemetery in Hagenthal-le-Bas is still in good condition. The graveyard in Hagenthal-Le-Haut is almost gone.

Hagenthal-Le-Haut

Hagenthal-le-Bas, Jewish cemetery 

In 1784, Hagenthal-le-Bas had 356 Jewish inhabitants, while Hagenthal-le-Haut had 271, accounting for almost half of the inhabitants of these villages. After World War I (i.e. not because of German occupation in World War II), these communities disappeared.

Only the synagogue in rue de la Synagogue in Hagenthal-le-Bas still recalls this large Jewish community. The Jewish inhabitants of Hagenthal-le-Haut had already left the village before the outbreak of the First World War. The synagogue was demolished in 1903.

The reason for the flight was persecution by the local population. In 1789, the year of the French Revolution, the first pogrom took place. Many of the Jewish communities of Hagenthal-le-Bas and Hagenthal-le-Haut fled to Basel. In 1848, another year of the French Revolution, another pogrom took place.

Leymen

The village of Leymen, a few kilometres further away, lies on the border with the canton of Solothurn. A Franco-German language border separates these villages today, where, until 1918, the Alemannic dialect was the common language.

For a long time, Leymen fell successively under the principality of Basel, the county of Ferrette and, around 1455, under the rule of the Reich von Reichenstein family. Since 1648, Leymen has been French territory.

Not only is the famous castle Landskron located in the municipality of Leymen. The village also houses two chapels. La Chapelle (the chapel) des Âmes de purgatoire was founded in 1928 for pilgrims to and from Mariastein.

The Chapel Heiligenbrunnen

According to legend, the Chapel Heiligenbrunnen is much older and was founded in the eighth century by the English or Irish monk Walburga. As the name suggests, the monk found a water spring at this place, which he used to cure a man of his blindness. An annual procession to St. Walburga takes place on May 1. The current chapel dates from 1682.

Leymen

(Source and further information: Office de Tourisme du Sundgau)

The Swiss Institutions of Art of the Würth Group

The history of the Würth Group begins in 1945 in Künzelsau, a small town in Hohenlohe (Baden-Württemberg). In that year, Adolf Würth (1909-1954) founded the company Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG, which his son Reinhold Würth (*1935) took over in 1954.

The internationalisation of the Würth Group took root soon thereafter. In the early 1960s, several companies were founded in other European countries, including Switzerland and Austria.

Over many decades, the screw wholesaler has developed into the world’s largest company for assembly and fastening technology, known as Würth International. Today, the company has branches on five continents.

The Schlossmühle was Würth’s first company building in 1945. photo credits: Würth Archive

A multinational with a commitment to society, art and culture

This company’s commitment to society, art and culture makes it unique. Prof Dr h.c. mult. Reinhold Würth, currently Chairman of the Supervisory Board (Stiftungsaufsichtsrats) of the Würth Group, and his wife Carmen Würth (*1937) founded the Stiftung Würth (Würth Foundation) in 1987. The foundation promotes projects in the arts, culture, social affairs, education, research, integration, and sports.

Prof. Dr. h.c. mult. Reinhold Würth. Photo Credit: Würth Archive

Decades earlier, both had shown keen interest in social issues, art, and culture. They started collecting art around 1970. Today, the Würth Collection comprises approximately 20,000 works of art spanning more than 500 years of art history, from the late Middle Ages to modern and contemporary art, primarily featuring paintings and sculptures.

Carmen Würth. Photo Credit: Würth Archive

The works are regularly exhibited free of charge in the 15 museums, art galleries, and art cabinets the company has established and manages in Europe. The Würth Collection also presents its works at exhibitions in other museums and institutions.

Museum Würth 2 in Künzelsau. Photo Credit: Würth Archive

The museums, forums and art galleries of the Würth Group

The Museum Würth in Künzelsau opened its doors in 1991, followed by the Kunsthalle Würth in 2001 and the Johanniterkirche, featuring old masters, in Schwäbisch Hall in 2008. Museum Würth 2 in Künzelsau was established in 2020 and is integrated into the ‘Carmen Würth Forum’ cultural and congress centre.

The museum’s activities extend far beyond the region of the founding company. Since 1999, the Würth Group has managed art branches in Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Spain and Switzerland.

This article focuses in particular on the three branches in Switzerland: Rorschach (Canton of St Gallen), Chur (Canton of Graubünden) and Arlesheim (Canton of Basel-Landschaft).

The article is based on a written interview with Ms C. Sylvia Weber, head of the Würth Group’s Art and Culture Department, with a supporting role by Myriam Rüegsegger (head of Forum Würth Arlesheim).

The relationship between Switzerland, the country with the relatively highest museum density in the world and the multinational with the most museums in Europe, is thus receiving well-deserved attention.

Forum Würth Arlesheim. Photo Credit: Würth Archive

Interview with C. Sylvia Weber, head of the Würth Group’s art and culture department

  • In a small country like Switzerland, there are three Würth Forums (Foren or Kunstdependancen in German) in Arlesheim, Chur and Rorschach. It makes Switzerland the leader in Europe, apart from the museums and institutions in Germany. Was there a particular reason for opening three institutions in Switzerland? Is a forum always linked to a business building?

The company’s expansions and the successful concept in Germany served as the background and starting point for establishing art forums for its collection across Europe.

Following the example of Museum Würth in Künzelsau near the company’s headquarters in Baden-Württemberg, which was integrated into the main building in 1991, ten other art centres were opened in Europe between 1999 and 2013, integrated into the company’s main building or standing alone, but always in direct connection with the main building of the company. The art exhibitions are open to Würth employees and the general public at no entrance fee.

The establishment of the Würth Forums in Chur, Arlesheim and Rorschach between 2002 and 2013 reflects the dynamism and vitality within the company.

The Würth Collection, which entrepreneur Reinhold Würth has been building up for about 60 years and which today numbers more than 20,000 works, making it one of the most important private collections, has become an increasingly fertile basis for organising exhibitions outside Germany.

The sculpture garden of Forum Würth Chur. Photo Credit: Würth Archive

  • Würth has an extensive art collection. Do the art establishments in Switzerland also have a permanent collection, or are there only temporary exhibitions?

The Swiss forums in Arlesheim and Chur have their collection of sculptures displayed outside the company buildings. They include works by Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely, Bernhard Luginbühl and Not Vital. In addition, changing exhibitions are organised based on the Würth Collection, which is managed at the company headquarters in Künzelsau.

  • Who determines the theme, content and concept of the exhibitions? Is each forum autonomous, or does Würth’s Art Advisory Board have a decisive or advisory voice? Focus: sculpture, painting, graphics, nature, etc.?

The art advisory board of the Würth Group advises on the strategic direction of the collection and exhibition activities. The exhibitions themselves are organised under the responsibility of the management of the Würth Collection together with the respective curators.

There is an extensive educational programme at all art venues. It includes guided tours, workshops, accompanying events for teachers, lectures, conferences and other activities.

The Association Friends of the Würth Museums (Freunde der Museen Würth e. V.) organises special events.

Forum Würth Arlesheim, exposition ‘Christopher Lehmpfuhl, zwischen Pathos und Pastos‘

  • Is there any harmonisation or coordination between the different Würth museums/branches? Are there thematic focal points?

The starting point for all exhibitions is the Würth collection. It is mainly focused on painting and sculpture. The collections and exhibitions feature names such as Max Ernst, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Horst Antes, Georg Baselitz, Anselm Kiefer, Fernando Botero, and David Hockney, to name a few.

Alfred Hrdlicka, Anthony Caro, Eduardo Chillida, Tony Cragg and other sculptors also appear in exhibitions. In terms of themes, the presentations frequently address social and cultural issues.

We aim to showcase the Würth Collection in collaboration with other institutions, while making a broad audience aware of relevant themes and artistically essential positions.

  • Are the exhibitions (also) travelling exhibitions?

The collections are presented at several locations in succession, not least for sustainability reasons.

Carl Moll, Venedig, auf der Riva Schiavoni – view towards the Giardino Pubblico, around 1922, Würth Collection, Inv. 1879. Exhibition ‘Wasser, Wolken, Wind ‒ Elementar- und Wetterphänomene in Werken der Sammlung Würth’, Forum Würth Rorschach, 2023-2025

  • What is the relationship between the Würth Art Collection and an exhibition?

All exhibitions are based on the possession and contents of the Würth Collection.

  • Does Arlesheim have one focus, Chur and Rorschach another? Is there any particular coordination?

In principle, all programmes are being coordinated. An exhibition coordinator is involved in the exhibition projects. The Swiss Forums also repeatedly organise exhibitions in cooperation with local partners.

The location certainly plays a role in the visitor structure. For example, Arlesheim attracts visitors from Baden-Württemberg and Alsace, while Rorschach and Chur attract visitors from the Lake Constance region and Italy.

It includes, for example, exhibitions of art for and by people with disabilities – a key focus at Würth. In Arlesheim, for instance, in cooperation with the creative workshop of the Bürgerspital in Basel and Rorschach, as well as the Open Art Museum in St. Gallen, an institution dedicated to Swiss naïve art and art brut. Another example is the photo exhibition “HIDDEN – Hidden Places in Switzerland” and other projects with local themes and artists.

  • What experiences do you have with the reactions of the public, other museums and local communities?

We cooperate with other local cultural institutions. For us, barrier-free access and no entrance fees to art and culture are matters of principle, including free access to the art institutions of Würth.

This commitment has been positively received and utilised by local communities. The Würth Collection has already welcomed 10.4 million visitors worldwide since 1989. Thanks to free admission, the Würth Collection’s “playgrounds” have become the most democratic places in the world, as Reinhold Würth aptly put it.

The future?

We are constantly working to inspire the public in Germany, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Spain and Switzerland.

The revitalisation and expansion of Kunsthalle Würth in Schwäbisch Hall by the internationally renowned architectural firm Henning Larsen Munich, which is currently taking place, is an essential step into the future.

Many thanks for your contribution

Collection Würth, Old Masters in the Johanniterkirche, Schwäbisch Hall. Photo: Würth Archive