Author: Maarten Koning

The Rigi, Pilatus and Willisauer Ringli

Willisau’s cultural and historical background is not the only reason to start with a city walk. The Willisauer Ringli is a must when visiting Willisau.

This small biscuit, with a diameter of 3 cm, underwent 55 years of legal proceedings (1920-1975) before the courts ruled that biscuits based on the Willisauer recipe could only be produced in this city.

Around 1860, the first Willisauer Ringli were baked in Willisau at the Ursprungshaus in the old town. Due to their great success, they were soon baked all over Switzerland, much to the dismay of the Willisauer bakers and their (supposed) secret recipe.

After the Willisauer Ringli, the hike follows the route of the chapels and crosses of the Catholic canton through beautiful valleys, forests, and mountain peaks (reaching up to 1016 metres), past large and well-maintained farmsteads.

At the trail’s end, the Rigi and the snowy Pilatus loom up, with the old health resort Menzberg in the valley. The Kurhaus (today, the Landgasthof Hotel Menzberg) opened its doors in 1834.

Not only the pure air, but also the purifying effect of the views of the Rigi and the Pilatus, made Menzberg a well-known health resort at the time.

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

(Source and further information: www.sac-cas.ch).

World Nature Forum

The World Nature Forum in Naters (Canton of Valais) is the new visitor centre of the UNESCO World Heritage Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch.

The interactive exhibition showcases the diverse landscapes of the Alps and glaciers, addressing the pressing issue of climate change.

Climate change will bring (un) foreseen changes and new challenges for agriculture, tourism, irrigation of meadows and pastures, traditions, languages and the cultural heritage.

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

Cricket in the Alps

The inaugural meeting of  “Cricket Switzerland,” the first Swiss cricket association, was held on 9 March 1980.  Around 1,200 members play cricket in Switzerland nowadays.

Switzerland is even the birthplace of the very prestigious  “Cricket On Ice,” a tournament played every winter on the frozen lake in St. Moritz.

In 1985, at the initiative of the Lyceum Alpinum, Zuoz, the Association organised the first Zuoz Cricket Festival.

The Lyceum has a long tradition of cricket and other British sports, dating from the 1920s when an English sports master was appointed.

The sport was introduced by British citizens who lived, worked or resided in Switzerland after the Napoleonic Wars.

The St. Niklaus Chapel in Willisau

The Counts of Habsburg built the castle of Alt-Willisau in the 12th century. The castle was destroyed in 1386 during the Sempach war (Sempacherkrieg). Only the Romanesque chapel survived.

The chapel was renovated in 1655 in the Baroque style. The chapel is primarily known for its frescoes from 1497 to 1660 and its 12th-century bronze tower clock.

(Bron: A. Häfliger, Die Kapelle St. Niklaus auf dem Berg in Willisau, Willisau, 2003).

The Walser

Immigrants from Upper-Valais (German-speaking Wallis) crossed the mountain passes to settle in the neighbouring mountain valleys in the second half of the twelfth century. This migration peaked in the 13th century and ended in the mid-14th century.

They are called “Walser” nowadays, although they did not refer to themselves by that name then. Some groups settled in Italian valleys and founded Boso-Gurin, the only German-speaking community in the Italian-speaking canton Ticino; others moved to Savoy (eastern France). Two settlements are still called Les Allamends.

Up north, they reached the Bernese Oberland, the Lauterbrunnen valley, Brienz Rothorn, and the region west of Thun.

However, the most significant expansion was eastward: over the Oberalppass, into Graubünden, Vorarlberg, Tyrol (Austria), and Triesenberg (Liechtenstein).

Two museums commemorate this history: the Walser Museum in Riezlern (Vorarlberg, Austria) and the Walser Heimatmuseum in Triesenberg (Liechtenstein).

The International Association of Walser (Internationale Vereinigung für Walsertum) organises research, publications, and events featuring Walser history and culture (www.wir-walser.ch).

(Source and further information: www.walser-alps.eu).

Animalistic ! One Theme, Four Exhibitions

From antiquity to the present day, animals and hybrid creatures have provided guidance and protected us in the shape of amulets. Creatures like Lassie, Baloo and Bagheera from The Jungle Book, or melodious nightingales provide for entertainment.

But how has the relationship between humans and animals changed, here and elsewhere? What are the strengths and abilities attributed to animals? How do they communicate, among themselves and with us humans? What perceptions and criteria determine the relationship between humans and animals? Why is this relationship almost invariably described as ambivalent?

Four Basel museums go in search of answers in the joint project Animalistic! One Theme — Four Exhibitions.

The four exhibitions (each exhibition is separately mentioned in the Agenda):

animalistic ! Animals and hybrid creatures in Antiquity, ( Tiere und Mischwesen in der Antike), 19 September 2021-19 June 2022, Anitkenmuseum und Sammlung Ludwig Basel;

animalistic ! No Culture without animals, (tierisch! Keine Kultur ohne Tiere), 27 August 2021-20 November 2022, Museum der Kulturen Basel;

animalistic ! The Sound of Animals, (tierisch! Der Klang der Tiere), 22 October 2021 – 25 June 2022, Historisches Museum Basel;

animalistic ! From animals to active pharmaceutical ingredients, (tierisch ! Vom Tier zum Wirkstoff), 3 December 2021 – 5 June 2022, Pharmaziemuseum Basel.

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

 

 

The Thurgauer Swabians become Swiss

Thurgau was first mentioned as a region in the Duchy of Swabia in the 9th century. After the extinction of the Counts of Kyburg in 1264, the Habsburgs inherited the rights. Medieval Thurgau was not yet a clearly defined region, encompassing large parts of the present-day cantons of St. Gallen and Zurich, as well as the German diocese of Constance.

Constance was the religious and economic centre, and the people of Constance and Thurgau considered each other as Swabians. The 15th century was decisive for the political development of Thurgau. Around 1500, the term Swabians was only used for the northern part of Lake Constance.

People south of Lake Constance became  “(Kuh) Schweizer” or “Eidgenossen.” These Alemanni in Thurgau were Swabians, but they became Swiss after 1460 and 1499.

(Source: Th. Maissen, Geschichte der Schweiz, Baden, 2015).

The Medieval Lime Tree

The oldest part of the parish house (Pfarrhaus) in Naters (canton of Valais) dates back to the 12th century. In 1461 and 1661, the building was extended. The building is a national monument and stands opposite the church and the Bone House “Beinhaus”.

 

The Linde in front of the building has experienced these renovations. As early as 1357, it was mentioned in a document as ‘magnam’ or large. The stone edging at the foot of the trunk also dates from this period.

 

It probably served as a stage for gatherings of the “Zenden”, e.g. for the administration of justice. The foundations of the pillory are still visible near the trunk.

 

(Source: www.naters.ch).

Naters, Saffron and the Swiss Guard

 Naters (canton of Valais) is located on the right bank of the Rhone and is known, among other things, for its proximity to the Aletsch Glacier (the World Nature Forum in Naters is dedicated to this UNESCO World Heritage), the Hotel Belalp from 1858, the Blattnerhof and the panoramic view of the Valais Alps.

 

Naters also provided many guards for the Swiss Guard in the Vatican. The Guard Museum (Gardemuseum) is dedicated to this history.

 

It started with a gift from the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire Heinrich IV (1050-1106) in 1079. He donated the village to the Bishop of Sitten. Before that, the town belonged to the monastery of St. Maurice.

 

Due to its location at the foot of the Simplon Pass and its East-West connection, Naters was a strategically important place. The surrounding villages of Mund and Birgisch, as well as smaller hamlets, also fell under the administration of Naters. The name for a municipality was ‘Zenden/Zehnden’ in Oberwallis.

 

In the 16th century, however, Brig on the other left bank of the Rhône gained importance and became the capital of the Zenden. Today, Naters, Mund and Birgisch form an independent municipality.

 

Worth mentioning is the saffron from Mund. It is the northernmost crop in Europe and of high quality. The Saffron Museum (Safranmuseum) pays special attention to this exceptional quality crop.

 

The ruins of the Uf der Flüe castle, the Ornavasso tower, the Junkerhof, the Salzmann Stadel, the Lergjen house, the Megetschen house, the Supersaxo house and other buildings still show the former power of the bishop and the local (trading) elite in Naters.

 

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