Nature in Switzerland.
4 November 2023
The river Maggia flows into Lake Maggiore between Ascona and Locarno. The River Melezza in the Valley of Centovalli joins the Maggia at Losone, a few kilometres upstream. The river is the namesake of the Maggia district in the Canton of Tessin. Its calm mouth in the lake contrasts sharply with the natural violence a … Read more » “The Valleys Valmaggia, Centovalli and Valle Onsernone”
27 October 2023
The Schweizer Alpen-Club was founded on 19 April 1863, six years after the foundation of the British Alpine Club in London and a year after the foundation of the Österreichische Alpenverein. The SAC initially focused on activities in the Alps. In the wake of mainly British mountaineers, its primary focus was climbing peaks. The SAC … Read more » “The Swiss Alpine Club and Section Basel”
17 October 2023
Former Emperor Haile Selassie (1892-1975) of Ethiopia stayed at Jegenstorf Castle (canton of Bern) for four days in November 1954 because of his state visit to Switzerland. The reception was a ‘Wiedergutmachung’ from the Swiss side. The Swiss government did not grant asylum to the emperor in 1936 after Italy’s conquest of Abyssinia (the name … Read more » “Jegenstorf, Haile Selassie and Bangerten”
2 September 2023
Koblenz (canton of Aargau) is the confluence site of the Aare and the Rhine. The Aare is the largest tributary of the Rhine, with more cubic metres of water per second than the Main or the Moselle at Koblenz in Germany. Switzerland is the water castle of Europe. The area in the triangle of Brugg, Turgi, and … Read more » “The Reuss, Aare, Aareschlucht, Rhine, Limmat and Swiss Koblenz”
22 August 2023
The Doctor and scholar Lauzenz Zellweger (1692-1764) discovered the healing effects of hiking on the Gäbris mountain near Trogen (Appenzeller Ausserrhoden) at a time when hiking was not appropriate for gentlemen (and ladies). He founded a society in Trogen after he studied medicine in Leiden. He combined the healthy effects of hiking and medicine and “climbed … Read more » “The Arcadian Appenzeller Landscape”
18 August 2023
One of Switzerland’s beautiful but somewhat forgotten hiking and cycling regions is the Rhine Valley of St. Gallen (St. Galler Rheintal). Situated at an altitude of approximately 700 metres, this region in eastern Switzerland boasts a fairytale setting, nestled between Lake Constance (Bodensee), the Sarganserland, and the Old Rhine (Altrhein). Numerous historical sites, museums and … Read more » “The Rhine Valley of St. Gall”
4 August 2023
The ancient episcopal town of Chur is located near Reichenau, where the Hinterrhein and Vorderrhein converge to form the Alpine Rhine in the Rhine Valley, continuing up to Lake Constance (Bodensee). Chur is also the traffic hub for the direction of Arosa, Lenzerheide, Disentis/Mustér and the most beautiful village in Switzerland and Liechtenstein: Tschiertschen. Chur … Read more » “Arosa, Lenzerheide and Tschiertschen”
9 July 2023
The Jura mountain range extends over several cantons in western Switzerland. It borders the Swiss Plateau region and covers 10% of the country’s area. In French-speaking Switzerland, the Jura mainly encompasses the cantons of Geneva, Vaud, Neuchâtel, Bern, and Jura. In German-speaking Switzerland, the Jura is primarily found in the cantons of Solothurn, Basel-Land, and … Read more » “The Jura Mountain Range”
29 June 2023
Switzerland has hundreds of larger and smaller lakes, mountain lakes and reservoirs. One of the most remarkable in terms of shape, history, nature and location is Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstättersee). This lake was created from the meltwater of the Reuss Glacier. In the last ice age, this glacier had a height of 1 400 metres and … Read more » “Lake Lucerne, Nature, Culture, History”
25 June 2023
Around 150 million years ago, a sea covered the entire Jura region on the site of the current Vallorbe caves in the canton of Vaud. The complex geological history of cave formation took another 120 million years. Seven million years ago, the sea withdrew from the region as the African and European continents collided, giving … Read more » “The Fairytale of the Vallorbe Caves”
