Yodelling Unites City, Countryside, and Switzerland 1924–2026
5 February 2026
The current issue of NZZ-Geschichte (No. 62, February 2026) provides an in-depth look at the economic, social, and political development of farmers in Switzerland. In the 19th century, half of the population still worked in this sector, but they were not politically represented.
Fasnacht 2026
In this context, the nearly forgotten (contrary to a similar German war in 1525) Peasants’ War of 1653 is also discussed. At that time, 80% of the population worked in agriculture, yet urban elites determined politics for their ‘subjects’. It was an early example of the city-country divide, though today the political perspective is reversed: conservative in the countryside, revolutionary in the cities.
Industrialisation in the 19th and 20th centuries played a significant role. Fewer people worked in agriculture, and many moved to cities and their emerging industries, including Basel.
With the introduction of proportional representation for elections to the national parliament (Nationalrat), the composition of the parliament also changed. Rudolf Minger (1881–1955) was the first farmer’s son in parliament. He was a member of the then Swiss Bauern-, Gewerbe- und Bürgerpartei (BGB), now the SVP.
Rural traditions also reached the cities. Many immigrants from rural areas brought yodelling to Basel, for example. The number of clubs (yodelling societies) was so large that Basel hosted the first Federal Yodelling Festival in 1924. After World War I (1914–1918) and the turbulent years that followed, there was a need for unity and shared values. The quintessentially Swiss yodelling brought city and countryside together.
It is therefore more than symbolic that a century later, Basel is once again the venue for the Federal Yodelling Festival (Eidgenössisches Jodlerfest). This event still connects the city and countryside, and in 2026, also the cantons of Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft.
Although yodelling also exists in other Alpine countries, in Switzerland it reaches the highest musical level in terms of the number of practitioners, clubs, quality, and modern interpretations. In December 2025, UNESCO added Swiss yodelling to its List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The Federal Yodelling Festival will take place from June 26 to 28 in Basel, with more than 12,000 participants: yodelers, flag swingers, alphorn players, and, of course, piccolos and drums. The festive opening of the Swiss “Yodel Year” took place on February 5 in Basel—where else—near the seated Helvetia.
(Source and further information: 32. Eidgenössisches Jodlerfest)