The long nineteenth century 1815-1918 News

William Tell and the Congress of Vienna

The hat of Bailiff Gessler, replica. Photo: TES, Swiss National Museum Prangins.

8 March 2019

When the Habsburg rulers of areas in central Switzerland failed to maintain peace and protect the roads, three rural communities acted and concluded a peace alliance in 1291. These alliances were rather common in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and they reflected the interest of local elites, whether rural, urban or nobility. The alliance covered … Read more » “William Tell and the Congress of Vienna”

Le Corbusier and Switzerland

La Chaux-de-Fonds, Maison blanche, 1912. Photo: TES.

22 February 2019

The career of one of Switzerland’s most famous architects started with training at the School of Art in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, who adopted the pseudonym Le Corbusier in 1920, was born on 6 October 1887 in la-Chaux-de-Fonds. After a career as an architect, urban planner, painter, furniture designer, sculptor, and theoretican (he also wrote … Read more » “Le Corbusier and Switzerland”

Arlesheim and the Congress of Vienna

Arlesheim. Birseck castle, Ermitage, Cathedral. Photo/Foto: TES.

13 January 2019

The village of Arlesheim (Canton of Basel-Landschaft) is best known for the English Garden built in 1785, the Ermitage, and the cathedral inaugurated in 1681. Arlesheim reads like a Swiss history book. The medieval castles of Birseck and Reichenstein are still prominently visible on the surrounding hilltops as a symbol of their strategic importance in … Read more » “Arlesheim and the Congress of Vienna”