Author: Maarten Koning

The cantons of Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft and Jura were (re) united in Vevey.

The Fête des Vignerons takes place at intervals of about one generation or twenty to twenty-five years.

It is also the first time that the 26 cantons make their appearance on one of the 21 days of the event.

More than 5 000 actors, 800 singers and 100 musicians perform twice a day in a perfectly arranged spectacle in a temporary stadium (for 20 000 spectators) on the market square.

The gods of wine were in a bad mood on 28 July but the three cantons were (re) united in Vevey.

Winter tourism began in Lower Engadine (Unterengadin) after 1850, soon followed by summer tourism. Grand Hotels were built in Scuol, Vulpera and Val Sinestra.

The first significant setback came with the outbreak of the First World War (1914-1918). The revival during the Interbellum was short-lived. The Belle Époque was definitively over after the Second World War (1939-1945).

There was another phenomenon: the migration of young people to urban areas and the depopulation of (small) villages.

Spirits were high, however. Grand Hotels were renovated, and the Pro Büvetta project in Scuol put bathing and wellness tourism back on the map. The Trinkhalle in Tarasp is scheduled to become a knowledge and research centre for freshwater. Foundation (Fundaziun) Nairs organises cultural projects, exhibitions and events

The most recent project is miaEngiadina in Scuol and La Punt. This project introduces an ultra-fast cable connection with modern facilities for entrepreneurs and (small) businesses, amidst a beautiful landscape.

The highlight of the project is the realization of the so-called InnHub in the village of La Punt, in a building designed by the famous English architect Lord Norman Foster (1935).

An ultramodern working and meeting place for entrepreneurs, starters and the public.

(More information: www.miaengiadina.ch).

The French General Justin Clinchant signed three copies of the conditions imposed upon on the defeated French army for crossing the Swiss border in Les Verrières (canton of Neuchâtel) on 1 February 1871.

The entry of more than 80 000 exhausted or wounded soldiers, 2 467 officers and their 11 800 horses, 285 guns and 1 158 vehicles began immediately afterwards in Les Verrières, Sainte-Croix, Vallorbe, Ballaigues and the Vallée de Joux.

Their stay in Switzerland came to an end on February 26, 1871, when the peace treaty between Prussia and France was signed. It was the first intervention of the Red Cross (founded in Geneva in 1863).

The monument in front of the Central Station SBB of Basel is also a reminder of the city’s support for Strasbourg when the city was besieged in August and September 1870 in the same war.

(Source and more information: www.bourbaki-verrieres.ch).