Author: Maarten Koning

The long Process of Political Integration in Switzerland

As a critical friend of Switzerland, Karl Wolfgang Deutsch (1912-1992) addressed in 1976 the challenges of the 20th and the 21st century for Switzerland.

In the main part of the text, Deutsch deals with the “special case Switzerland”, the so-called – nowadays criticised – “Sonderfall der Schweiz” (special case Switzerland).

The basic question to be asked is why the process of integration in Switzerland happened and why such a singular process affected a particularly constant and particularly close integration amongst the people, who strongly adhered to their languages and the regional and other singularities to such a large extent, exists.

The process has happened over a long period of time with minimal common apparatuses of government, without common police, without common courts, and with a minimum of institutions and binding and enforceable laws. For a long time, the Swiss Confederation did not have a special and separate authority from the Cantons.

The major headings of arguments are geography, the special nature of the peasants and population, the traffic overpasses and the money economy, the ownership of weapons, the heritage of the communal movement, the lack of suppression of the peasants, the technique of federalism, a political culture of mitigation and courage, stagnation and the existence of oligarchies from 1555 to 1770, the formation of capital as a prerequisite for the industrial revolution and mitigation of social contrasts.

Karl Deutsch points to a specific pressure on the competitiveness of key industries. A country that cannot change without losing its essential identity may be in danger of future instability and even lose its existence. The solution to the problem, according to Karl Deutsch, lies in accommodating change while maintaining essential parts of the identity.

The text at hand is a published transcript of the lecture by Deutsch presented in Bern in 1976 in German. The actual text has not been formally published. The text was translated by the political scientist Daniel Frey, who published it in Switzerland in 1976.

(Source and further Information: Switzerland as a paradigmatic case of political integration, Bern, 1976; Wolf Lindner, Federalism. The Case of Switzerland, 2014)

Pavillon Le Corbusier

The Pavillon Le Corbusier on the shores of Lake Zurich is an architectural jewel. The idea for the building was initiated in 1961 by  Heidi Weber (1928).

She encouraged Le Corbusier (1887-1966) to develop his own museum, his pavilion, to express and explain his ideas and achievements. The Pavillon opened its doors on July 15th, 1967.

Heidi Weber wrote for this occasion:  “Dieses Haus ist ein Werk von Le Corbusier. Ich habe es zu seinen  Ehren erstellen lassen um von hier aus seine Ideen zu verbreiten und in seinem Sinne in der Öffentlichkeit zu wirken“.

Le Corbusier completed the design in 1965. It was his last design and his only building of steel and glass. The Pavillon organises exhibitions and other events related to the work and life of Le Corbusier.

(Further information: Pavillon-Le Corbusier).

Maquette and images of several of his buildings 

The Rhine Gorge or the Ruinaulta

The Rhine Gorge, Rheinschlucht in German or Ruinaulta in Romansh, is a 400-metre-deep and 13-kilometre-long gorge in Graubünden. It dates back to the great landslide of Flims, the so-called Filmserstein-Bergstürz, which took place about 9500 years ago. Since 1977, the Rhine Gorge has been listed in the Federal Inventory of Landscapes and Natural Monuments of National Importance (BLN).

The landslide affected an area between Ilanz and Reichenau. A lake was formed, and the water of the Vorderrhein gradually made its way through the masses of stone and earth.

Numerous small peninsulas, islas, exist in the gorge. They were partly used as pasture, and arable land and settlements arose. The islas also have names: Isletta, Disla-Prau Grond, Isla Sura, Isla Sut, Islas da Bargaus, Isla da Corvs, Islas da Zir, Zir Grond, Zir Pign or Isla Davon.

Ilanz

Initially, passenger and goods roads did not run through the gorge but along its edges. They connected Reichenau-Tamins, Trin, Sagogn, Versam, Schluein, Ilanz, Castrisch, Flims, and Laax with Chur. With time, however, roads and bridges made the gorge accessible at several points.

The Vorderrhein and the Hinterhein near Reichenau-Tamins on their way to Basel and The Netherlands

The Reichenau-Ilanz railway line, opened in 1903, connected several villages, including Versam-Safien, Sagogn, Valendas, and Castrisch, with the more distant Disentis-Mustér. Subsequently, new roads and bridges were built in connection with the railway’s construction and the increase in motor traffic.

Today, with its beautiful landscape and flora, the Rhine Gorge is a nature reserve and a tourism project called “Monumemt Ruinault.

(Source and further information: M. Bundi, La Ruinaulta. Ein kulturthistorisch Handbuch, Chur 2020)

Versam