Local history in Switzerland.
11 January 2022
Baulmes comes from Baulmes/Balmensis, Balma, and Baume, a cavity under the rock. Scientists have not solved the presence of the ‘l’ in the word. The place was already inhabited in prehistoric times, around 12 000 BC. It is one of the oldest settlements in the canton of Vaud. Many unique finds have been discovered. There … Read more » “Baulmes and its abbey”
26 December 2021
The French-speaking village of Crans-Montana (Canton of Valais) did not exist in the mid-nineteenth century. The Rhone valley near Sierre had been inhabited since the Bronze and Iron Ages, and the Celts and Romans also left their traces, but the mountains were not cultivated until centuries later. Nearby Lens had about a dozen houses and … Read more » “Crans-Montana and James Bond alias 007”
12 December 2021
Baden (Aquae Helveticae) had five large bathing houses (thermae) on the banks of the Limmat in the second century. The surface area was about 800 m2. There were also several small springs for bathing. Temples for offerings to the gods and houses for bathers were next to the baths. Today, this district is called the … Read more » “Poggio Bracciolini in Baden”
