Maarten Koning – Page 12 – The Swiss Spectator

The multicultural Town of Vevey and its great Perfomances

The Celts and Romans inhabited the region of Vevey (canton of Vaud) more than 2,000 years ago. En Crédeyles, a Celtic burial site near the (medieval) church of St Martin, and the Roman names Vibiscum or Viviscum (in the Tabula Peutingeriana) show their presence. The place lies at the mouth of the rivers Veveyse and Ognonaz.

Roman inscription

The site was on the Roman roads to and from the Great St Bernard and Martigny (Octodurus), Lausanne (Lousonna), and Avenches (Aventicum). Lake Geneva (Lac Lemanus) was also a busy waterway in the Roman period.

St. Martin Church

After the Roman period, which ended in the first half of the 5th century, Vevey did not appear in documents again until the 12th century. For centuries, the bishops of Sitten and Lausanne, the abbey of St Maurice, the counts of Geneva, the counts of Gruyère, and the dukes of Savoie played a role. Savoy granted the city city rights in the 14th century. The duke also founded the Sainte-Claire convent in 1422.

The former Sainte-Claire convent

Bern conquered Vevey in 1536 and ruled the town until 1798. Chillon castle was the residence of Bern’s bailiff. The town had no political independence but prospered economically.

Many mills operated water-powered businesses on the banks of the Veveyse and Ognonaz. The location of Lake Geneva and roads to all regions of the Confederation of 13 cantons and neighbouring countries were also good for trade.

Moreover, like the rest of Switzerland, Vevey has always been an international and cosmopolitan (trading) town. French Huguenots, Russians, English and Germans are just some of the many nationalities.

Anonymous artist Vevey 17th century. Collection: Musée historique de Vevey

Just before the French invasion of 1798 and the foundation of the Helvetic Republic (1798-1803), Vevey hosted the first edition of the Fête des Vignerons. This tradition, the Fête, also held in 2019, indicates the centuries-old prominence of viticulture in this region and Lavaux.

A performance of the Fête des Vignerons in the 19th century. Collection: Musée de la Confrérie des Vignerons

The Fête des Vignerons and the Confrérie des Vignerons may not be well known outside Switzerland, but a well-known institution is headquartered in Vevey.

Nestlé’s headquarters

The ‘fork’ in the lake is a remarkable monument, just as the Alimentarium is a culinary and scientific museum that bears witness to Nestlé’s presence. Moreover, chocolate is also closely linked to Vevey.

(Source and further information: Ville de Vevey)

Impressions of Vevey and surroundings

Grand Hotel du Lac

Musée Jenisch

La Grenette (grain market)

Russian-Orthodox Church St. Barbara (1878)

All Saints Church (1882)

La tour-de-Peilz and the Musée Suisse du Jeu, the unique museum of games

The Rütli, an oath and an impeachment

Der Weg der Schweiz is a historic road along Lake Urnersee, the southernmost arm of Lake Lucerne. The length is about 35 kilometres and is divided into 26 stages for the 26 cantons.

The order was determined by the time the cantons joined the Confederation.
The length of the sections is based on the number of inhabitants of a canton in 1991, with the length per inhabitant being 5 mm.

The Urnesee from Seelisberg

Because of this set-up, it is not surprising that the Rütli on the shores of the Urnersee is the first stop on this route. It is irrelevant whether, at this place, in 1291, the three first members, Uri , Schwyz and Unterwalden (Obwalden and Nidwalden )took an oath (Eid (Genossenschaft) to ratify their alliance. In any case, it is a story that fits the political and historical context. The same goes for the Wilhelm Tell history.

The ‘Schwurplatz’, the location of the oath

In late medieval times, many alliances and partnerships existed in this part of Europe. However, only the Swiss Confederation (Eidgenossenschaft) survived to the 19th century. What ‘if’ is not an interesting historical question.

An authentic document from 1315 confirms an alliance between these Orte. This alliance was followed by a long process of state formation, from a loose confederation of increasingly more Orte and towns (the word canton dates back to the 16th century) to the modern Confederation in 1848. In 1291 or 1309, however, the Eidgenossen were not yet thinking or even considering founding their own state.

However, defending oneself against the sovereign, Habsburg, and his bailiffs was a mortal sin in these religious times. There had to be a justification, which is the background to Wilhelm Tell’s story. After all, the landlord (the bailiff Gessler) was a tyrant.

First page of the ‘Acte van Verlatinghe’, 1581. Photo: Wikipedia

A similar case occurred in the Netherlands in 1579 with the founding of the Union of Utrecht (a confederation of seven sovereign provinces (cantons) with a Staten-Generaal (Tagsatzung).

The Spanish king was deposed as sovereign with the subsequent ‘Acte van Verlatinghe’ (1581). The thorough and religiously based motivation was the same as in the William Tell story: the ruler is a tyrant, and therefore, the removal from office is justified, and only for this reason.

It is, therefore, all the more astonishing that certain (academic) circles in Switzerland expend so much energy, books, articles, and (scientific) research to dismiss the “oath” of 1291 or the William Tell story as nonsense.

Despite powerful neighbours, the Reformation, and economic, linguistic, and cultural differences between the cantons, this confederation has today’s least bad democratic system in Europe and perhaps even the world.

Image: Rütli Museum

Moreover, its economy, monetary policy, multicultural and international society and culture, science and research, and respect for nature are of a high standard.

The Rütli, located at the foot of the village of Seelisberg (canton of Uri), is a location to cherish for good reason. A hike from Seelisberg to the Rütli takes about an hour downhill.

The path from Seelisberg to the Rütli

It is, to paraphrase the words of Neil Amstrong (1930-1982) on 21 July 1969 (first moon landing), “One small step for one person, but one giant leap for mankind”.
In other words, a walk to the Rütli from Seelsberg is a small step, but what started in this region over 700 years ago was a giant leap for the formation of today’s Confederation.

(Source and further information: Weg der Schweiz)

The Kleine and the Grote Mythe (canton of Schwyz). In the foreground Brunnen (kanton Uri), in the background Schwyz

Sisikon

The Rütli Museum

The Rütliwiese

Seelisberg, village of a World Government, International Conferences and the Diet

Seelisberg (canton of Uri) is an ancient Alemannic village situated on the border with canton Nidwalden. Despite Its small size, the village held significant autonomy in the Middle Ages, boasting market rights and jurisdiction.

Seelisberg, perched at an altitude of over 800 m, 400 metres higher than the Urnersee, which is part of Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstättersee). It was home to the pivotal Treibhafen, a crucial shipping hub on the lake.

Perhaps this port and shipping connection was also the reason for the meetings of representatives of the Orte Unterwalden, Uri and Schwyz in the Middle Ages, for example, on the Rütli.

Contrary to what is sometimes claimed, the Rütli is not so unlikely as a location of (secret) meetings, given its isolated but easily accessible location by water. Shipping was the fastest and safest mode of transport in Europe in the Middle Ages, including in the Innerschweiz. In any case, several Tagsatzung meetings also took place in Seelisberg in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Seelisberg also had a pilgrim chapel aptly named Maria Sonnenberg. This name comes from the village’s sunny location. The healthy mountain air, the location on the Urnersee and the many hours of sunshine also prompted the development of the spa resort Grand Hotel Sonnenberg in the 19th century.

Since 1972, Sonnenberg has been the centre of the self-proclaimed ‘World Government of the Age of Enlightenment’.

The Treibhafen was a steamship station in 1854. The Seelisbergbahn has been in operation since 1916. Above all, however, Seelisberg-the Rütli is a prominent location on the historic road ‘Wiege der Schweiz‘.

This route includes 12 sites, various village sights, and the Grand Hotel Sonnenberg, which offers stunning views over the Urnersee and Gothhard.

In 1947, Grand Hotel Sonnenberg was also the site of the still topical, interfaith and international conference on anti-Semitism.

(Source and further information: Commune of Seelisberg)

Grand Hotel Sonnenberg