The Beginning of Federal Financial Support

22 September 2020

25 July 1867 is an important but almost forgotten date in the modern history of Switzerland. It was on this day that the parliament in Bern decided, for the first time, on federal funding for projects in cantons.

These federal subsidies covered the high costs of of the Jura Water Correction Project (La Correction des eaux du Jura/Juragewässerkorrektion) of the cantons  Fribourg, Bern, Neuchâtel, Waadt and Solothurn for the years 1868-1891.

By today’s standards, the Federal Government contributed about two billion CHF. The Rubicon (the Aare in this case) was crossed.