Part of the Helvetic Republic after 1798, it became in 1803 one of the 19 cantons of the Swiss Confederation as reconstituted by Napoleon’s Act of Mediation. Although distinctly Roman Catholic, it did not join the Sonderbund (separatist league of Catholic cantons) in 1845, and it approved the federal constitutions of 1848 and 1874. The present cantonal constitution dates from 1887 but was substantially revised in 1895.

Until the 19th century, the canton’s economic activities were mainly agricultural and pastoral. Although these are still important, the population is largely engaged in the manufacture of a variety of goods, including watches, jewelry, shoes, cotton textiles, paper, cellulose, cement, auto parts, iron and steel products, and electrical-communications equipment. A nuclear-power station began operation at Gösgen in 1979. The canton has excellent road and rail connections. Olten is a railway junction for direct lines from Geneva, Zürich, and Basel and the St. Gotthard Pass via Lucerne. The population is almost entirely German-speaking, with three-fifths Roman Catholics and two-fifths Protestants. Area 305 square miles (791 square km).

Solothurn is regarded as the finest Baroque town in Switzerland, where Italian grandeur is combined with French charm and German practicality. The so-called “ambassador’s town” is at the southern end of the Jura by the River Aare, about 30 km west of Biel/Bienne.

From the 16th to the 18th centuries, the Catholic town of Solothurn was the residence of the French king’s ambassador. Fine Baroque and Renaissance buildings, such as the noble Palais Besenval, and magnificent religious buildings meet the visitor at every end and turn – the Old Town has eleven churches and chapels and the same number of fountains and towers. Truly magnificent is the St.Urs Cathedral, with a façade donated by Louis XIV, and an Italian-style staircase in front. Inside are wonderful Baroque stuccos. The town walls, which are still intact in some places, were built according to the principles of the French military engineer Vauban.

Between the beautiful historic monuments, the patrician buildings and the sturdy fortifications, the traffic-free Old Town is a pleasant place to wander, with lots of small shops and inns. On warm summer evenings, it is very pleasant to sit in the garden restaurants and bars by the Aare.

The town has a range of cultural attractions going far beyond the regional, including the Solothurn Film and Literature Days. The museums range from the History Museum to the internationally acclaimed Natural History Museum, the cathedral treasury, a Museum of Stones, the PC Museum and Schloss Waldegg, not to mention a collection of sentimental light fiction. Finally, in the “Old Arsenal” is one of the largest weapons collections in Europe.

Children are made particularly welcome in Solothurn: the Toy and Puppet Museum is just one of the amenities specially for children. If you follow the tips in the Guide for Children and Families, the tour of the town becomes an adventure in search of castle ghosts and dinosaur tracks, with a climb up to the St. Urs Tower.

A little outside the town is the romantic Verena gorge with its chapel and hermitage, a popular destination for walkers. Hikers and cyclists will find an extensive network of footpaths and 600 km of cycle tracks in the surrounding area and along the Aare. Solothurn is on two national cycle routes: the Mittelland Route and the Aare Route.

Highlights

• Old Town – one of the finest and most compact Old Towns in Switzerland, with many Baroque highlights and a marked French influence.
• St. Urs Cathedral, made of pale Solothurn marble, is the most important Early Classical building in Switzerland, and has 11 altars.
• Museum of Fine Art – important collection of Swiss Art from 1850 onwards, with works by Cuno Amiet, Ferdinand Hodler, Bernhard Luginbühl, Meret Oppenheim, Jean Tinguely.
• Boat ride on the Aare (in summer) – to the Stork Colony in Altreu and via Büren, whose Old Town features in the National Inventory of Heritage Sites, to bilingual Biel/Bienne.
• Weissenstein – Solothurn’s local mountain (1291 m) with nostalgia chairlift and the Hotel Kurhaus Weissenstein in the Jugendstil. Fine views of Central Switzerland and the Alps. Popular area for walking, cycling, cross-country skiing and sledging.
• Magic Park theme park in Riedholz near Solothurn – no need to go on a world tour – discover various corners of the world in this family-friendly park.
• Langenthal – waist-high pavements recall the times when floodwater regularly rushed through the streets. Cultural institutions of national importance (art gallery, Chrämerhuus, theatre).

Top Events

• Solothurner Film Days – important platform for Swiss films; independent film producers are well represented here; awarding of the Swiss Film Prize (January).
• Solothurn Carnival – “Chesslete”, torch-lit procession through the Old Town, the participants wear white nightshirts and make a deafening noise. Masked balls, burning of the Böögg (February/March).
• Solothurn Literature Days – a forum for contemporary writing in Switzerland (on Ascension weekend, May).
• Classic Openair Solothurn – open-air opera performances (July).
• Uhuru Festival – strange noises at the World Music Week on Solothurn’s Weissenstein mountain (July/August).
• Jazz on the Märetplatz – musicians from the traditional jazz scene appear with their Dixieland and Swing music. (August).
• Swiss Walking Event – a walking mecca for beginners (6km) and experts (42km) (September).
• Swiss Health Days – platform for sharing experience between conventional and alternative medical practitioners (October).
• Art Supermarket – the works of both young and more famous artists are presented and sold here (November).

How to get there

Public Transport:

• from Zürich HB, SBB (approx. 60 min.)
• from Bern HB, RBS (approx. 35 min.)
• from Geneva Airport, SBB (approx. 2 hours 10 min.)
• from Basel SBB, change trains in Olten (approx. 60 min.)

By car:

• from Zürich and Bern: Autobahn A1, branching off to A5, exit Solothurn Ost
• from Basel: Autobahn A2, Egerkingen A1 towards Bern, exit Solothurn Ost
• from Biel: Autobahn A5, exit Solothurn West
• from Geneva: Autobahn A1 (Lausanne-Bern-Zürich), branching off to A5, exit Solothurn Ost

Situated on the main railway from Lausanne to Bern and a junction of lines to Murten and Payerne, the city is also a centre for bus and postal road services. There are breweries, a foundry, and factories for chocolate, cardboard boxes, machinery, electrical equipment, wood products, clothing, and chemicals. The population is primarily French speaking.

The Old Town of Fribourg (German: Freiburg im Üechtland) is one of the finest examples of medieval architecture in Europe. It has preserved its medieval charms into modern times, with over 200 Gothic facades dating from the 15th century. There has always been a lively crossover of cultures in this bilingual town.
Fribourg, founded in 1157 by the Dukes of Zähringen, is the capital of the canton of the same name, and is at the interface between German and French cultural influences. The medieval town centre, classified as a historical monument, with its narrow alleyways, picturesque squares and fountains with statues, is situated on a rocky outcrop high above the River Saane (Sarine). The fortifications, with 14 towers and a city wall, are intact and unique.

The most striking feature on the town’s skyline is the 76 metre high, unfinished tower of the St. Nicolas Cathedral. The cathedral can look back over 600 years of history, and houses famous masterpieces such as the incomparable stained glass windows by Jozef Mehoffer and Alfred Manessier and an organ by Aloys Mooser. From the tower, there is a wonderful view over the roofs of the town towards the Fribourg Pre-Alps.

Another good viewpoint is the Italian-style early Baroque Loreto Chapel. From the Neuveville district (in the Lower Town), a funicular railway takes you up to the pedestrianised area of the Upper Town. Fribourg is a lively university town, with many students from all over the world, making this a cosmopolitan, multi-faceted mini-metropolis. In the narrow alleyways are tightly packed rows of little boutiques, antique shops, student cafés and restaurants, offering local and foreign specialities.

One of the favourite destinations for art-lovers is the “Espace Jean Tinguely et Niki de Saint Phalle”, housed in a former tram depot. More works by the two artists can be found on the Sculpture Trail through the town centre. Modern art is on display in the Fri-Art Gallery. Children will love the Puppet Museum or the highly educational Natural History Museum.

It is worth making an excursion to Hauterive Abbey, a Cistercian abbey founded in 1137, and once a stopping place on the pilgrims’ route to Santiago de Compostela.

Highlights

• Fribourg Old Town – Gothic facades, pretty fountains, cosy cafés and inns, full of the charm of bygone days.
• Espace Jean Tinguely et Niki de Saint Phalle – this museum is dedicated to the sculptor Jean Tinguely and his wife, the artist Niki de Saint Phalle.
• St. Nicolas Cathedral – started according to German construction plans and finished to meet French wishes, with magnificent stained glass windows.
• Gruyères/Greyerz – not far from Fribourg is the village of Gruyères /Greyerz, where you can see the famous cheese of the same name being produced in a show cheesery.
• Murten – this little medieval town on the south-east bank of Lake Murten has a complete town wall and a pleasant promenade beside the lake, where there is a wide range of water sports available.

Top Events

• Belluard Bollwerk International – this cultural event for contemporary arts takes place in a medieval fortress (June/July).
• International Folklore Festival – music from around the world on the squares and stages of Fribourg (August).
• St. Niklaus Festival – at dusk, Saint Nikolaus, the town’s patron saint, goes on a donkey at the head of a procession through the Old Town (December).
• Christmas Market – at Christmas, you can buy mulled wine and various regional products at the market (December).

How to get there

Public Transport: Direct train connections to major Swiss cities (Geneva, Lausanne, Bern, Basel, Zürich).
By car: Direct link to the national Autobahn network. Situated on the Autobahn axis Geneva-Zürich and Basel-Bern-Lausanne (A1/E5 and A2/E27)
Other/Air: Fribourg, situated between Geneva and Zürich, offers easy connections between the airports of Zürich-Kloten (160 km), Geneva-Cointrin (140 km), Basel-Mulhouse (140 km) and Bern-Belp (40 km).

Labels such as Cultural Capital of Switzerland or University City can only be seen as an attempt to give the city, with its wealth of cultural, historical, leisure and enjoyment experiences, a single overarching name.

The Cathedral

With its red sandstone walls, multicoloured roof tiles and twin towers, the Cathedral is a dominant feature of the city. The crypt, the choir, the tomb of Erasmus of Rotterdam, the Galluspforte and the two cloisters are a testimony to the eventful history of its construction over a period of several centuries.

Opening hours
Summer, Easter Saturday till the 15th of October
Monday – Friday 10 a.m. – 5.00 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. – 4.00 p.m.
Sunday and holidays 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Winter, 16th of October till Good Friday
Monday – Saturday 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sunday and holidays 2 p.m. – 6 p.m.

The Cathedral is closed on the following days: 1st January, Good Friday, 1st May, 1st August, 24th and 25th December

The Pfalz

The Basler Pfalz offers a magnificent view over the Old Town and far out into the Three-Countries Corner.
The word «Pfalz» is derived from «palatium» = palace. The terrace high above the Rhine behind the Cathedral is called the Pfalz because the residence of the Bishop of Basel was in the immediate vicinity.

Stairs lead down from the Pfalz to the landing stage of the Münsterfähre (Cathedral Ferry). The ferry is attached to a wire rope stretched across the Rhine, and is propelled across the broad river purely by the force of the current. There are three other ferries in Basel, and all of them are a popular attraction for both young and old.
Through a narrow gate one passes from the terrace into the quiet cloister of Basel Cathedral. Here one finds richly ornamented gravestones of members of well-known Basel families dating from the 16th to the 19th century.

Marktplatz & Town Hall

Every day except Sunday, fresh vegetables, fruit and flowers are on sale here. The Marktplatz is dominated by the Town Hall (Rathaus), the seat of the government of the Canton of Basel-City which at the same time functions as the city council.

Particularly worth seeing are the Council Chambers, the atmospheric Inner Courtyard, the romantic arcades and the imposing tower.

At the time of the transition from historicism to the Art Nouveau style, almost all the old burghers’ houses around the Marktplatz were replaced by larger buildings. One surviving building in the Renaissance style is the house of the vintners’ guild, known as the Geltenzunft, whose members were wine merchants and taverners. They were held in high esteem, for wine, like bread, was one of the most important daily foods and the vintners supervised its quality.

Mittlere Brücke / Schifflände

The first bridge across the Rhine was opened in Basel in 1226. Its builder was Prince-Bishop Heinrich von Thun. As protection for the bridge in which so much money had been invested, he established the fortified town of Kleinbasel (Lesser Basel) on the right bank of the Rhine.
The bridge initially served mainly local traffic, but in the 14th century, when the road over the St. Gotthard pass attained international significance, it became an important Rhine crossing for long-distance trade.

After the introduction of the electric tram, it became necessary to replace the old bridge with the new Mittlere Brücke dating from 1905. A copy of the old bridge chapel, the «Käppelijoch», still reminds us of the original structure.

Today, at the Schifflände, is a landing stage for the pleasure boats of the Basler Personenschiffahrt, which offers interesting excursions on the Rhine.

Basel’s Old Town

Travel through time as you explore Basel on foot. Basel’s Old Town remains as untouched and beautiful as any other in Europe.

In few other cities you will find buildings dating back to the 15th century contrasting with and yet complementing the modern works of internationally renowned architects.

Tinguely Fountain

In the place where the stage of the old Town Theatre formerly stood, in 1977 Jean Tinguely placed amusing machine sculptures in an enormous pool of water. They now create action in place of the actors, singers and dancers.

With this fountain the artist, whose work enjoys great popularity in Basel, endowed the town with a new symbol of its identity.

The ancient Celtic Lausonium, or Lausonna, was originally on the shore of the lake southwest of the present city. During the invasion of the Alemanni (c. 379), the inhabitants took refuge in the hills above, building a settlement on the site of the present Cité district. In 590 Bishop Marius of Aventicum (now Avenches) established his diocese there. The settlement eventually joined with the Burgundian settlement of Bourg across the Flon and with a colony around the church of Saint-Laurent to the west. The bishops, princes of the Holy Roman Empire from the 12th century, retained their great temporal powers until 1536, when Lausanne, with the rest of the Pays de Vaud, was conquered by the Bernese, who introduced the Protestant Reformation. The Bernese occupation lasted until 1798, and Lausanne became the capital of the new Vaud canton of Napoleon’s Helvetic Republic in 1803.

Two major international treaties were signed at Lausanne: between Italy and Turkey in 1912 and between Turkey and the Allies of World War I in 1923. In 1932 a conference was held in Lausanne to liquidate reparations payments by Germany to the Allied powers. In 1964 it was the site of the Swiss National Exhibition, held every 25 years in a different Swiss city.

Historic buildings include the early Gothic Cathedral of Notre-Dame, consecrated in 1275 by Pope Gregory X in the presence of the Holy Roman emperor Rudolf I of Habsburg; the Saint-François Church, erected during the same period but partly rebuilt in the late 14th century; and the city hall (rebuilt 1674). The castle, now housing the Historical Museum of the Ancient Bishopric, is the only vestige of the 13th-century residences of the bishops. The Château Saint-Maire (1397–1431), the former bishop’s castle, is now the seat of the cantonal government. More recent landmarks are the Palais de Rumine (1903), the principal building of the university, which also houses the cantonal museums, and the federal court of justice (1927), seat of the Swiss Supreme Court.

Lausanne rivals Geneva as the intellectual and cultural centre of French Switzerland. Its university (1891) originated as a theological academy in 1537. The city was the birthplace of the noted Swiss literary figures Benjamin Constant de Rebecque, Alexandre Vinet, Juste Olivier, and Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz and of the philosopher Charles Secrétan. Many famous European men of letters, including Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Charles Dickens, and Edward Gibbon, resided there.

The headquarters of the International Olympic Committee are at Lausanne, and an Olympic Museum, surrounded by a public park, opened in 1993. Lausanne is also the site of the Federal Polytechnic Institute (founded 1853, present status 1969) and of the annual national fair Comptoir Suisse.

A junction for railway lines from Geneva, Fribourg, Bern, and Vallorbe (for Paris), Lausanne gained greatly in commercial importance when the opening of the Simplon Tunnel in 1906 placed it on the great international route from Paris to Milan. Principal industries include the manufacture of precision instruments and clothing, metal and leather work, printing, and food processing. The city is also an important tourist and convention centre. Pop. (1991 est.) 123,159.

The most notable landmarks are the abbey church and the former monastic buildings. The church (1755–72), one of the finest Baroque structures in Switzerland, is now the Roman Catholic cathedral. The library (1758–67), with its unique Rococo hall, contains about 2,000 manuscripts, as well as numerous incunabula and books dating from the Carolingian and Ottonian empires. There is a commercial university, schools of textiles, embroidery, and fashion, several museums, a theatre, and a concert hall.

Sankt Gallen had a long association with linen and cotton textiles and early in the 20th century was a leading embroidery centre. The latter industry still flourishes but has been balanced by metalworking and the manufacture of clothing and glass. Well-known local events include the biennial Children’s Summer Festival, the biennial International Horse Show, and the Swiss National Fair for agriculture and dairying. The population is German-speaking and about evenly divided between Protestants and Roman Catholics. Pop. (1991 est.) city, 73,367; metropolitan area, 127,578.