It had been a great two weeks, the time having flown by rapidly with such wonderful scenery, sumptuous dining, and many interesting, educational activities. It was time to leave Switzerland, but not before one more interesting day.
We leave Schwarzee the morning after our third night at those comfortable resort digs, boarding the bus to head north to Basel, Switzerland's third largest city after Zurich and Geneva. The canton of Basel split into two half cantons, Basel-Land and Basel-Stadt, in 1833. The city of Basel, located on the river Rhine where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, is the capital of Basel-Stadt.
With its strategic location on the Rhine, Basel has been a commercial hub and major cultural center since the Renaissance. Basel hosts internationally renowned museums, including the Kunstmuseum. Originating in 1661, it had the first collection of art accessible to the European public.
The University of Basel, founded in 1460, is Switzerland's oldest university. The university and the city's long commitment to humanism have made Basel a safe haven during times of political unrest in other parts of Europe.
Outstanding 17th and 18th century mathematicians included the Bernoulli family. Johann Bernoulli, an early developer of calculus, was born in Antwerp. To escape Spanish persecution of the Huguenots, the family moved to Basel. His son, Daniel, is remembered for his applications of mathematics to fluid mechanics. "Bernouilli's principle" describes the mathematics underlying the carburetor and the lift of the airplane wing.
Daniel's contemporary and friend, Leonhard Euler, originator of "Euler's theorem," to which students of mathematics are exposed, was born in Basel and studied under Johann Bernoulli.
Another, less universal, cultural event of Basel is of significance to Green County. Untold numbers of students took accordion lessons from Rudy Burkhalter during the 1940s and 1950s. Rudy was born near Basel and studied music theory and composition at the Basel Music Conservatory before immigrating to Wisconsin in 1939 - and teaching accordion to us local kids. With that, we can claim a cultural connection to Basel.
Canton Basel joined the Swiss Confederacy in 1501 as its eleventh canton. It was the only canton that had been asked to join Switzerland, rather than the other way around. Its strategic location on the Rhine and control of grain imports from Alsace was a major factor. A provision of the charter accepting Basel as a Swiss canton required that it was to stay neutral in event of conflicts between other cantons.
Basel's tradition of contribution to peace and social welfare has continued over the years. Two of many examples: In 1897 the first World Zionist Congress was held in Basel, and took place in Basel for 10 times, more than any other city in the world. In 1989, the Basel Convention was aimed at preventing export of hazardous waste from wealthy to developing nations for disposal.
Basel is today a center of the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, exemplified by hosting home offices of pharmaceutical giants, Novartis and Roche.
We arrive in Basel to comfortable autumn temperatures and sunshine. After a guided walking tour of Basel's Old Town, we scatter and enjoy lunch at various excellent Basel sidewalk cafes.
We once again board the bus, head north and cross the Rhine to canton Schaffhausen. As the only Swiss canton north of the Rhine, the canton and its capital, the city of Schaffhausen, have been exposed to some perils, like being mistaken for Germany during World War II.
In April 1944, 50 U.S. Army Airforce B-24 Liberator bombers misidentified Schaffhausen for their intended target and dropped 60 tons of bombs on the city. As its citizens were accustomed to routine air raid sirens, they paid too little attention to the warnings. Forty people were killed and 270 injured.
The mistaken identity was attributed to bad weather that broke up the formation. High winds doubled the ground speed, confusing the navigators. During WWII, both the Allied and Axis powers occasionally violated Swiss air space.
The plan for the remainder of our final afternoon is to visit the Rhine falls before reaching the city of Schaffhausen.
As we travel along the sky grows dark and it begins to rain. Since it has already been a full day and the dismal weather would obscure the view of the falls, we opt to skip the falls and anticipate our final excellent dinner at the hotel.
But whaddaya know - as we near the falls, there is a dramatic break in the clouds and we are treated to a late afternoon view of a double rainbow.
Our bus pulls into the parking lot; we debark, and take the narrow footpath down to the viewing area of the falls.
The Rhine falls were formed in the late ice age, 14,000 to 17,000 years ago. The north side of the falls was once a mill site. In the 17th century a blast furnace for smelting iron ore found in the limestone was built, and operated until the 1st half of the 19th century.
In 1887, the ironworks applied for permission to divert up to one half of the river's flow for generation of electricity. A nature group, the Swiss Alpine Club, opposed the plan and it was scuttled.
In 1919, there were more proposals to build a power station. A permit was finally granted in 1948. However, under the leadership of one Emil Egli, and some prominent Swiss citizens, a petition denied the proposal and effectively prevented future hydropower and navigation projects on the upper Rhine.
Tourists have for centuries enjoyed viewing the Rhine Falls. The roaring water over the falls, glistening white in the late afternoon sunshine, is a dramatic sight. We take advantage of our good fortune and capture some great pictures.
We board the bus and arrive at our hotel in Schaffhausen, to another excellent dinner, our final of the tour.
Next week: Summary thoughts on complexities, contradictions and idiosyncrasies of this unique nation.
- John Waelti of Monroe can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net. His column appears Fridays in The Monroe Times.
We leave Schwarzee the morning after our third night at those comfortable resort digs, boarding the bus to head north to Basel, Switzerland's third largest city after Zurich and Geneva. The canton of Basel split into two half cantons, Basel-Land and Basel-Stadt, in 1833. The city of Basel, located on the river Rhine where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, is the capital of Basel-Stadt.
With its strategic location on the Rhine, Basel has been a commercial hub and major cultural center since the Renaissance. Basel hosts internationally renowned museums, including the Kunstmuseum. Originating in 1661, it had the first collection of art accessible to the European public.
The University of Basel, founded in 1460, is Switzerland's oldest university. The university and the city's long commitment to humanism have made Basel a safe haven during times of political unrest in other parts of Europe.
Outstanding 17th and 18th century mathematicians included the Bernoulli family. Johann Bernoulli, an early developer of calculus, was born in Antwerp. To escape Spanish persecution of the Huguenots, the family moved to Basel. His son, Daniel, is remembered for his applications of mathematics to fluid mechanics. "Bernouilli's principle" describes the mathematics underlying the carburetor and the lift of the airplane wing.
Daniel's contemporary and friend, Leonhard Euler, originator of "Euler's theorem," to which students of mathematics are exposed, was born in Basel and studied under Johann Bernoulli.
Another, less universal, cultural event of Basel is of significance to Green County. Untold numbers of students took accordion lessons from Rudy Burkhalter during the 1940s and 1950s. Rudy was born near Basel and studied music theory and composition at the Basel Music Conservatory before immigrating to Wisconsin in 1939 - and teaching accordion to us local kids. With that, we can claim a cultural connection to Basel.
Canton Basel joined the Swiss Confederacy in 1501 as its eleventh canton. It was the only canton that had been asked to join Switzerland, rather than the other way around. Its strategic location on the Rhine and control of grain imports from Alsace was a major factor. A provision of the charter accepting Basel as a Swiss canton required that it was to stay neutral in event of conflicts between other cantons.
Basel's tradition of contribution to peace and social welfare has continued over the years. Two of many examples: In 1897 the first World Zionist Congress was held in Basel, and took place in Basel for 10 times, more than any other city in the world. In 1989, the Basel Convention was aimed at preventing export of hazardous waste from wealthy to developing nations for disposal.
Basel is today a center of the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, exemplified by hosting home offices of pharmaceutical giants, Novartis and Roche.
We arrive in Basel to comfortable autumn temperatures and sunshine. After a guided walking tour of Basel's Old Town, we scatter and enjoy lunch at various excellent Basel sidewalk cafes.
We once again board the bus, head north and cross the Rhine to canton Schaffhausen. As the only Swiss canton north of the Rhine, the canton and its capital, the city of Schaffhausen, have been exposed to some perils, like being mistaken for Germany during World War II.
In April 1944, 50 U.S. Army Airforce B-24 Liberator bombers misidentified Schaffhausen for their intended target and dropped 60 tons of bombs on the city. As its citizens were accustomed to routine air raid sirens, they paid too little attention to the warnings. Forty people were killed and 270 injured.
The mistaken identity was attributed to bad weather that broke up the formation. High winds doubled the ground speed, confusing the navigators. During WWII, both the Allied and Axis powers occasionally violated Swiss air space.
The plan for the remainder of our final afternoon is to visit the Rhine falls before reaching the city of Schaffhausen.
As we travel along the sky grows dark and it begins to rain. Since it has already been a full day and the dismal weather would obscure the view of the falls, we opt to skip the falls and anticipate our final excellent dinner at the hotel.
But whaddaya know - as we near the falls, there is a dramatic break in the clouds and we are treated to a late afternoon view of a double rainbow.
Our bus pulls into the parking lot; we debark, and take the narrow footpath down to the viewing area of the falls.
The Rhine falls were formed in the late ice age, 14,000 to 17,000 years ago. The north side of the falls was once a mill site. In the 17th century a blast furnace for smelting iron ore found in the limestone was built, and operated until the 1st half of the 19th century.
In 1887, the ironworks applied for permission to divert up to one half of the river's flow for generation of electricity. A nature group, the Swiss Alpine Club, opposed the plan and it was scuttled.
In 1919, there were more proposals to build a power station. A permit was finally granted in 1948. However, under the leadership of one Emil Egli, and some prominent Swiss citizens, a petition denied the proposal and effectively prevented future hydropower and navigation projects on the upper Rhine.
Tourists have for centuries enjoyed viewing the Rhine Falls. The roaring water over the falls, glistening white in the late afternoon sunshine, is a dramatic sight. We take advantage of our good fortune and capture some great pictures.
We board the bus and arrive at our hotel in Schaffhausen, to another excellent dinner, our final of the tour.
Next week: Summary thoughts on complexities, contradictions and idiosyncrasies of this unique nation.
- John Waelti of Monroe can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net. His column appears Fridays in The Monroe Times.
