Solothurn, Switzerland - Our Turner Hall Swiss Heritage Tour Group had already been to canton Glarus, then across the Alps to Italian Switzerland, back again to "original Switzerland" of cantons Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden, then on to Luzern, Interlaken, the Bernese Oberland, and the Emmental.
Now in Solothurn, we would return for a day to the Emmental and Langnau, Monroe's "friendship city."
Our local descendants of Swiss immigrants have ancestors from all of the German-speaking cantons. Many, of course, were from canton Glarus, after which our local Village of New Glarus is named. Many others were from canton Bern. The Bernese Oberland is the mountainous southern part of canton Bern. The northern part of the canton, drained by the Emme river, is distinguished by wooded ravines, rolling grassy hills, grazing cattle and dairy barns. It is dairy and cheese country, its cheese known as "Emmentaler," that golden nutty-flavored cheese that we know as "Swiss cheese" from which Monroe claims the title of "Swiss Cheese Capital of the USA."
The contact that most international travelers have with host countries is limited to employees in the tourist trade. How much better to establish ties of a more authentic nature. Monroe's "Swissness" would be a logical starting point.
It makes sense that if Monroe were to establish a special relationship with a city in Switzerland, it would select a city of approximately Monroe's size in the Emmental that resembles Green County in so many ways, and the region from which so many of our residents are descended.
In 2012, Hans and Bobbie Bernet asked Beth Zurbuchen, President/CEO of the Swiss Center of North America, if she had a contact in Switzerland who could help us in our search. She put them in touch with Peter Schibli, Director of the internet arm of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. He suggested Langnau.
The city of Langnau, population 9,241, situated on the banks of the Emme River, fits these criteria. The Emmental is off the beaten path of the usual Swiss tourist attractions. But it is a lovely area, rich in ties of culture and heritage with Green County.
In 2012, Hans corresponded with Langnau city officials. In 2013, Monroe's then-Mayer Bill Ross, his wife, Marilyn, along with Hans and Bobbie Bernet, visited Langnau as a first step in establishing a formal relationship between the two cities. In 2014, Monroe Clinic CEO Mike Sanders, his wife, Norah, and friends Paul and Sue Barrett, met with hospital personnel in Langnau. With those visits, person-to-person contact was established.
In 2013, the Turner Hall Swiss Heritage Tour group visited Langnau. And again in 2015, they were welcomed by local dignitaries and entertained by local dancers. In 2016, 27 members of Langnau's "Trachtengruppe Gohl" (Folklore Group Gohl) came to Monroe for our biennial Cheese Days celebration. The following week they stayed with local families and joined in many group activities and guided tours in Green County and surrounding area.
On our way to Langnau, we travel through the rolling hills and villages of the Emmental, remarking on the familiar Green County names on the storefronts and signs along the way. We arrive at Langnau's Old World Museum, welcomed by traditional music of yodeling and dancing accompanied by "Schwitzerorglis," small Swiss accordions.
After greetings by the Langnau dancers, the mayor and two city council members, we spend some time browsing through the museum. Following this, we are given the rare opportunity not typically afforded to tourists. One of the dancers who teaches at a local elementary school takes us over to the school to visit classrooms in session. The students greet us with songs. We are especially impressed with kindergarten students carving out designs with coping saws. In addition to creating manual dexterity, these lessons have the implicit message of developing respect for vocations in which people work with their hands.
After visiting the school, we return to the activity center and enjoy lunch while being entertained by the folk dancers.
After lunch, we cross the street to the Protestant church for an informative lecture on Europe's 16th Century Reformation as it affected Switzerland. Some cantons remained largely Catholic while others, including canton Bern, turned mostly Protestant, and remain largely so to this day.
It was a grand reunion with our Langnau friends, but it is time to move on. We board the bus and travel to the village of Trubschachen and a tour of the Kambly cookie factory. Some of us can't resist purchasing a few samples to take home. We will worry later about how much we can stuff into our luggage and the weight we might gain.
The next stop is at a blacksmith shop run by a member of Langnau's folklore group that had hosted us that day. That member is one Peter Roethlisberger. Yes, the same surname as Big Ben Roethlisberger, famed quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ben Roethlisberger is a descendent of the Roethlisbergers from this area of canton Bern. Peter is of the same clan; the exact relationship uncertain, but clearly a distant relative.
Since Peter is involved in steel, it's only appropriate that his famous relative plays for the Steelers. Steel runs in the family.
Peter has his forges fired up and he demonstrates some tricks of the trade. He concludes his demonstration by starting from scratch with a piece of steel, heating, cutting, pounding, and shaping it. He soon has the completed product - a bottle opener.
As if that were not entertaining enough, he surprises us with the fact that earlier in the day he had fashioned a lot of those bottle openers - one for each family of our tour group.
You never know what might result in a trip to Switzerland.
Next week: To Bern and the Schwartzsee.
- John Waelti of Monroe can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net. His column appears Fridays in The Monroe Times.
Now in Solothurn, we would return for a day to the Emmental and Langnau, Monroe's "friendship city."
Our local descendants of Swiss immigrants have ancestors from all of the German-speaking cantons. Many, of course, were from canton Glarus, after which our local Village of New Glarus is named. Many others were from canton Bern. The Bernese Oberland is the mountainous southern part of canton Bern. The northern part of the canton, drained by the Emme river, is distinguished by wooded ravines, rolling grassy hills, grazing cattle and dairy barns. It is dairy and cheese country, its cheese known as "Emmentaler," that golden nutty-flavored cheese that we know as "Swiss cheese" from which Monroe claims the title of "Swiss Cheese Capital of the USA."
The contact that most international travelers have with host countries is limited to employees in the tourist trade. How much better to establish ties of a more authentic nature. Monroe's "Swissness" would be a logical starting point.
It makes sense that if Monroe were to establish a special relationship with a city in Switzerland, it would select a city of approximately Monroe's size in the Emmental that resembles Green County in so many ways, and the region from which so many of our residents are descended.
In 2012, Hans and Bobbie Bernet asked Beth Zurbuchen, President/CEO of the Swiss Center of North America, if she had a contact in Switzerland who could help us in our search. She put them in touch with Peter Schibli, Director of the internet arm of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. He suggested Langnau.
The city of Langnau, population 9,241, situated on the banks of the Emme River, fits these criteria. The Emmental is off the beaten path of the usual Swiss tourist attractions. But it is a lovely area, rich in ties of culture and heritage with Green County.
In 2012, Hans corresponded with Langnau city officials. In 2013, Monroe's then-Mayer Bill Ross, his wife, Marilyn, along with Hans and Bobbie Bernet, visited Langnau as a first step in establishing a formal relationship between the two cities. In 2014, Monroe Clinic CEO Mike Sanders, his wife, Norah, and friends Paul and Sue Barrett, met with hospital personnel in Langnau. With those visits, person-to-person contact was established.
In 2013, the Turner Hall Swiss Heritage Tour group visited Langnau. And again in 2015, they were welcomed by local dignitaries and entertained by local dancers. In 2016, 27 members of Langnau's "Trachtengruppe Gohl" (Folklore Group Gohl) came to Monroe for our biennial Cheese Days celebration. The following week they stayed with local families and joined in many group activities and guided tours in Green County and surrounding area.
On our way to Langnau, we travel through the rolling hills and villages of the Emmental, remarking on the familiar Green County names on the storefronts and signs along the way. We arrive at Langnau's Old World Museum, welcomed by traditional music of yodeling and dancing accompanied by "Schwitzerorglis," small Swiss accordions.
After greetings by the Langnau dancers, the mayor and two city council members, we spend some time browsing through the museum. Following this, we are given the rare opportunity not typically afforded to tourists. One of the dancers who teaches at a local elementary school takes us over to the school to visit classrooms in session. The students greet us with songs. We are especially impressed with kindergarten students carving out designs with coping saws. In addition to creating manual dexterity, these lessons have the implicit message of developing respect for vocations in which people work with their hands.
After visiting the school, we return to the activity center and enjoy lunch while being entertained by the folk dancers.
After lunch, we cross the street to the Protestant church for an informative lecture on Europe's 16th Century Reformation as it affected Switzerland. Some cantons remained largely Catholic while others, including canton Bern, turned mostly Protestant, and remain largely so to this day.
It was a grand reunion with our Langnau friends, but it is time to move on. We board the bus and travel to the village of Trubschachen and a tour of the Kambly cookie factory. Some of us can't resist purchasing a few samples to take home. We will worry later about how much we can stuff into our luggage and the weight we might gain.
The next stop is at a blacksmith shop run by a member of Langnau's folklore group that had hosted us that day. That member is one Peter Roethlisberger. Yes, the same surname as Big Ben Roethlisberger, famed quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ben Roethlisberger is a descendent of the Roethlisbergers from this area of canton Bern. Peter is of the same clan; the exact relationship uncertain, but clearly a distant relative.
Since Peter is involved in steel, it's only appropriate that his famous relative plays for the Steelers. Steel runs in the family.
Peter has his forges fired up and he demonstrates some tricks of the trade. He concludes his demonstration by starting from scratch with a piece of steel, heating, cutting, pounding, and shaping it. He soon has the completed product - a bottle opener.
As if that were not entertaining enough, he surprises us with the fact that earlier in the day he had fashioned a lot of those bottle openers - one for each family of our tour group.
You never know what might result in a trip to Switzerland.
Next week: To Bern and the Schwartzsee.
- John Waelti of Monroe can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net. His column appears Fridays in The Monroe Times.
