Switzerland Eyewitness Travel

SWITZERLAND EYEWITNESS TRAVEL via san lorenzo piazza g. motta via THE GUIDES THAT SHOW YOU WHAT OTHERS ONLY TELL YOU ALPINE VILLAGES MOUNTAINS • ART CHURCHES • LAKES MUSEUMS • RESTAURANTS SKIING • HOTELS • SPAS EYEWITNESS TRAVEL SWITZE RLAND [...]...INTRODUCING SWITZERLAND DISCOVERING SWITZERLAND 1011 PUTTING SWITZERLAND ON THE MAP 1215 A PORTRAIT OF SWITZERLAND 1629 SWITZERLAND THROUGH THE YEAR 3033 THE HISTORY OF SWITZERLAND 3443 10 I N T R O D U C I N G S W I T Z E R L A N D DISCOVERING SWITZERLAND E ach of Switzerland s eight regions the grotesquely costumed Vogel Gryff has its... Graubünden Central Switzerland and Ticino ZG Zug LU Luzern Eastern Switzerland and Graubünden SZ Schwyz SH Schaffhausen UR Uri SO Solothurn TG Thurgau TI Ticino BE Bern AR Appenzell-Ausserrhoden NW Nidwalden VS Valais SG St Gallen OW Obwalden P U T T I N G S W I T Z E R L A N D O N T H E M A P Bern’s mascot, an armoured bear, atop a fountain in Kramgasse 0 km 0 miles 20 20 LANGUAGES IN SWITZERLAND Switzerland... predominates in northern, eastern and central Switzerland, French is spoken in the west, and Italian in the south Valais, or Wallis, has distinct French- and German-speaking regions Romansh is the language of a small minority of people in Graubünden, where German and Italian predominate SWISS CANTONS Western Switzerland AI Appenzell-Innerrhoden Northern Switzerland JU Jura BS Jura NE Neuchâtel BL Neuchâtel... I T Z E R L A N D Putting Switzerland on the Map Located in the Alpine region of central Europe, Switzerland is a landlocked country covering some 41,300 sq km (15,950 sq miles) and inhabited by 7.5 million people, 22 per cent of whom are nonSwiss It borders Germany to the north, Austria and Liechtenstein to the east, Italy to the south, and France to the west and northwest Switzerland consists of three... building activity in Switzerland In the country’s Catholic regions many new churches were built, and older ones remodelled, in the Baroque style Characterized by extensive ornamentation, painted ceilings, scrollwork and gilding, the Baroque in Switzerland came under foreign influences and has north Italian and south German variants The finest examples of Baroque architecture in Switzerland are the Klosterkirche... Verbier is surrounded by Switzerland strangers with one of the From the gnomes of Zürich to world’s best tourist infrastructures MITTELLAND, BERNESE OBERLAND AND VALAIS • World-class ski resorts • Grand St Bernard Pass • Awe-inspiring peaks Snowy scene with the peak of the Matterhorn in the distance BERN • Well-preserved Old Town • Art at the Kunstmuseum • Bear Park Bern is Switzerland s most affable... A N D O N T H E M A P Aerial view of Bern’s Old Town KEY National border International airport Motorway Major road Railway line 13 14 I N T R O D U C I N G S W I T Z E R L A N D Switzerland s Cantons and Linguistic Regions Switzerland is divided into 26 cantons, six of which (Appenzell-Ausserrhoden, Appenzell-Innerrhoden, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Nidwalden and Obwalden) are known as half-cantons... p60), home to the city’s popular brown bears A region of ice-covered peaks and verdant valleys, this area also includes Switzerland s biggest expanse of flat farm land – the Mittelland Among the world-class ski resorts here are Zermatt (see p89), and Verbier (see p85) The Jungfrau train travels through the Eiger, terminating at 3,454 m (11,333 ft) The Matterhorn (see p90) is the world’s most enigmatic... gorgoyles (see pp98–9) WESTERN SWITZERLAND • Elegant Swiss Riviera • Fairytale Château de Chillon • Verdant lakeside vineyards The romantic poets Byron and Shelley, as well as modern Bern’s medieval Old Town, with the River Aare running through it Painted façade of the Roter Ochsen, a house on the Rathausplatz in Stein am Rhein D I S C O V E R I N G S W I T Z E R L A N D 11 EASTERN SWITZERLAND AND GRAUBUNDEN... created This was Rumantsch grischun, but Italian only with difficulty did it Romansh gain currency 15 I N T R O D U C I N G S W I T Z E R L A N D A PORTRAIT OF SWITZERLAND A landlocked country in the cultural and geographical heart of Europe, Switzerland has a distinct character and dynamism While the country is admired for the beauty of its Alpine environment, its people are respected for their industry . alt="" INTRODUCING SWITZERLAND DISCOVERING SWITZERLAND 1011 PUTTING SWITZERLAND ON THE MAP 1215 A PORTRAIT OF SWITZERLAND 1629 SWITZERLAND THROUGH THE YEAR 3033 THE HISTORY OF SWITZERLAND 3443 INTRODUCING. HISTORY OF SWITZERLAND 34 SWITZERLAND REGION BY REGION SWITZERLAND AT A GLANCE 46 BERN 48 MITTELLAND, BERNESE OBERLAND AND VALAIS 66 GENEVA 92 WESTERN SWITZERLAND 108 NORTHERN SWITZERLAND. village in Val Bregaglia, Graubünden INTRODUCING SWITZERLAND DISCOVERING SWITZERLAND 10 PUTTING SWITZERLAND ON THE MAP 12 A PORTRAIT OF SWITZERLAND 16 SWITZERLAND THROUGH THE YEAR 30 CONTENTS HOW