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Archive : Switzerland

In 2010 I spent some time in Switzerland, visiting many of its cities and towns.

Zurich is apparently the wealthiest city in Europe.

Zurich
Charlemagne on Grossmünster. Grossmünster. The door of Grossmünster.
View from Grossmünster. The Wasserkirche. Perpendicular gothic in Switzerland? The Grossmünster kapelle.
There is a legend that the saints Felix and Regula were executed on the site of the Wasserkirche, and that Charlemagne founded the Grossmünster on the site of their graves. Centuries later, the reformer Zwingli preached there.
Zurich station. Zurich station.
Zurich Opera House. The Alps across Lake Zurich. Zurich and St. Peter's Church.
Fraumünster. Fraumünster. The door of Fraumünster.
Statues. Architectural sculpture of evil babies. The Amtshaus has a quasi-gothic cloister covered with strange sculptures.
Bahnhof Enge. The vaulted bridge of the Amtshaus. Inside St. Peter's Church.
Engekirche. A Zurich street. Urania Sternwarte.
Predigerkirche. ETH Zurich. The University Of Zurich.
Swiss National Museum. Swiss National Museum. Swiss National Museum.

Château Chillon sits on the eastern edge of Lake Geneva, near Montreux.

Château Chillon
Montreux station. Montreux. Sailing across Lake Geneva.
Château Chillon. The bridge.
Lake Geneva from the château. Château Chillon.
Lord Byron once visited Château Chillon and wrote a poem about its famous prisoner, François De Bonivard.
Wooden walkways. A vault springing from bare rock. The dining room.
Château Chillon. Shady character. Château Chillon.

Fribourg is a small, perfect gothic town, with hundreds of ancient houses along narrow streets.

Fribourg
. . .
View of Fribourg Cathedral. The Pont De Berne over which buses go.
The Hôtel De Ville.
The valley below Fribourg.
. .
The tower of Fribourg Cathedral was completed in the 1490s, apparently following the example of Freiburg (in Germany), which in turn was influenced by English perpendicular.
The western porch. Souls going to hell. The tympanum of the western porch.
Chapel inside the cathedral. The font. William Tell.
Fribourg Cathedral. A beautiful lane. Streets of Fribourg.
Beautiful streets. Fribourg Cathedral. Beautiful streets.
Fribourg

Lausanne is a very hilly city on the north side of Lake Geneva.

Lausanne
The Hôtel De Ville. Château Sainte Marie. Lausanne station.
The organ inside the church of St. François. St. François. St. François.
The nave of Lausanne Cathedral. Lausanne Cathedral. Lausanne Cathedral.
Medieval architect Villard De Honnecourt drew the distinctive design of the rose window in his notebook. In the nineteenth century, the famous architect Viollet-Le-Duc performed restorations on the cathedral.
Lausanne Cathedral. View of the Alps from the cathedral. Lausanne Cathedral.
Lausanne Cathedral. The west door of the cathedral. Lausanne Cathedral.
Lane leading to the cathedral. Sculpture on the cathedral. The post office.
Lausanne Cathedral

Geneva is associated with the Protestant Reformation and international bodies like the League Of Nations.

Geneva
The United Nations. The Palais Des Nations. Ariana Museum.
Palais Eynard. The University Of Geneva. The Atheneum.
The church of Notre Dame. The church of Notre Dame. Geneva station.
The church of Notre Dame. The Brunswick Monument. The art and history museum.
The Opera House. The Rath Museum. The art and history museum.
Geneva Cathedral. Geneva Cathedral.
Geneva Cathedral. Exquisite choir stalls. Geneva Cathedral.
The Chapel Of The Maccabees. The Chapel Of The Maccabees. The Chapel Of The Maccabees.
The beautiful Chapel Of The Maccabees dates from 1400, although the exquisite decoration dates from after the Reformation, naturally. The reformer Calvin preached in the small chapel adjacent to the cathedral.
Geneva Cathedral. The Calvin Auditorium. The Calvin Auditorium.
The Tour Du Molard. Streets of Geneva. Streets of Geneva.
Apparently Cromwell is a hero of the Reformation in these parts. The Reformation Monument. The Reformation Monument.
The huge monument to the Reformation is inscribed with the motto post tenebras lux and includes many prominent figures such as Cromwell, Calvin, Zwingli and Knox.
Post Tenebras Lux

My base of operations was Crans-Montana and neighbouring Sierre, in Valais.

Sierre
The Hôtel De Ville. St. Catherine's Church. Château Mercier.
An old shop. A pretty house. Château Des Vidomnes.
Crans-Montana. Crans-Montana. Snow in Crans-Montana.
Tour De Goubin in Sierre.
View from Crans-Montana.