Solothurn

Solothurn's obsession with the number 11 is officially recognized as a 'living tradition' of Switzerland. The city joined the Swiss Confederation in 1481 as the 11th canton, and in 1252 the town council elected 11 members. The Zeitglockenturm (Clock Tower), built around 1250 and first documented as a clock tower in 1406, has an astronomical clock by Lorenz Liechti and Joachim Habrecht (1545) with a dial showing only 11 hours. The city features 11 churches and chapels, 11 fountains, and 11 towers. Even the local Oeufi-Bier brewery was founded on 11.11.2000, and the kneelers in St. Ursen Cathedral are arranged in rows of 11.

The Verenaschlucht is a forested limestone gorge just north of Solothurn, named after St. Verena of Zurzach (born circa 260 AD in Thebes, Egypt), a Christian holy woman who accompanied the Theban Legion to Switzerland. After the legion's massacre at Agaunum, Verena settled as a hermit in a cave in this gorge, devoting herself to prayer and charitable works among the local Alemanni tribes. The Einsiedelei (hermitage) dates to the 15th century and includes two chapels dedicated to St. Verena and St. Martin. Remarkably, the hermitage is still maintained by a real hermit today, following a centuries-old tradition -- one of the last active hermitages in Switzerland.

The St. Ursen Cathedral (Kathedrale St. Urs und Viktor) was built between 1762 and 1773 -- exactly 11 years -- designed by the Ticino architect Gaetano Matteo Pisoni from Ascona. Its monumental outdoor staircase has 3 sets of 11 steps, totaling 33 steps. The bell tower is 66 meters tall (6 times 11) and houses 11 bells cast by the Kaiser foundry in Solothurn between 1764 and 1768. Inside, 11 altars are all visible simultaneously from a single spot: the 11th black floor stone in the nave. The cathedral replaced earlier churches on the same site going back to a 5th-century pilgrimage church over St. Ursus's grave.

From 1530 to 1792, Solothurn served as the permanent seat of the French ambassador to the Swiss Confederation, making it effectively the diplomatic capital of Switzerland for 262 years. The ambassador resided in the Ambassadorenhof, still standing today. France maintained this embassy to secure Swiss mercenary soldiers and political influence. The French presence brought enormous wealth, courtly culture, and architectural taste to the city. The last French ambassador, Charles-Olivier de Saint-Georges, Marquis de Verac, departed in 1792 when the French Revolution ended the monarchy. This explains why Solothurn is called the 'Ambassador's City' and why its architecture blends Italian grandeur, French elegance, and German practicality.

The Zeitglockenturm (Clock Tower) is the oldest building in Solothurn, built in the early 13th century (circa 1250) as part of the castle fortifications. Its remarkable astronomical clock, built by Lorenz Liechti and Joachim Habrecht in 1545, displays the day, month, and year. Every hour, three mechanical figures perform beneath a canopy: a knight, a king, and a skeleton (Death) -- classic medieval memento mori symbolism. A bell ringer figure strikes the tower bell with a large hammer. The clock dial shows only 11 hours and plays the Solothurner Lied on 11 chimes.

Tadeusz Kosciuszko (1746-1817) was a Polish-American military hero who fought in the American Revolution and led the 1794 Polish Uprising against Russia and Prussia. He spent his final years in exile in Solothurn, dying there on 15 October 1817. A Kosciuszko Museum at his last residence preserves his memory. In America, Kosciuszko had served as a colonel of engineers under George Washington, designing key fortifications including those at West Point.

St. Ursen Cathedral houses 11 bells, cast by the Kaiser foundry in Solothurn between 1764 and 1768. The cathedral's bell tower stands 66 meters tall (6 times 11). Inside, all 11 altars are visible from a single spot marked by the 11th black floor stone. The cathedral was designed by Gaetano Matteo Pisoni and built 1762-1773. It is considered the most significant early Neoclassical sacred building in Switzerland, with a late Baroque facade and an early Neoclassical interior built of pale Solothurn Jura limestone.

The Weissenstein (1,395 meters) is the easternmost summit above 1,300 meters in the Jura Mountains and Solothurn's Hausberg (house mountain). It offers panoramic views from Saentis to Mont Blanc on clear days. The mountain is accessible by gondola lift from Oberdorf, opened in 2014 replacing an older chairlift that operated from 1950 to 2009. The Kurhaus Weissenstein spa hotel has been welcoming guests since the 19th century. The Weissenstein is famous for rising above the Mittelland fog -- when the lowlands are shrouded in grey mist, sunshine awaits on the ridge above.