The Swiss Alps
One thing I sure miss about living in Germany is the proximity to so many amazing places! Hop in the car, drive a mere five hours and voila: I would be in Switzerland. Any time spent driving through the Swiss Alps is nothing short of therapeutic. Growing up most of my younger years in the Colorado Rockies, Switzerland allowed me to enjoy the scenery which I had come to miss so badly.
Interlaken by far is my favorite place to visit in Switzerland- it’s an adventurer’s wonderland. I preferred heading up to Grindelwald Mountain for skiing, but there are plenty of other very extreme sports that visitors do while spending time in this spectacular place as well.
Interlaken
While winding down autobahn roads suddenly the most gorgeous turquoise lake appears before your eyes, wondrously encircled by breathtaking mountains. I always anticipated seeing its beauty. Once, I even talked my visiting aunt into a five-hour drive, just to eat a burger in this amazing place before turning around to drive 5 hours home!
Don’t make the same mistake as I did: our rental car had the GPS set to “scenic route”, so we arrived way too late to even get a burger! It was a sad day, but how could we be disappointed by the surrounding beauty? That said, I doubt I could ever convince my Aunt of the merits of long-distance burger trips again… (Before you ask about the burger that could drive me to such madness, the Tipi Bar where they made these mouthwatering swiss raised beef burgers is sadly no longer in operation.) As a rule Switzerland and Sweden both make the best burgers I have ever tasted however, so don’t skip a hamburger joint while in this region of Europe!
Where Should I Stay?
If I were to go back today, I would choose to stay at the Grand Hotel Beau Rivage Interlaken or The Hey Hotel. Both have great ratings and reviews so that you can make a solid decision on where to stay. Where you stay on vacation can make or break your trip.
While living in Europe my taste in hotels left much to be desired- which at the time consisted of hostels and cheap hotels (all my meager budget could afford.) I am not a huge fan of hostels after those years- I had a very bad experience one weekend in Prague and decided to never book another. Maybe others have had great experiences with them, but common-use showers are just not my thing.
Scenic Train Rides
Seeing Switzerland by train is the absolute best way to travel through the mountains. Just sit back and enjoy winding through the Swiss Alps taking in their spectacular beauty: sublime! A great resource for planning a panoramic train rides can be found at My Switzerland.
Adventurous Tours
Traveling the world can be scary especially if you are doing it all alone. Viator.com is a great option that has a long history of keeping people safe while offering great tours. Here is my list of the top five tours to do in Switzerland:
- Beatus Caves, Panoramic Bridge, Nature Park Blue Lake and Lake Thun Cruise
- Gruyères Medieval Town, Cheese Factory and Maison Cailler Tour from Interlaken
- Tandem Paragliding Experience from Interlaken
- Mountain Majesty: Small Group Tour to Lauterbrunnen and Mürren
- Lauterbrunnen Valley Waterfalls E-bike Tour with Swiss Picnic
And Now for your History Deep Dive…
Today, Switzerland is considered a neutral country but it wasn’t until 1848 that their constitution was updated to make it so, creating the nation as we know it today. Prior to this Switzerland operated in Cantons (political subdivisions) dating back to 1291 which were formed in defense against the Habsburg Dynasty. (1)
The flag of Switzerland is the famous red flag with the white cross symbolizing the imperial war flag of the Holy Roman Empire. These flags were given by the Pope to a King or military group undertaking a campaign in the name of Christianity. (2) One such military group that would trapse between these regions quite frequently was the Knights Templar. They would travel from France to Italy frequently and as a result, knew the region very well. The flag of the Templars was the inverse of today’s Swiss flag: white with a rose colored cross.
The Knights Templar’s Link to Switzerland
When the Poor Knights of Christ and Knights of the Temple of Solomon combined together, the Knights Templar were born. These men vowed to give up all wealth and riches, donating them to the Order. This resulted in huge amounts of wealth and land being under Templar control, and the Roman Popes granted the Templars much autonomy in their business which furthered their power and influence. Pope Innocent II even gave the Templars more special privileges’ in 1129 AD. They were allowed to build their own chapels, did not have to pay tithes, and sometimes were even exempt from Pope rule. Not to mention, the Templars were lending money and usury did not apply to them (they were allowed to charge interest- something forbidden by the Holy Roman Empire!) (3)
The Templars were heavily skilled in warfare, seamanship, commercial acumen and banking. (4) Eventually they became lenders to monarchs and governments, becoming so powerful that they were feared. Eventually, their formidable reputation became a problem to others in power- and the French King Philip IV decided to do something about it. You see, he was heavily indebted to the Templars, the Jews, and the Lombards, and he wasn’t keen on actually paying those debts. The latter two his army defeated and robbed , but the Templars were no pushovers. (4) So, he demanded six requests of Pope Clement V upon him before he would agree to champion him for the Papal seat. Five to be completed prior to his ascension to the role, and one to be completed at a later date…
Templars Found Guilty of Heresy and France is No Longer in Debt
It was the pesky, tough-as-nails Templars that this sixth request concerned. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1908 Pope Clement V attempted to unite the Templars and the Hospitallers unsuccessfully. Eventually he gave into the demand of the King, wherein he arrested the Templars and held a trial for Heresy. (5) On Friday the 13th, 1307 the Templars were rounded up for this reason and arrested.
At this time there were approximately 3000 Templars, and 620 are documented as arrested and tortured in this effort. By the end of 1312 the Knights Templar were dissolved, having been found guilty of heresy. Those that confessed were assimilated into the Knights Hospitallers. Whatever was found of the Templar’s wealth would be given to the Hospitallers who would also come to be known as the Order of Malta. At the end of it all, somehow France was magically a lot less in debt… (6)
Back to Switzerland
But, where did more than 2000 of the Templars go after 1307? There are a few places that connect the Templars: Scotland, Portugal, and (drumroll please!) …the Cantons of Switzerland.
What is Switzerland known for today? Banking, farming, pharmaceuticals, and engineering. The city of Sion in Switzerland would become the primary mint of the Merovingian family during the Middle Ages and held a significant presence of Knight Hospitallers- the beneficiary’s of dissolved templar assets. (7) You see, per the Pope’s edict all Templar property was to be passed to the Hospitallers, and interestingly even today’s Constitution of Switzerland heavily reflects the philosophy and beliefs of the Templars. (4)
The Banking Giant
It was not until after the 1307 AD Templar trials that the cantons of Switzerland began to grow and flourish. The Templars spurred the genesis of modern day banking as we know it today, so it’s no surprise that the Swiss are famous world-round for their banking prowess. Interestingly enough, the Bank of International Settlements (one bank to rule them all!) is also based here among the Alps. Wouldn’t it be interesting if this institution too had historical ties to the Templars?! Perhaps that’s a much deeper aspect of interesting history best left for another day…
Today Switzerland holds some of the world’s most renowned institutions
- The Bank of International Settlements – Created after WWI
- The United Nations
- The World Health Organization
- Cern
- The Swiss Bank Corporation – Founded in 1854 shortly after the country of Switzerland would be formed. Known today as the Union Bank of Switzerland – One of the largest banks in the world.
- The Red Cross Headquarters
By far Switzerland has a very intriguing history and cannot be missed for anyone who loves the majestic scenery this gorgeous country offers.
Sources:
(1). https://www.britannica.com/place/Switzerland
(2). https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Switzerland
(3). https://www.britannica.com/topic/Templars
(4). Butler, A. Dafoe, S. The Warriors and the Bankers: A History of the Knights Templar from 1307 to the Present. England, Alan Publishing, 3rd Edition 2020.
(5) https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04020a.htm
(6). https://ordredemaltesuisse.org/en/history/names-of-the-order/