DESTINATION:
Art Treasures of Switzerland
Cradled in beautiful Alpine scenery, the historic towns and cities of Switzerland offer far more than clean air and stunning surroundings – together they constitute one of central Europe’s best-kept secrets, blessed as they are with a surprising number of fine art museums and private collections, many of which are relatively unknown. Switzerland today is a cultural and linguistic melting pot, and its artistic and architectural heritage offer a fascinating kaleidoscope of influences from neighbouring countries. The arts in Switzerland have very often been associated with Swiss nationals abroad – Francesco Borromini, Alberto Giacometti, Le Corbusier and Paul Klee all established their fame elsewhere. Historically, this phenomenon has been attributed to puritanical hostility towards painting or sculpted images dating back to the 16th century. However, the country’s historic town centres and the rich and varied collections in its surprisingly numerous museums make Switzerland a rewarding destination for a cultural tour.
A tour to Switzerland can be done by air from the UK, but an alternative would be to travel by coach with appropriate overnight stops en-route. Engaging towns such as Lille, Reims, Metz, Strasbourg, or Nancy with its spectacular Art Nouveau architecture, are all attractive options for overnight stays. Switzerland’s relatively small geographical area means that the entire country can be reached from a single, central point, and thus the suggested base for the tour is the delightful town of Lucerne.
Recommended duration - a minimum of 4 nights/5 days but longer if travelling overland by coach
KEY VISITS (Recommended)
- WALKING TOUR OF LUCERNE – to include the Town Hall on KORNMARKT SQUARE and the beautifully painted PFISTERN GUILDHALL. CHAPEL BRIDGE, which spans the River Reuss, is one of Europe’s oldest covered bridges, and its interior is adorned with 17th century ceiling frescoes illustrating the city’s history. The octagonal edifice of the WATER TOWER is the symbol of Lucerne, dating from c.1300.
- ROSENGART COLLECTION (Lucerne) – exhibits more than 200 paintings from the private collection of Lucerne art dealer Angela Rosengart, including paintings and drawings by 19th and 20th century masters such as Cézanne, Monet, Matisse, Picasso, Klee and Mirò.
- VILLA LANGMATT (Baden) – the private art collection of connoisseurs Sidney and Jenny Brown, and especially rich in Impressionist painting, with works by Corot and Boudin, Degas, Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, Sisley, Cézanne, Gauguin and van Gogh.
- OSKAR REINHART COLLECTION (Winterthur) – comprising more than 200 European works of art from late Gothic to early modern, there is particular emphasis on 19th century French painting.
- KUNSTMUSEUM (Fine Arts Museum Winterthur) – possesses one of the finest modern art collections anywhere in Switzerland. Masterpieces led by leading late 19th century painters, sculptors, and major modern painters are housed in the original museum building, which dates from 1915. Abstract works are displayed in the extension, opened to the public in 1995.
BASEL – an ancient university town with a medieval centre. Visits include:
- MINSTER – originating from the 10th century, the Minster’s construction spanned several centuries and today its twin towers act as a landmark, soaring over the cityscape.
- CHURCH OF ST PETER – located on the periphery of the Old Town, the oldest remaining part of the church is from the 13th century. It boasts the remains of rich cycles of paintings dating from the 14th century, in particular the lying of Christ’s body in the tomb.
- KUNSTSMUSEUM (Fine Arts Museum) – one of the world’s great art galleries, and the largest in Switzerland with a particular emphasis on 15th – 17th century paintings and drawings from the upper Rhine and the Netherlands. It also has a fine collection of 19th and 20th century art, and holds the largest collection of works by the Holbein family.
- BEYELER FOUNDATION – a collection amassed by Hildy and Ernst Beyeler, and now housed in a building designed by Renzo Piano. Exhibited works include paintings by such artists as Monet, Cézanne, van Gogh and Picasso.
ZURICH – a cultural treasure as well as a hub of trade and major financial centre. Visits include:
- OLD TOWN – offering an abundance of gracious churches, fine shops and galleries often located in former guild houses dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, traditional restaurants, theatres, and excellent museums.
- GROSSMÜNSTER – the tall twin towers of the Great Minster dominate Zurich’s skyline. According to legend, the Emperor Charlemagne founded a church here in the late 8th to early 9th centuries on the graves of Felix and Regula, the local saints of Zurich. Work began in 1100 and the west towers were completed in the late 15th century. Although the interior was stripped of its furnishings and decoration in line with reformist ideals, vestiges of Gothic frescoes and the fine Romanesque capitals of the nave survive.
- FRAUMÜNSTER – dating from the 9th century, the church is the surviving part of a former convent. It has a mid-13th century presbytery in the late Romanesque style, and an early Gothic transept and nave that has been remodelled several times. The Neo-gothic façade was added in 1911. It boasts remarkable stained-glass windows by Giacometti and Marc Chagall.
- KUNSTHAUS – the city’s most important art gallery, with a particularly strong 19th and 20th century collection, including two of Monet’s Nymphea paintings, and the largest collection of works by Eduard Munch outside Norway.
ALTERNATIVE VISITS
- BERN – Switzerland’s capital city. Sheltered by the Jura to the north and Alpine foothills to the south, Bern is a relatively small capital, the Old Town listed by UNESCO for its medieval civic architecture. There are lovely squares and parks, plenty of restaurants and cafes, and no less than 6 kilometres of 11th century arcaded streets, offering shelter for shoppers and browsers whatever the weather! Foremost among the city’s museums is the KUNSTMUSEUM, housing paintings, sculpture and other art works covering some 800 years.
- SWISS NATIONAL MUSEUM (Zurich) – a neo-Gothic fortress-like building (1898) that houses the magnificent collection of the Swiss National Museum which provides a fascinating insight into Swiss history and culture from prehistoric times to the present day.
- EINSIEDELN – to visit the Benedictine Abbey. One of the most significant baroque buildings in Switzerland, it has, since the Middle Ages, been an established place of pilgrimage due to the ‘Black Madonna’, which is housed in the Lady Chapel.
- TINGUELY MUSEUM (Basel) – located on the banks of the Rhine in a unique building designed by Swiss architect, Mario Botta. The kinetic artist, Jean Tinguely (1925-1991), grew up in Basel and the museum houses a permanent collection of his works, including sculptures, reliefs, catalogues, photographs, and drawings spanning his entire career. The museum’s temporary exhibitions display works from Tinguely’s contemporaries and further examples of kinetic art.
- ABEGG FOUNDATION (Riggisberg, near Bern) – devoted to early textiles and applied art, its permanent collection featuring sculpture, painting, examples of the goldsmith’s art, ceramics, bronze, and glass from Europe and the Near East.
FURTHER AFIELD
MUSEE D’UNTERLINDEN (Colmar) – housed in a beautiful 13th century Dominican convent, it is home to Matthias Grunewald’s Issenheim Altarpiece, a large polyptych of Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection. The altarpiece was commissioned by the Monastery of St Anthony in Issenheim near Colmar, which specialised in the care of those suffering from skin disease, such as leprosy. It is an evocative piece of work, and considered to be one of the most striking in the history of Northern European art.