Switzerland: A Village History
Product ID: 9490545
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Switzerland: A Village History is an account of an Alpine village that illuminates the broader history of Switzerland and its rural, local underpinnings. It begins with the colonization of the Alps by Romanized Celtic peoples who came from the plain to clear the wilderness, establish a tiny monastic house, and create a dairy economy that became famous for its cheeses. Over ten centuries the village, like the rest of Switzerland, went through the traumas of religious reformation and political revolution. A single currency, a unified postal service, and eventually an integrated army brought improved stability and prosperity to the union of two dozen small republics. Yet Switzerland’s enduring foundation remains the three thousand boroughs to which the Swiss people feel they truly belong. In Switzerland: A Village History , distinguished scholar David Birmingham tells the story of his childhood village-Château-d’Oex-where records of cheesemaking date to 1328. The evolution of this ancient grazing and forest economy included the rise of the legal profession to keep track of complex deeds, grazing allotments, and animal rights-of-way. Switzerland’s eventual privatization of communal grazing land drove many highlanders to emigrate to the European plains and overseas to the Americas. The twentieth century brought wealth from foreign tourism to Switzerland, punctuated by austerities imposed by Europe’s wars. Alpine peasants were integrated into Swiss union society and began at last to share in some of the prosperity flowing from urban industry. Switzerland: A Village History replaces the mythology and patriotic propaganda that too often have passed for Swiss history with a rigorous, insightful, and charming account of the daily life, small-scale rivalries, and local loyalties that actually make up Swiss history. Review: Swiss Peoples History - Book is interesting and was shipped promptly and is in perfect condition. All that and a good price made for a A+ experience. I’d definitely recommend this supplier. Review: Good local history perspective - A thorough history from a local perspective which nicely complimented our recent trip there. Especially informative about the area around Gruyere.
| Best Sellers Rank | #657,445 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1,840 in Cultural Anthropology (Books) #3,116 in European History (Books) #4,622 in Historical Study (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 3.9 out of 5 stars 23 Reviews |
C**D
Swiss Peoples History
Book is interesting and was shipped promptly and is in perfect condition. All that and a good price made for a A+ experience. I’d definitely recommend this supplier.
D**E
Good local history perspective
A thorough history from a local perspective which nicely complimented our recent trip there. Especially informative about the area around Gruyere.
A**X
Switzerland: Village History is a good find for getting to know Swiss History.
The book is descript and always has a characteristic for centering itself in a fusion of the interesting and the valuable. The book includes maps of Switzerland which provide landmarks referred to in the book. The author is also knowledgeable of the subject and has a crisp writing style. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to get to know Switzerland.
Y**R
Three Stars
A bit dry
M**Y
Five Stars
Really useful book, well-written and interesting.
E**Y
Great History of a Village In Switzerland!
As I am a family history nut, I've been looking for books about the history and culture of Switzerland to learn more about my ancestors' experiences, and have found how rare books about Switzerland are. This book was a great find! While it focuses on the area of Chateau-d'Oex, much of what Mr. Birmingham writes applies to other areas of Switzerland as well! Not only does he give good descriptions of the major political, economic, and religious events, but he provides many details of the day to day lives of the people of Switzerland. This included courting rituals (bundling!) and marriage patterns, daily and seasonal routines of dairy farmers, etc. A must for anyone who is interested in learning more about Swiss history and culture! I hope Mr. Birmingham plans to continue his research and writing about Switzerland.
K**Z
Excellent Content
The person reading over enunciates, but the content is exactly what I was looking for to get an idea of life in the old days in rural Switzerland.
A**S
Only One town really!
A very dry read. Disappointed as with most cultural histories of the European Alps, unlike those of equivalent Himalayan communities. Why?
C**O
Swiss regonal economic history
I found this book interesting and readable. I first travelled through this region in 1980 when the church at Rougemont was having its 900th birthday. My feeble mind did the math and concluded that was just after 1066 and all that. In 1983 I hiked from Bulle to Chateau D'ouex and bought a wedge of cheese from a small farm in the alp. That transaction was delightful and the discription of the development of the Gruyere cheese industry can be found in this book. Although I am not a scholar or student of history it is fascinating for me to see the economic development as the city states emerged in this area. It is also informative on the topic of politics between Bern, Lausanne, and Fribourg. I visit Switzerland almost every year since 1980 and look forward to the train ride from Zwissiman to Montreux... I would encourage you to read this book and make the visit yourself. I am sure you will enjoy both.
P**P
Barley, cheese, gin for foot-in-mouth; a life without "afluenza"
This was a very interesting book; every sentence was interesting. The writer did not once diverge off tangent: the book stayed true to its narrative & inceptual course. It was a history of Chateau D'Oex, and presumably Zug or some other Orte in Switzerland had a different history: seeing as cheese-making had a lot, it seemed to me, to do with things. Other parts of "Switzerland" may not have Alemannic and Romanic tribes cheek-by-jowl: or (a) Bern ordering et bossing Chateau D'Oex about- it didn't seem to order Chambrey [about]- but a stipulation that I'm unknowledgeable about all things Swiss, is obvious. Lausanne, Vaud- and earlier, Bern, seemed to be the Suzerains- in the late Middle-Ages?- while the Counts of Gruyere may have been the earliest incarnation of "noble domination", but what-do-I-know, as the axiom goes. Quitting while I'm behind, seein' as it's too late to quit while I'm ahead; this was a docu-drama of a book; a fly-on-the-wall through the centuries book, of a cheese-making village. (...see youtube clips of Alpine cheese-making- two words- "hard work").
B**W
Informative
As a frequent visitor to Switzerland I used this book to Improve my knowledge of the country it was a bit heavy going at times but enjoyable
A**R
Very interesting
Really interesting book, giving the history of a locality in Switzerland. Unlike most history this is about the ordinary people who lived and worked in the area. Quite unlike the usual nonsense about kings, queens etc.
A**R
Fantastic insight into modern Switzerland
For anyone with an interest in modern Switzerland and any knowledge of the Vaud / Bern border areas this book is a must. It is readable and fascinating and helps you place into context the patterns of contemporary life and social structure. If in doubt, buy it.
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