Deep in the Engadine valley of Switzerland where Romansch is widely spoken, there is a village called Scuol, where a pagan tradition survives to this day: the burning of a straw man (Hom Strom) dating from ancient fertility festivals and possibly human sacrifices. Click on an image to enlarge.
Sherlock Holmes in Switzerland
It’s common knowledge that Holmes and Moriarty fell to their deaths by the Reichenbach falls; most people also know that the falls are in Switzerland. But few Sherlock fans could place them on a map and fewer still have been there. The Reichenbach Falls are a short, brisk walk from the centre of Meiringen in […]
Tarasp: The Castle That a Mouthwash Built
Schloss Tarasp in Scuol is one fairy-tale of a castle like they don’t make them anymore. Although 1000 years old and one of many in the Engadine, it is the only one that is not a ruin. The reason for this, is that it was bought in 1900 by one of Germany’s richest men, Karl […]