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The canton of Solothurn
Solothurn is a few miles away from the French-speaking Switzerland, at the foot of the Jura mountains.
City of Solothurn
Solothurn is one of the most beautiful cities in Switzerland, and probably one of the most mysterious too.
Here, almost everything is eleven.
There are 11 fountains ...
11 museums ...
11 churches ...
And even a clock, with its 11 dials and its 11 bells, that indicates only 11 hours.
Strange ... you said strange ? And yet, there is more.
St. Urs Cathedral is the most famous building in the city. Who would doubt ... and yet here more than elsewhere, the number Eleven is everywhere.
ts construction first. From 1762 to 1773, it lasted precisely 11 years. His height then. It measures 66 meters, 6 x 11.
But the myth does not stop there. The staircase is composed of 3 x 11: 33 steps. And inside the Cathedral, the Legend continues ...
The benches are arranged in rows of 11. Even the number of pipes of the organ is dividable by 11.
It is precisely inside the cathedral that we find the explanation of this legend. A cathedral built in memory of two men, Urs and Victor, the heroes of the city. They were members of the 11th Theban Legion.
Urs and Victor, the "eleventh men" become saints. Then, Solothurn joined the Swiss Confederation. This is the 11th canton. The curious legend continues.
City of Altreu, wild storks
In Altreu we can observe a large migratory bird that had completely disappeared from Switzerland there are still 50 years ...
They nest at the top of trees and chimneys. The white stork can be as long as one meter. This is probably the most legendary and best known European bird.
Throughout the world, there are fewer than 200,000 storks. In Switzerland, the situation was even worse. In 1949, this species was completely extinguished, there were no more white stork in Switzerland.
Here in Altreu, a man named Max Shulman decided to force the storks to live here, hoping that later they come back.
After several years, it works. Birds fly in autumn, migrate to hot countries and then return to Altreu in spring. It works so well taht Altreu becomes host of the largest storks colony in Switzerland. Over a hundred birds nest here.
Canton of Solothurn / Practical information :
Area : 791 km2
Population : 250'240
Capital : Solothurn
Language : German
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