All good things come to an end, and so it was with our European vacation in the late summer of 2010. The last day of the vacation started at the beautiful Hostellerie du Vignier which I described in episode 23 and ended at the Zurich airport when the evening flight took us home. On the road we stopped for a few hours in the beautiful city of Solothurn.
Solothurn
While the origins of the city date back in the time of the Celts, Solothurn gained its reputation as the most beautiful city of Baroque in Switzerland. Its well preserved old city is one of the most representatives monuments of the period in all German-speaking Europe.
Saint Urs Cathedral
The Saint Urs cathedral is the most imposing religious building in the city. It was built in the 18th century and is dedicated to one of the two patron saints of the city, local martyrs who refused to worship the gods of the Romans.
inside the Saint Urs Cathedral
The spaced interior is quite typical for the Baroque style with lightened walls and decorations by Italian artists.
detail inside the Saint Urs cathedral
Here is one detail which did not fail to draw our attention.
Golgotha series - Saint Urs Cathedral
A series of reliefs describe the stations of the Cross.
dome and ceiling in the Saint Urs cathedral
The complex construction of the ceiling and the round dome lay under the 62 meters high tower which dominates the building and the skyline of the town.
Hotel de la Couronne
Descending the stairs of the cathedral the visitor can find the 16th century building of the Hotel de la Couronne located at the corner of the main street (Hauptstrasse). This area is the older and best kept baroque area of Solothurn.
Zytglogge - clocks
The clock tower building was built in different periods of time. The lower part dates from the 12th century, the higher tower was built in 1467 and the clock and the astronomical device in 1545.
Marktplatz
Solothurn is a city of arts, several festivals and musical events happen here, and the city hosts a few interesting museums. Unfortunately these were closed because it was a Monday.
Jesuit church interior
The second interesting religious building in Solothurn is the Jesuit Church, which was partly in renovation. We could however admire the elegant balconies, the organ and the stuccowork, all dating from around 1680.
Jesuit church - choir and organ
As we crossed the Aare river on a different bridge than the one we came we threw a farewell look to another city which we only had time for a hurry taste. It is always the tourist dilemma – do more but spend few time in each place, or dedicate more time to each of the visited places while missing completely other. This vacation was another opportunity to play this balancing game. We hope to be sometime back.
farewell view over the Aare