Switzerland: A Village History

by David Birmingham

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 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. 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.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

228 pages, Paperback

First published May 9, 2000

Reviews

[Mesoscope · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in preparation for a trip to Bern, Zürich, and the Berner Oberland - I wanted to get a sense of the country's history, and Birmingham's approach of focusing on the small dairy village of Château-d'Oex in the district of Gruyère sounded more interesting than a conventional national history. I'm glad I took this approach - sometimes studying local history provides a richer sense of a national culture than you can get from a higher level, and given the striking social, political, economic, linguistic, and cultural diversity that characterizes Switzerland, it's probably particularly true in this case.

For my itinerary this book proved to be an excellent fit, covering the city-state of Bern in some detail and giving copious scrutiny to life in an Alpline cheese-making community. It was striking to visit national museums in Zürich and Bern and, in contrast with Birmingham's village-level focus, to get a sense of the markedly different ways in which the history of the region was understood by its urban centers versus how it occurred on the countryside.

Birmingham covers a period of some 800 years in his two hundred pages, basing evocative descriptions of the life and times of Château-d'Oex based closely on primary sources. This book is an excellent and illuminating read, and I was very pleased to spend some time with it.

[Dan Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened on Audible and wish I’d paid more attention to other reviewers in that regard. Very difficult to keep your interest when you combine the very straightforward writing style with a narrator who is pretty bland.

That said, did learn some things and liked the idea of viewing Swiss history through the lens of one particular village.

[Larry Schwartz · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's the only reasonably current history of Switzerland available in English. And now I really want to go to Chateau d'Oex.

[Kathryn Pritchett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to this as an audiobook. Excellent info--so much about cheese!--but the narrator spoke in a stilted monotone.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting view of Swiss history through the story of one village. It is not a comprehensive history of the country with the usual discussion of larger historical currents. Rather, it focuses on the lives of actual people and the way in which they were impacted by events.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging and detailed local history -- Chateau d'Oex, a village in the mountains northeast of Lac Leman, about 150 km from Geneva. Link to another review: http://dannyreviews.com/h/Switzerland....