The sources of the Rhine

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Die Rheinquellen was a rather conservative German-language daily newspaper for the Swiss canton of Graubünden , produced in Chur . They appeared from 1856 to 1860 as the successor to the Churer Zeitung (1800-1856) . Since "Die Rheinquellen" flopped economically, the title was given up in 1860. The Neue Bündner Zeitung (1860–1865) was subsequently published by the same publisher but with a different editorial team .

history

Fierce competition

In 1856 four German-language newspapers vied for the favor of the few Bündner readers: Die Bündner Zeitung (1830–1858) , Der Liberale Alpenbote , the Bündner Tagblatt and “Die Rheinquellen”. The rival leaves were mutually hostile. The disputes took place several times in court.

Graubünden learns of industrialization

In addition to the local newspapers, magazines from outside the canton also entered the Graubünden market. These celebrated the successes of industrialization and glorified the new bourgeois wealth. The news of the machine age also fascinated the people of Graubünden, but at the same time it sparked fears. Some complained about the backwardness of the Alpine region, others feared the downfall of cultural idiosyncrasies. When Alpine tourism emerged around 1865 - also a result of industrialization - Graubünden found its economic niche.

Lament

"The Rhine sources" lamented the interest in the non-cantonal magazines and events. In the pathos typical of the time, they spoke to their readers' conscience: «Oh, that you missed the whole local Rhine! So that you would have to quench your thirst in the Aare, Lake Zurich and the Danube. "

Publishing restart

Despite repeated references to their own threatened situation, “Die Rheinquellen” found only a small readership and generated financial losses. The reshuffle of the editorial team was also unsuccessful. So it was decided in 1860 to start again: the staff was changed again and the paper was renamed Neue Bündner Zeitung (1860–1865).

See also

literature

  • Daniel Foppa: The history of the German-language daily press in the canton of Graubünden . In: Yearbook of the Historical Society of Graubünden 132, 2002, ISSN  1011-2049 , pp. 1–71, (also Separatum).

Individual evidence

  1. ^ "The sources of the Rhine", 1858, no. 75