Franz Weber (environmentalist)

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Franz Weber (between 1974 and 1976), portrayed by Erling Mandelmann

Franz Weber (born July 27, 1927 in Basel ; † April 2, 2019 in Bern ) was a Swiss environmental activist .

Life

Franz Weber grew up in Basel, was married and had a daughter. In 1949 he traveled to Paris and lived the life of a poet and writer there. He met French contemporaries from the fields of art, music and literature, such as Jean Cocteau , François Mauriac , Eugène Ionesco , Charles Trenet , Jacques Brel , Jane Fonda , Charles Aznavour and Françoise Hardy . With Brigitte Bardot he later fought against the slaughter of the baby seals, with the writer Simone Chevalier he founded the magazine La voix des poètes .

After studying linguistics and philosophy at the Sorbonne , Weber switched to journalism and traveled the world for various German and Swiss weekly newspapers and magazines. He was one of the first to report in his reports from 1965 on the protection of nature and landscapes. The fight against overbuilding of the lake landscape in the Upper Engadine is the impetus for forty years of worldwide commitment in favor of nature and animal protection. The Foundation Franz Weber , which he founded, and the Helvetia Nostra association , which has systematically objected to all buildings in tourist areas since the adoption of the 20% initiative, even if the building permits have already been granted, also serve this purpose .

From 1987 Weber published the quarterly journal Journal Franz Weber , which reported on animal, nature and homeland protection as well as ongoing campaigns. In 1997 Franz Weber was given the honorary title of Honorary Citizen of Delphi .

Weber lived with his family in Montreux and had holiday homes in Montreux, in the Bernese Oberland, in Paris and in Gordes in southern France.

plant

Memorial plaque for Franz Weber in Puidoux at the Chemin de la Dame
Lavaux, looking east
Lake Silvaplana and the unspoilt banks of Surlej
Grandhotel Giessbach

Franz Weber initiated over 150 campaigns to save animals, landscapes and cultural monuments and won most of them. His concern was to preserve the beauty of nature for people and to end the suffering of animals. His campaigns were shaped by his own style: public speeches, press conferences, communiqués, newspaper advertisements, political appeals to citizens and public rallies. In Switzerland he used the possibilities of the referendum and right of initiative of direct democracy. Between 1973 and 2006 he launched 33 federal and 15 cantonal popular initiatives at constitutional level.

«I always saw myself - how should I put it - as a citizen of the world. Whenever I saw a beautiful landscape threatened somewhere, I said to the locals: This is your landscape, but also mine. It belongs to everyone. And the Engadin belongs to the Europeans, ned wohr (not true). And Lavaux does not only belong to Vaud, but to all of Switzerland, all of Europe, and indeed the whole world! And we have to protect it. I've always felt this way - and now Lavaux has been declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco! When I saved Delphi, I said to the Greeks: Of course Delphi belongs to Greece! But it is also a jewel of the Occident. But then with every campaign I first listened to the people on site, discussed them with them and tried to convince them. "

- Franz Weber : www.onlinereports.ch

National campaigns (selection)

  • 1965 Surlej , Upper Engadin: Protection of the lake landscape from large overbuilding
  • 1972 Concrete battle near Sempach : construction of the motorway on the Sempachsee shore prevented
  • 1973 Democracy in national highways: right of referendum for controversial motorway sections
  • 1976 Altiport Verbier : Prevention of a high-altitude airport
  • 1977 Lavaux vineyards : Protection against overbuilding (UNESCO World Heritage since 2007)
  • 1981 Fight for the Simmental : No motorway through the Simmental
  • 1982 Gardens of Lausanne - Ouchy : prevention of a motorway slip road
  • 1983 Grandhotel Giessbach : Rescue of a historic hotel complex from the early days
  • 2008 Federal popular initiative against jet fighter noise in tourist areas rejected by 68.1% of the people and cantons (all 26 cantons)
  • 2008 Federal popular initiative Save the Swiss Forests : withdrawn, as existing forest law is retained
  • 2012 Federal popular initiative No more building of second homes! , assumed with 50.6%

International campaigns (selection)

  • 1971 Les Baux-de-Provence , Alpilles : The well-known hill village is spared industrialization ( bauxite mining )
  • 1972 Renaissance town of Asolo , Italy : Hotel complex and parking spaces prevented
  • 1976 campaign against seal murder with Brigitte Bardot
  • 1979 called Fondation Franz Weber , the United Nations animals (United Animal Nations - UAN) into being an international organization modeled on the United Nations, which has over 120 member organizations in the world today. The animal court punishes serious offenses against the animal world in public trials.
  • 1986 Donau Auen: Instead of flooding the Hainburger Au for power plant construction, a nature reserve is created
  • 1987 Ancient Delphi is saved from building an aluminum factory
  • 1989 Reserve for wild horses ( Brumbies ) in Australia

Other campaigns (selection)

Awards

Works (in German)

Web links

Commons : Franz Weber  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

credentials

  1. ^ The nature, animal, landscape and cultural property protector Franz Weber has died. (PDF) Retrieved April 5, 2019 .
  2. ^ Series of the program Couleurs locales on Radio Télévision Suisse
  3. ^ The cold beds by Franz Weber on schweizamsonntag.ch; Retrieved July 6, 2014
  4. ↑ Franz Weber fought for animal and environmental protection for over fifty years. In: aargauerzeitung.ch . April 4, 2019, accessed on July 14, 2019 : "150 campaigns"
  5. ↑ Swiss Federal Chancellery, text of the Federal People's Initiative 'No more building of second homes without boundaries!' , accessed May 24, 2013
personal data
SURNAME Weber, Franz
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss environmentalist
DATE OF BIRTH July 27, 1927
PLACE OF BIRTH Basel
DATE OF DEATH 2nd April 2019
Place of death Bern