Geographical lexicon of Switzerland
The Geographical Lexicon of Switzerland was published by the Geographical Society of Neuchâtel (Société neuchâteloise de géographie) . The editorial management was carried out by Charles Knapp , who was in contact with "experts from all cantons". The publisher Victor Attinger and the cartographer Maurice Borel were co-editors. The work consists of six volumes and was published in Neuchâtel by the Attinger brothers' publishing house between 1902 and 1910.
expenditure
- Volumes
- Volume 1: Aa - Emmengruppe . 1902, 704 pages
- Volume 2: Emmenholz - Kraialppass . 1904, 768 pages
- Volume 3: Krailigen - Plentsch . 1905, 768 pages
- Volume 4: Plessur - Switzerland . 1906, 770 pages
- Volume 5: Switzerland - Tavetsch . 1908, 768 pages
- Volume 6: Tavetsch Val - Zybachsplatte, supplement - last additions - appendix . 1910. 1328 pages
At the same time, six volumes were published in French under the title Dictionnaire géographique de la Suisse :
- Tome 1: Aa - Engadine . 1902, 704 pages
- Tome 2: Engadine (Alpes d ') - Langenberg . 1903, 768 pages
- Tome 3: Langenberg - Pyramides . 1905, 771 pages
- Tome 4: Cuboid - Sovrana . 1906, 766 pages
- Tome 5: Soyhières - Tofa (la) . 1908, 768 pages
- Tome 6: Toffen - Zybachsplatte; Supplément, dernières notes, appendice . 1910, 1136 pages
content
The aim of the work is to “facilitate the study of the soil and people of Switzerland” ( Editor in Chief : Foreword to Volume 1). The text was enriched with plans, maps, illustrations and photographs of all important locations. In total, the six volumes contain “37,117 names, 32,893 articles with 5,146 illustrations, plans and graphical representations in the text, as well as 150 colored tables in addition to the text” (epilogue in volume 6). The supplement goes beyond mere errata and also offers additional articles - some of them were submitted too late to the editorial team - as well as extensions of individual articles, the "plural [...] of which refer to the letter A" ( please note , note to the supplement in volume 6). The appendix in volume 6 contains lists of the cantons, districts and municipalities, Switzerland of the railway, tram and steamboat stations, the post offices as well as the telegraph offices and public telephone stations.
The lexicon claims to give a "sharp and detailed description of all parts of Switzerland, which also serves practical purposes and is accessible to everyone" ( editor-in-chief : preface to volume 1). "Both the physical conditions of the country (mountains, valleys, standing and flowing waters, etc.) as well as the social and political institutions of its residents (hamlets, villages, towns, municipalities, districts, cantons, industry, trade, population, etc.) to find their consideration evenly ”( editorial management : preface to volume 1). In addition to purely topographical descriptions, a “picture of the […] economic situation in Switzerland at the beginning of the 20th century” (epilogue in volume 6) was recorded.
According to the editorial committee, the encyclopedia was “destined to be a useful source of instruction for many years to come, to which all those who care about the study of our fatherland will turn” ( chief editor : preface to volume 1). A hundred years later, the Geographical Lexicon of Switzerland is still considered a reference work in its field.
"We believe we are allowed to claim without immodest arrogance that we have created a work that no other country can call its own at the moment in the same far-reaching execution."
Emergence
The epilogue to the lexicon names the publisher Victor Attinger and Max Diacon , city librarian of Neuchâtel , as the ideal fathers of the lexicon. In 1899, Diacon contacted Attinger with the idea of revising the book Complete Description of the Swiss Country by Markus Lutz . This work, which also appeared under the title Geographisch-statistisches Hand-Lexikon , was published in a shorter version in 1822 and in four volumes from 1827 to 1835, a new edition dates from 1856 and translations into French from 1836 and 1861. Attinger himself had Played with the idea, but saw it as impossible because everything would have to be completely redone.
Encouraged by the exchange with Diacon, Attinger sketched a plan and got in touch with the cartographer Maurice Borel (1860–1926), because he wanted the work to be comprehensively illustrated. This recommended Charles Knapp (1855-1921), professor of geography and later holder of the chair for ethnology and cultural history at the University of Neuchâtel . The trained teacher and scientific autodidact was also the curator of the Völkerkundemuseum in Neuchâtel from 1892 to 1921, and in 1885 he was a co-founder and library archivist of the geographic society that published the lexicon. Knapp took over the geographic management of the lexicon.
When preparing a 16-page sample sheet, those responsible became aware of the complexity of the extensive company. In addition to financial issues, the publisher also had to recruit authors from all over Switzerland, most of whom were placed through the local geographic societies. In addition to the permanent paid authors, a total of “16,200 occasional employees were involved in the company” (epilogue in volume 6), including over 80 regular employees, the majority of whom were active for the entire period. An office compiled the nomenclature over a year , while the editorial team determined the content. A secretariat made up of two people and several assistants took care of the organization, correspondence, translations and revision of the articles. The editorial management then examined the manuscripts. The texts were then sent to countless corrections throughout Switzerland, and all articles on municipalities were sent to the respective local authorities for information. In individual cases, Professor Knapp had to mediate between authors with different views.
The original texts were written in French. ETH librarian Heinrich Brunner was responsible for the German edition after August Aeppli from Zurich realized that the task was too extensive for him. Brunner moved to Neuchâtel and later also revised French texts. The first general secretary was Herrmann Perrenoud, who later died and was briefly replaced by Friedrich Fol. The archivist Jeanne Küffer, who worked in the secretariat from the start, then took over the management of the secretariat. She is the only woman listed in the epilogue.
After a long procedure, the project finally received a federal subsidy in 1908. Agreements were made with almost all of the cantons, which on the one hand provided for support and on the other hand allowed for discounted purchases.
Authors
At the beginning of the sixth volume, the authors who worked on the lexicon are listed among the thousands of contributors. In the afterword, some people who have contributed significantly over many years are specifically mentioned.
The following table lists the authors listed in the epilogue:
| Name first Name | function | Contributions to Canton | Single item | Area of Expertise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aeppli, August | Professor (Geography) | Zurich | Alps | |
| André, Emil | professor | Geneva | ||
| Bächtold | Pastor | Schaffhausen | ||
| Bähler | Pastor | Bernese Oberland | ||
| Baumgartner | Seminar teacher | train | ||
| Billwiller, R. | meteorologist | meteorology | ||
| Leafs | Pastor | Nidwalden | ||
| Brandstetter, L. | Professor (Linguistics) | Etymology of Central Switzerland | ||
| Bretscher, K. | Private lecturer | Fauna, animal geography | ||
| Courthion, L. | writer | Valais (without physical and geographical articles) | ||
| Daucourt, A. | City archivist | Catholic landscapes | ||
| de La Harpe, Eugene | climber | Districts Pays d'Enhaut, Aigle, Vevey alpine topography (Waadt, Wallis, Bern, Uri, Unterwalden) |
||
| Dessonnaz | Editor | Freiburg | ||
| Deacon, Max | librarian | Neuchâtel | ||
| Dill, Oskar | professor | Aargau | ||
| Dunant, Emil | Aventicum | |||
| From Egg, G. | professor | Uri | ||
| Erni, A. | Education Council | Lucerne | ||
| Etlin | doctor | Obwalden | ||
| Flat | Seminar teacher | Zurich (historical articles) | ||
| Fontaine | Canton statistician | Freiburg | ||
| Gerber, Fritz | Post office manager | Post, telephone and telegraph services | ||
| Barley | professor | St. Gallen | ||
| Godet, Paul | professor | Fauna, animal geography | ||
| Guillarmod, Charles Jacot | engineer | Switzerland (introductory sections) | Summits and groups of the Alps | |
| Heierli | Private lecturer | prehistory | ||
| Heuscher, J. | professor | Fauna, animal geography | ||
| Heyer | professor | Appenzell Ausserrhoden | ||
| Imhof, Eduard | Professor (Geography) | |||
| Jaccard, Henri | botany | |||
| Jaccard, H. | professor | Plant geography | ||
| Jaccard, Paul | professor | Plant geography | ||
| Jacottet, Henri | Staff member of the Nouveau Dictionnaire de Géographie Universelle | Lugano | ||
| Kälin, Meinrad | Teacher | Schwyz | ||
| Klopfenstein, C. | Teacher | Bernese Mittelland | ||
| Küchler, Viktor A. | Vicar | Obwalden | ||
| In short, Louis | Alpinism | |||
| Lehner | Teacher | Appenzell Innerrhoden | ||
| Liardet, A. | engineer | Vaud | ||
| Swiss chard | Canton statistician | Economics, statistics | ||
| Mariani | professor | Ticino | ||
| Meisser, S. | archivist | Grisons | ||
| by Morlot | Federal building inspector | Hydrographic Statistics | ||
| Muoth | professor | Romansh language | ||
| Naef, E. | Canton statistician | Aargau | ||
| Oberholzer | Rector | Glarus | physical-geographical articles of Eastern Switzerland | |
| Perrin, L. | Pastor | Neuchâtel | ||
| Perrochet, Alexander | professor | geology | ||
| Pittard, Eugène | professor | anthropology | ||
| Rebmann | Government Council | Basel-Country | ||
| Renevier, E. | professor | geology | ||
| Ribi, F. | Secretary of Education | Thurgau | ||
| Robert, Arnold | Council of States | Corrections and some special articles | ||
| Rollier, Louis | Private lecturer | |||
| Schardt, Hans | professor | Physical geography and geology | ||
| Schröter, C. | professor | Plant geography | ||
| Tarnuzzer, Ch. | professor | |||
| Tripet, Fritz | professor | botany | ||
| Wälli | Pastor | Thurgau | ||
| Weber | Landammann | train | ||
| Wyrsch | Landammann | Nidwalden | ||
| Wyss, B. | professor | Solothurn | ||
| von Zeppelin, Eberhard Graf | Researcher | Lake Constance | ||
| Zobrist | professor | Bernese Jura | ||
| Zollinger, Edwin | Seminar teacher | Basel city | ||
| Zollinger | Teacher | Emmental | ||
| Zoss, H. | statistics |
Web links
- Geographical lexicon of Switzerland on elexikon.ch
Individual evidence
- ^ Catherine Santschi: Lexica. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h afterword . In: Geographical Lexicon of Switzerland . tape 6 . Neuchâtel 1910, p. 1325-1328 .
- ^ Antoine waterfalls: Borel, Maurice. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
- ^ Anne Jeanneret-de Rougemont: Knapp, Charles. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .