Brotherly Murder
In 1322, Eberhard II von Kyburg murdered his brother Hartmann II at Thun Castle, leading to a dramatic shift in the castle's ownership and the region's power dynamics.
Thun Castle · · 💀 Dark history
Discover 60 curated stories about Thun in the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland — covering hidden gems, dark history, legends, weird facts and funny anecdotes.
In 1322, Eberhard II von Kyburg murdered his brother Hartmann II at Thun Castle, leading to a dramatic shift in the castle's ownership and the region's power dynamics.
Thun Castle · · 💀 Dark history
In 2020, the BLS AG, located at Genfergasse in Bern, was found to have overcharged the public hand by 45 million Swiss francs since 2004, leading to the resignation of CEO Bernard Guillelmon and the…
BLS AG · · 💀 Dark history
A murder took place near the Bruderholz area, where the perpetrator attempted to strangle the victim with a cable binder before throwing the body into the Thunersee.
Bruderholz · 💀 Dark history
Napoleon III, the future Emperor of France, lived in this house with his mother, Queen Hortense, in 1834 and 1835, while serving as a captain in the Bernese artillery.
The house where Napoleon III lived · · 🏛️ Legendary
For a time, the jailer at Thun Castle was also responsible for selling tickets and guarding the museum, a unique combination of duties that highlights the castle's complex history.
Thun Castle · 🤯 Weird
Between 1945 and 1964, an estimated 4500 tons of munition were dumped into the Thunersee, making it one of the largest amounts in Swiss lakes.
Thunersee · · 💀 Dark history
In the 1940s and 1950s, the Swiss army dumped thousands of tons of munitions, including bombs, grenades, and explosives, into the Lac de Thoune, posing a significant pollution risk to the lake's ecos…
Lac de Thoune · · 💀 Dark history
Researchers discovered a mysterious phenomenon in 2000 where corégones, a type of fish, in the Lac de Thoune were developing modified genital organs, with the cause still unknown but suspected to be…
Lac de Thoune · · 🤯 Weird
In 2022, Emmeril Kahn Mumtadz, the son of Indonesia's West Java Governor, was swept away by the Aare river's strong current while swimming near the Mattenschwelle weir in Bern, prompting a large-scal…
Mattenschwelle · · 💀 Dark history
The Niesen mountain has the world's longest stairway with 11,674 steps, only opened for the annual Niesen-Treppenlauf event.
Niesen Mountain · · 🤯 Weird
On December 21st, the Niesen mountain casts a giant triangular shadow on the town of Spiez due to its unique shape and the sun's position.
Niesen Mountain · 🤯 Weird
Saint Beatus, a 2nd-century Christian monk, allegedly fought a dragon in the Saint Beatus Caves near Beatenberg, a village above Lake Thun.
Saint Beatus Caves · · 🏛️ Legendary
The cult of Saint Beatus was so widespread in the Middle Ages that even the hostility of the Reformation period couldn't stop pilgrims from visiting his cave, though they were driven back by Zwinglia…
Saint Beatus Caves · · 💀 Dark history
A devastating fire swept through Oberhofen am Thunersee in 1864, destroying 73 buildings, including 35 homes, and leaving 105 families homeless. The cause of the fire was never determined.
Oberhofen am Thunersee · · 💀 Dark history
The Bourbaki-Denkmal in Thun commemorates the French army's retreat in 1871, led by General Charles-Denis Bourbaki, who attempted to relieve the siege of Belfort during the Franco-Prussian War.
Bourbaki-Denkmal · · 🏛️ Legendary
The Eisenbahnunfall von Dürrenast memorial in Thun commemorates a tragic train accident that occurred on May 17, 2006, resulting in the deaths of three people.
Eisenbahnunfall von Dürrenast · · 💀 Dark history
Napoleon III, the last French monarch, lived in a house in Thun in 1834 and 1835, as commemorated by the A LA MÉMOIRE DE L'EMPEREUR NAPOLÉON III memorial.
A LA MÉMOIRE DE L'EMPEREUR NAPOLÉON III · · 🏛️ Legendary
In the 15th century, Ulrich von Lommis, a Bürger and Ratsherr in Zürich, was killed in the Schlacht bei St. Jakob an der Sihl, a battle that took place on July 22, 1443. According to legend, he used…
St. Jakob an der Sihl · · 🏛️ Legendary
Richard Wagner composed parts of his famous opera 'Die Walküre' in a small house near the 'grüner Hügel' in the Enge district, where he lived with his friend Otto Wesendonk's family from April 1857.
Enge district · · 🏛️ Legendary
Mathilde Wesendonk, the wife of Otto Wesendonk, was the muse and confidante of Richard Wagner, and their friendship led to a deep and intimate exchange of letters and ideas, which were later publishe…
Zurich · · 🏛️ Legendary
Mathilde Wesendonk gave Richard Wagner an American gold pen, which he used to write the entire orchestral score of 'Die Walküre', a manuscript that is now considered a masterpiece of calligraphy.
Zurich · · 🏛️ Legendary
The Kander river was redirected into Lake Thun between 1711 and 1713, changing the lake's water level and ecosystem.
Kander river · · 🤯 Weird
During the Thuner Volksfest, a masked figure called Fulehung chases young men through the streets, hitting them with a stick to test their courage, while also giving sweets to children.
Thun · · 🤯 Weird
A 49-year-old man's attempt to produce 'Honey Oil' in his Limmattal apartment ended in a kitchen explosion, causing around 40,000 francs in damage.
Limmattal · · 💀 Dark history
A provocative statue of Sennentuntschi, a mythical creature from Swiss folklore, was installed at the Guisanplatz, sparking heated discussions about its explicit depiction of a female body.
Guisanplatz · · 🤯 Weird
A beaver has been spotted taking a leisurely stroll through Thun's old town, specifically across the Mühleplatz, every evening, much to the delight of restaurant patrons.
Mühleplatz · · 😂 Funny
Edi's Weinstube in Zurich's Niederdorf district is known for its 5-franc wine and walls covered in old pornographic magazines, but it was saved from closure by a 12-hour rave party in the former Stüs…
Edi's Weinstube · · 🤯 Weird
A Dubai investor bought the historic Hotel Bellevue am Thunersee and banned alcohol and pork, sparking controversy among locals and guests.
Hotel Bellevue am Thunersee · · 🤯 Weird
A Burger King advertisement in Lucerne sparked laughter among locals for using the term 'Karneval' instead of 'Fasnacht', revealing a cultural misunderstanding by the international company.
Bahnhof Luzern · · 😂 Funny
The Berner Münster, a beautiful Gothic church, has a stunning glasmalereizyklus, a series of stained glass windows, in its choir. This glasmalereizyklus is considered one of the most important in the…
Berner Münster · · 🏛️ Legendary
The Campus Bolligenstrasse in Bern has a dark history, dating back to 1491 when it was used to quarantine people with infectious diseases. Later, in 1746, it became a site for treating mentally ill p…
Campus Bolligenstrasse · · 💀 Dark history
The Kindlifresserbrunnen is a 16th-century fountain in Bern's Old Town, featuring a strange statue of a man eating children.
Kindlifresserbrunnen · · 🤯 Weird
The Jungfraubahn, a mountain railway in the Bernese Oberland, has a tunnel station at 3454 meters, the highest in Europe.
Jungfraubahn · · 🏛️ Legendary
The Reichenbachfall-Bahn, a Swiss funicular, leads to the Reichenbachfall, a waterfall made famous by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories.
Reichenbachfall-Bahn · 🏛️ Legendary
The Thun-Panorama, a 7.5 x 38 meter painting, is the oldest preserved panorama in the world and depicts the city of Thun from 1809 to 1814.
Thun-Panorama · · 🏛️ Legendary
Willy Habegger, a Swiss blacksmith and entrepreneur, revolutionized the transportation industry by introducing the Handseilzug in 1951, which became synonymous with his name in Switzerland.
Thun · · 🏛️ Legendary
The Schloss Thun's Sodbrunnen is an impressive 31.6 meters deep, a remarkable architectural feature.
Schloss Thun · 🔍 Hidden gems
The Thunersee is home to seven endemic fish species, including the Kropfer, Albock, and Brienzlig, which can only be found in this lake and the nearby Brienzersee.
Thunersee · 🤯 Weird
The first steamship, the Bellevue, was launched on the Thunersee in 1835 by Johannes Knechtenhofer and his brothers, marking the beginning of a long tradition of shipbuilding and navigation on the la…
Thunersee · · 🏛️ Legendary
In the past, wealthy visitors to the Niesen mountain were carried up by four men on a sedan chair, while others rode horses or mules, with porters earning 8 francs per day for the 1700m ascent.
Niesen Mountain · · 🔍 Hidden gems
The Niesen mountain was the subject of a famous watercolor painting by Paul Klee in 1915, showcasing its unique pyramid-like shape.
Niesen Mountain · · 🏛️ Legendary
The village of Hilterfingen has a long history of vineyards and winemaking, but the last vineyards closed in 1910 due to declining demand for Lake Thun wine.
Hilterfingen · · 💀 Dark history
Oberhofen am Thunersee was voted the 'most beautiful village in Switzerland' in 2018, a testament to its well-preserved historic architecture and picturesque location on the shores of Lake Thun.
Oberhofen am Thunersee · · 🏛️ Legendary
The Lauchetal valley, where the Baumwollspinnerei Lauchetal is located, was already inhabited in the Bronze Age, as evidenced by the discovery of Bronzebeile, ancient tools used for spinning and weav…
Lauchetal · · 🔍 Hidden gems
Conrad Ferdinand Meyer, a renowned Swiss writer, lived in a small estate in Kilchberg, where he would often meet with his friend Julius Rodenberg, a German writer and editor, to discuss literature an…
Kilchberg · · 🏛️ Legendary
Richard Wagner dedicated his 'Faust-Ouvertüre' to Mathilde Wesendonk, but later decided against it, instead giving her the manuscript with a personal dedication.
Zurich · · 🏛️ Legendary
The Wesendonk family's villa on the 'grüner Hügel' in the Enge district was built in 1857, and Richard Wagner lived there with the family for some time, composing music and sharing ideas with Mathild…
Enge district · · 🏛️ Legendary
Rudolf II of Burgundy allegedly founded twelve churches around Lake Thun, according to the Strättliger Chronik.
Lake Thun · 🏛️ Legendary
The Anna-Seiler-Brunnen, a 16th-century fountain, is one of the most iconic landmarks in Bern's old town. It was built in the 16th century and features a unique design. The fountain is named after An…
Anna-Seiler-Brunnen · · 🔍 Hidden gems
The Hauptgebäude der Universität Bern, located at Hochschulstrasse 4, features a unique architectural design with a large, over-kuppelter Mittelpavillon and four smaller pavilions at the corners, sho…
Hauptgebäude der Universität Bern · · 🤯 Weird
The Kontrollgebäude in Biel/Bienne, a building in the Beaux-Art style, was once used as a control office to verify the quality of precious metals used in the watch industry.
Kontrollgebäude · 🔍 Hidden gems
The Kirche Würzbrunnen was a pilgrimage church that became famous after being featured in film adaptations of Gotthelf's works by Franz Schnyder.
Kirche Würzbrunnen · · 🏛️ Legendary
The Ka-We-De, a sports facility in Bern, was once the home stadium of the SC Bern ice hockey team, which won two Swiss championships.
Ka-We-De · · 🏛️ Legendary
The Kulturzentrum Reitschule, a cultural center in Bern, was developed from a former horse stable and features a façade with graffiti and leftist slogans.
Kulturzentrum Reitschule · 🤯 Weird
Schloss Münchenwiler was built on the site of a 12th-century Cluny monastery that was heavily damaged in the 1448 wars with Savoy and later converted into a castle by the von Wattenwyl family between…
Schloss Münchenwiler · · 💀 Dark history
Schloss Hindelbank serves as the administrative building for the Anstalten Hindelbank, a women's prison, and is located in a valley between the Schnarz and Haselberg hills.
Schloss Hindelbank · 🤯 Weird
The founder of the colony New Bern in North Carolina, Christoph von Graffenried, had a nephew who was also named Christoph von Graffenried and was involved in the ownership of Schloss Worb.
Schloss Worb · · 🏛️ Legendary
The Bahnhof Scherzligen, a former train station in Thun, was in operation from 1861 to 1925 and had a direct connection to the Thunersee lake.
Bahnhof Scherzligen · · 🔍 Hidden gems
The Flugplatz Thun, a former military airfield, was decommissioned in 1955 and is now used as a civilian airfield for small planes.
Flugplatz Thun · · 🔍 Hidden gems
Conrad von Scharnachthal, a Swiss pilgrim and politician, died in Thun in 1472, leaving behind a legacy as a prominent figure in the city's history.
Thun · · 🏛️ Legendary
💀 Dark history · 😂 Funny · 🔍 Hidden gems · 🏛️ Legendary · 🤯 Weird
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