The rail way to Switzerland

Leave St. Pancras at 9.02am any morning andyou’re on your way. Find out what time you reachyour home station in Switzerland on Pages 4-5.

Pipe sale at Swiss Church

Rev Nathalie is glad the £2.08 million revamp ofthe Swiss Church is nearly over. But she still hasto meet the cost of its giant organ. See Page 3.

Ambassador goes native

Swiss Ambassador Alexis Lautenberg joins up withfellow Ticinese when they gather in Cardiff for theannual FOSSUK weekend. Go to Page 8.

Switzerland in the UK has its own Internet site,continually bringing you up to the minute news ofthe latest events as well as major stories from themost recent issues and links to other interestingsites in both the UK and Switzerland. To access itgo to: www.swissreview.co.uk

News about any forthcoming events that will be ofinterest to our readers should be emailed to:editor@meakin.net

3/09

GBR E

It was found languishing in the backof an antique shop in Solothurn, agilded 150 year old sign that hadonce graced the facade of thesecond oldest hotel in Switzerland.

The Golden Crown was first seenby Londoners in 1977, as part ofthe mammoth display in the SwissCentre, on Leicester Square, tocelebrate the Queen’s silver jubilee.

The Lord Mayor of Westminster,arriving to open the display, wasso impressed by the crown heturned to the London director ofthe then Swiss National TouristOffice, who had brought it fromSwitzerland, and asked what wasgoing to happen to it when thecelebrations had finished.

Albert Kunz replied: “It will begoing to our office in San Franciscoto go on permanent display there.”

The Lord Mayor was adamant:“It should remain here,” he said. “Ifyou can provide a 12m high oak polewe could display it permanentlyoutside the Swiss Centre.”

And a few days later Mr Kunz wastold that the City of Westminsterwould indeed erect the pole andthat from then on the GoldenCrown would have a permanentplace in the heart of London.

Fast forward 14 years. Membersof Swiss societies were meeting

at the Swiss Embassy to discusswhat might be done in the UK tomark the 700th anniversary of theSwiss Confederation.

Albert Kunz thought of the oakpole and its Golden Crown and hadanother brainwave. What about usingit as the base for a giantWappenbaum, displaying shieldsof all the cantons in glorious colour?

Not only did the meeting thinkit was a great idea, but the LordMayor agreed to inaugurate ithimself – and also got the CityCouncil to change the name of

New Coventry Street, where thepole had been fixed, to SwissCourt – in honour of Switzerland.

Since then the Swiss Centre hasbeen demolished, and there werefears that the Cantonal Tree andGolden Crown would also disappear.

Albert Kunz, now long retired, wasdetermined that would not happen.

Thanks to the efforts ofSwitzerland Tourism, the officialguardians of the Wappenbaum, ithas been completely refurbished.The tarnished and badly damagedcrown now looks as bright andsparkling as it must have been150 years ago.

But there is a sad ending tothis story.

One man who has been verymuch involved in its restoration,Max Ott, never lived to see it backas a major tourist attraction forvisitors to Leicester Square. Hedied in May, at the age of 83.

In fact it was the very last jobof a man who always said hewould never retire. It was Max Ottwho had found the best specialistcraftsmen for the work, includingan internationally known expert inthe application of gold leaf.

• SEE Max Ott: Perfection wasalways his watchword, Page 8.

Glittering golden crown isback in Leicester Square

Going up: The refurbished crown is hoisted into its new position in Swiss Court

The celebrated Wappenbaum: A colourful reminder of the diversity of Switzerland,with two Swiss shields, 26 cantonal shields and two commemorative plaques

How tocontacttheeditor

Repor ts of Swiss societyactivit ies and comingevents, and ar ticles andcorrespondence for the‘Switzer land in the UK’section of the Swiss Review,should go to the editor:

Derek Meakin 30 Manor RoadBramhall SK7 3LY.Tel: 0161 296 0619.His email address is:

editor@meakin.net.All enquiries regarding

advertising should go to:Jeffrey Long30 Finsbury DriveBradford BD2 1QA.Tel/fax: 01274 588 189.The Swiss Review, with its

‘Switzerland in the UK’supplement, is publishedfour times a year – inFebruary, April, August andOctober. The deadline for thenext issue, to be published inOctober, is August 27.

•

The extensive Swiss community inLondon is being asked to help theWest End’s 154 year Swiss churchachieve the last major part of its£2.2 million renovation project –the provision of a new organ.

In a novel appeal, the newminister, Nathalie Dürmüller, isasking well-wishers to sponsor oneof the massive organ’s 676 pipes.

The pipes are made from wood,spruce or tin and vary in lengthfrom a tiny 1.8cm to a giant 2.4metres.

The smaller pipes cost £25,larger ones can be £50, £100 or£250, while the more visibleprincipal display pipes cost £1,000.

The organ – illustrated right – isbeing constructed by one ofEurope’s best known organ builders,Späth Orgelbau in Rapperswill.

The firm’s origins go back to1742 – only 20 years before Frenchspeaking Swiss Protestantsfounded the Swiss church inLondon.

The transformation of the church,in Endell Street, has been in thehands of Basle architects, theaptly named Christ & Gantenbein.

Emanuel Christ and ChristophGantenbein started their practiceten years ago immediately aftergraduating from the ETH in Zurich.Now with a staff of 34 they arebuilding a reputation for freshthinking in architectural design.

Currently they are working onthe renovation and extension ofthe Swiss National Museum inZurich.

The Swiss church in London, aGrade II listed building, is onlytheir second overseas project.

It was last autumn that RevDürmüller first put out an appealto the Swiss community to helpfinance the renovation project.

“A renovated church will benefitmany people,” she said. “Theparish will enjoy the improvedfacilities. The Swiss communitywill receive attractive and centrallylocated spaces to meet and holdcommunity and cultural events.

“London will be offered anattractive and acousticallyexcellent hall in the centre of thecity, well suited for chamber musicand choir concerts as well aschoir and orchestra practice. Infact, architecturally it is a smallerversion of the Wigmore Hall.

“Neighbourhood groups, choirsand small church groups will beable to rent space at veryreasonable prices.”

Nathalie Dürmüller is hoping

that the church will be back in usethis autumn and is planning tocelebrate the reopening with aseries of music and arts events.

“But for me to be a minister Itmeans a lot more than organisingevents,” she said.

“It means to care for peopleand create a space where theyfeel welcome and where they livea life that is meaningful.

“As the Swiss Church we aim tobe such a place.”

New organ is no longer a pipedream for the Swiss church

Inside the Swiss Church: A judicious use of glass partitions helps enlarge the mainhall and provokes a subtle play of reflections, see-throughs and sharp shadows

Nathalie Dürmüller: ‘This means moreto me than just organising events’

3

Dijon

Dole

Lille

Calais

Folkstone

Mouchard

Strasbourg

Colmar

Mulhouse

Basle

Zurich

Sargans

Landquart

Chur

St. Moritz

Arosa

Filisur

Klosters

Davos

PontarlierFrasne

Vallorbe

LausanneMontreux

Aigle

MartignySion

Sierre

Visp

Brigue

Neuchâtel

Berne

MâconBourg-en-Bresse

Bellegarde

Geneva

EN

GL

IS

H

CH

AN

NE

L

PARIS

Gare de I’EstGare du Nord

Gare de Lyon

beautiful sceneryand relax while speedingthrough the French andSwiss countryside – frommeadows to mountains, fromquaint villages to cities, theview from the train window issheer entertainment!”

direct from Parisare: Geneva andBasle under £100,Lausanne and Berne under£110 and Zurich under £130.And no hidden extras liketaxes and baggage charges,check-in queues or lengthywaits for departure.

Eurostar’s director ofcommunications, SimonMontague, said: “We arealways looking at ways tofacilitate greener travelthroughout Europe on high-speed trains.

“It is great news that ourpassengers can now book theirtickets to Switzerland with theconvenience and good value ofconnecting fares.”

And he added: “Travelling byrail to Switzerland is a muchgreener and seamlessalternative to flying. Enjoy the

After years of losing millions ofpounds worth of business toairlines like SWISS andeasyJet, the railways ofBritain, France and Switzerlandare going on the offensive.

Their latest move is to offerdirect fares from St Pancras toseven Swiss towns and cities –Basle, Berne, Geneva,Lausanne, Neuchâtel, Vallorbeand Zurich – thus eliminatingthe need to buy separatetickets for the differentsections of the route.

Later this is expected to beexpanded to 12 moredestinations to which directtickets will be available: Aigle,Brigue, Chur, Landquart, Leuk,Martigny, Montreux, Sargans,Sierre, Sion, Visp and Zermatt.

The return fares from the UKto the five main stations inSwitzerland served by the TGV

4 5

The railwaysfight back!

How long does it take from the TGV terminusin Zurich to reach the main skiing resorts?The 2010 winter sports season is expected to see a lot more skiersfrom the UK travelling by train to the resorts – despite the efforts ofairlines to woo them with cheap flights.

Those going to the popular resorts in the Grisons will be the oneswith the furthest to travel. But even they can be tucked up snugly inbed well before midnight.

Taking a train from St Pancras shortly after 9am, and changing inParis and Zurich, this table shows their time of arrival in four of theresorts shown in our map:

9.28pm Kosters10.05pm Arosa10.53pm Davos10.59pm St MoritzPassengers on the Paris-Lausanne

route travelling to Zermatt willarrive in their resortat 8.14pm.

New tracks now being laid to make journeys even quickerSNCF, the French rail operator, has ordered work on laying lengths of new track to bespeeded up, meaning journeys on the line from Paris to Basle and Zurich will be muchquicker. At present the roundabout route goes via Strasbourg. When the new link iscompleted, in 2011, it will go via Dijon and Mulhouse in Alsace. Another trackimprovement, this time on the Geneva route, involves a new link between Bourg-en-Bresseand Bellegarde, which should be in use before the end of this year. Both new sections oftrack are shown with broken lines in our map.

Departure:St. Pancras09.02am

Return fares toSwitzerland

start at under£100

– and no extras

But what about crossing Paris?The only minor problem in taking the train toSwitzerland is having to break your journey in Paris.

Eurostar arrives at the Gare du Nord, and you haveto find your own way, with your luggage, either to theGare de l’Est (for the TGV to Zurich), or the Gare deLyon (for the TGV to Berne, Lausanne or Geneva).

Walking to the Gare del’Est takes between fiveand ten minutes. TheMétro (Line 4 or 5) does it

in five minutes.It’s too far to walk to the

Gare de Lyon. Quickest wayis to take the RER (Line D)– just eight minutes. A taxitakes 15 to 20 minutes,but you may find you haveto wait in a long queue.

Metro tickets can bebought at St Pancras station or on Eurostar. And youcan avoid the taxi queue by booking that in advancetoo.

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6

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The voice of Swiss living overseasis finally being heard through theballot box.

That was the message fromBerne delivered in Cardiff by DrRemo Gysin, vice president of theOrganisation of the Swiss Abroad.

He gave the FOSSUK AGMdramatic examples of how the votesof Swiss living overseas can andare now playing a decisive role inthe outcome of national referenda.

Dr Gysin, himself a former nationalcouncillor, analysed the surprising

result of the May referendum,called to prevent the introductionof the new-style biometric passports.

The Council of the Swiss Abroadrecommended the referendumshould be voted down. At thesame time it called for measuresto make it easier for Swiss abroadto get electronic passports.

Said Dr Gysin: “The vote turnedout to be one of the closestresults in the history of federalreferenda: 50.1 per cent voted‘yes’ versus 49.9 per cent ‘no.’

“And now for the highlight: thevotes from abroad were sufficientto tip the balance.

“In all five cantons which countpostal votes from abroad separately,citizens abroad said ‘yes’, by aclear majority. The average 'yes'majority was 65 percent.

“If this percentage is applied tothe whole of Switzerland, theSwiss abroad ensured at least anextra 12,000 ‘yes’ votes.

“Thus votes from abroadapparently carried the day for the‘yes’ to the biometric passport.

“While this is not cause forshouts of triumph, it does showthat the influence of votersabroad is not negligible.” He alsoreferred to an earlier referendum,

on the freedom of movementbetween Switzerland and the EU.

Said Dr Gysin: “In all cantonswhich record votes from abroadseparately, the proportion of 'yes'votes stood at 70 per cent or higher.This was five to ten percentagepoints above the respective intra-cantonal results.

“And, in the Canton ofAppenzell-Innerrhoden, our citizensabroad voted clearly in favour ofthe proposal, whereas thecanton's home-based citizensvoted to reject it.”

Dr Gysin also reported a growingnumber of cantons agreeing toelectronic voting, which will makeit easier for Swiss abroad to casttheir votes.

A pilot system in Neuchâtel hasproved successful. Geneva hasvoted in favour. Zurich is to starttrials next year. One by one othercantons are falling into line.

“And – especially pleasing to us– several cantons are planningpilot trials using the Swiss abroadas their test group,” said Dr Gysin.

“You see, our lobbying isgradually paying off. The train isfinally gathering speed!”• Read Dr Gysin’s speech in full:www.swissreview.co.uk/story350

UK Swiss told they can have a major influence

Why YOUR vote countsThe FOSSUK committee in action: (left to right) Erika Farwell, Joe Broggini, Margrit Lyster, Freddie Wyser and Regula Marsh--Hilfiker

FOSSUK would like to thank alldonors of Tombolo prizes for theirgenerosity, including these corporatesponsors:

Swiss International Airlines, SwitzerlandTourism, Swiss Embassy, DonaldRussell Master Butchers, Inverurie,Mosimann's, London, St. MoritzRestaurant, London, Genorel SoftDrinks, Dorking, Lindt & Sprüngli (UK)Ltd, Feltham, Morenish HolidayCottages, Killin, Silver Jubilee GuestHouse, Newquay, Dr. Louis Guenin,London, Burgers of Marlow Ltd,Marlow, City Swiss Club, New HelveticSociety, Unione Ticinese, EdinburghSwiss Club, Yorkshire Swiss Club,Cercle Genevois, Swiss Club Gibraltar,Manchester Swiss Club, Frauenverein,London and many private donors.

7

Swiss Ambassador Alexis Lautenberg, himself a native of the Ticino, meets theSwiss-Italian choir from Locarno Pictures by Ursula Jost

Two choirs were highlight of the weekendHighlight of the FOSSUK weekend was a truly memorable concert given bytwo choirs – Welsh singers Côr Godre’r Garth and Vos de Locarno, a 40strong choir from the Ticino singing abroad for the first time, writes MargritLyster. Each choir sang six of their favourites, full of emotion and humour.

It was a deeply moving but uplifting experience, difficult to put into words.The concert was made possible by the generosity of the South Wales

Swiss Society, plus a contribution from the Unione Ticinese.

Joe Brogginisteps downafter 28 yearsserving theSwiss community in the UKA leading figure in the Swiss community in the UK for many years,retired architect Giuseppe Broggini – known to everyone as Joe – hasstepped down as a UK delegate to the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad.

At the same time he has given up his seat on the nine-memberexecutive of the OSA, the decision making body of the Swiss Abroad,which he joined 26 years ago.

Joe, a Ticinese from Losone, went to school in Locarno and thenmoved to Zurich to study architecture. After graduating he came toLondon to study urban design, and then read regional sciences atReading University. Later, for 15 years he was architect-planner with thethen Greater London Council.

He has lived in the capital since 1967 and married Alison, who hecalls “a genuine Londoner”. They have two grown up daughters, Laraand Sasha.

He told Swiss Review: “When in 1981 I was elected by FOSSUK Iwould never have anticipated serving the interests and expectations ofmy compatriots in Britain for as long as 28 years.

“I would simply like to say that it was an honour and indeed a greatprivilege to work in perfect harmony alongside such distinguished pastand present OSA presidents and past and present members of theexecutive.”• See the full story at: www.swissreview.co.uk/story/347

The Welsh were warned that theirNo 1 city was about to become“an outpost of Switzerland” for theweekend with a conference ofSwiss societies being held in thecountry’s capital.

The report in the South WalesEcho was not far wrong. Fortydelegates from Swiss clubs and theirguests in the UK gathered for theannual general meeting of theFederation of Swiss Societies in theUK. And Welsh Swiss, led by honoraryconsul Ruth Thomas-Lehmann, weredetermined to ensure they all had anenjoyable time.

The three day event started witha concert given by the BBC WelshOrchestra under its Swissconductor, Thierry Fischer.

Then it was down to businesswith the election of four delegatesfor a four year term to representUK Swiss on the Organisation ofthe Swiss Abroad.

Two candidates, proposed by UKSwiss clubs, were re-elected:Margrit Lyster and FOSSUKpresident Freddie Wyser.

But in a new development, theyare being joined by two delegatesvoted by ballot among readers ofthe Swiss Review and others: Dr

Yves Guisan and Alain Meyer.Dr Guisan, a Vaudois socialist

and a former national councillor,has been closely involved incommunal, cantonal and nationalpolitics for the last 20 years, andhas been a leading figure in theSwiss medical world. Last year hewas also appointed honorarySwiss consul in Gibraltar.

Financier Alain Meyer, fromImmensee, went to St GallenUniversity and then the University ofApplied Science in Lucerne, wherehe won a marketing and financedegree. For the last three years hehas been working in assetmanagement with Goldman Sachsin London.

Among the speakers at the AGMwas Dr Rudolf Wyder, the director ofthe OSA, who said the organisationwas incensed at the government’sdecision to cut the subsidy for theSwiss Review, meaning there werenow only four issues a year insteadof six, and said that the explanationgiven that the reduction could beimplemented without loss ofservice “was simply untrue.”• See Margrit Lyster’s full reporton the FOSSUK weekend at:www.swissreview.co.uk/story 349

Cardiff becomes ‘anoutpost of Switzerland’

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created a socio benemerito in 1975.The most loyal of friends, he

remained vigorous to the end andat 90 he was still busy preparinghis inimitable risotto at the UnioneTicinese’s annual June barbecue.

• The full report can be seen atwww.swissreview.co.uk/story/339

Peter Jacomelli: Last of thegreat Ticinese restaurateurs

the last year as a prisoner of warin Germany.

After the war Peter and hissiblings turned the familyrestaurant in Richmond intoperhaps the best and certainlyone of the most loved restaurantsin the area. But failure to find asuccessor in the next generationled to its closure in 1987.

Most of Peter’s scarce leisuretime was devoted to the UnioneTicinese, which had originally beenfounded as a benevolent societyfor Ticinese waiters in London byCarlo Gatti’s nephew, StefanoGatti, in 1874 and which inFebruary, the month of Peter’s death,celebrated its 135th anniversary.

Peter was the society’sdominating personality for over 50years and had met Rocco Gatti,Stefano Gatti’s nephew.

A member since the early 1930s,Peter joined the committee in1949 and was twice its president.He was down to earth and up-to-date, energetic, tolerant, humorous,selfless and modest. He was

The death of Peter Jacomelli, atthe age of 91, marked the end ofan era for the Swiss in London.Here his long life is recalled byhis great friend, Peter Barber:

Peter Jacomelli was the last of theSwiss-Italian Ticinese restaurateursin a tradition stretching back to1847 when Carlo Gatti opened acafé in Hungerford Market on thesite of Charing Cross station.

In 1900 there were no less thannine Ticinese café-restaurants onOxford Street alone.

Peter Jacomelli was born inWimbledon in 1917 where hisparents, Aldo Jacomelli andAdelaide née Genoni, ran theStation Restaurant.

Peter was equally fluent in Englishand the local Swiss-Italian dialect,having been educated for severalyears in Semione in the Ticino.

He served with the London IrishRegiment during the Second WorldWar in the Middle East, NorthAfrica and Italy. His war servicecame to an end with his captureat Monte Cassino and he spent

8

Max Ott: Perfection wasalways his watchwordA well known member of theSwiss community in London, MaxOtt has died at the age of 83.

Although he spent his entire lifein the UK, a country he fondlyloved, he always regardedSwitzerland as his real homeland.

His parents came from Lenzburg,in the middle of canton Aargauand as a young boy he spent allhis holiday with relatives there andkept in touch with them and manyother Swiss friends all his life.

Max grew up in the little Sussexvillage of Spithurst and went toschool in nearby Lewes.

His first job was as anapprentice with a top Londonfurniture maker but when warcame he was conscripted as a‘Bevan boy’ and sent to workdown the pits in Northumberland.

After the war he decided tobecome his own boss and set uphis own woodworking company,Max E Ott Ltd, which he turnedinto a thriving business.

From then on he worked a 12hour day, a practice he continuedright up to his death, and won anenviable reputation for perfectionin everything he did.

For relaxation he became amember of the Swiss AccordianGroup, which for many years gaveconcerts all over the UK.

The opening of the SwissCentre in 1965 gave him a newopportunity to display his skills.He was involved in the interiorplanning and built many of thebuilding’s offices and shops.

Just before he died he took onthe responsibility for seeing thatthe iconic Wappenbaum and GoldCrown were fully restored tobecome an important feature ofthe Leicester Square renovation.

Peter Jacomelli: End of an era

Max Ott: Worked a 12 hour day