Swiss Literature Tour: From Hesse to Mann

Zurich is a city that buzzes with energy. Electric trams glide across the contemporary neighborhoods as the boutique window displays glint along the Bahnhofstrasse, a nearly 4,000-foot long street filled with shops that run along the left bank of the Limmat River. Old Town runs along the contours of the Roman fortified settlement. As your flight descends into the Zurich airport, you will see the greenery spread through the meadows, with the emerald trees and the rolling peaks of the famous Alps in the distance.

Zurich effortlessly combines the antique with the contemporary and allows you to wander through the charm of Old Town while simultaneously enjoying the modern pleasures of the more contemporary neighborhoods. Your private transfer meets you at baggage claim to escort you into the heart of the old city, beneath the blue-green spire of Fraumunster. The church was founded in the 9th-century and has inspired artists of various kinds, including the famous painter Marc Chagall. A small door beneath the spire leads you into the three aisles that guide your eye to the 13th-century Romanesque Choir.

The structure reaches a height of nearly 60 feet, and the main attraction of the church is a set of five stained glass windows. Chagall designed the 32-foot tall windows with their color schemes to encapsulate the allegories that pertain to the heavens and the earth. In the morning, the soft sunlight pierces the glass and brings the remarkable red, yellows, blues, and greens to life as you watch the prophet Elijah ascend in a chariot trailed by fire.

In the morning, the aroma of freshly made coffee emanates from a celebrated old cafe. Locals continue to frequent the enchanting restaurant as they have from its opening in 1911. Albert Einstein was among the café’s first patrons and artists of all kinds have visited the café over the century; the famous Dutch dancer and World War One German spy, Mata Hari, once danced in the room above the café, and Thomas Mann enjoyed the establishment’s cozy atmosphere after moving to Zurich.

Your guide will meet you in the lobby of your hotel to lead you on a tour dedicated to Thomas Mann’s old haunts and influential writings. Although Mann was born in Germany, he moved to the majestic city of Zurich in the 1930s after the Nazis gained power. The Thomas Mann Archive and Library are located near the university on the outskirts of the city, and you can stroll through the author’s preserved study. The scent of vintage books with leather or woven bindings fills the air as the sunlight filters through the window over the corner desk.

You can imagine the author scribbling away at a provoking thought or sipping coffee on the antique couch during a break from work. The archives allow you to immerse yourself in Mann’s work over the ages, from manuscripts to diaries, letters to notebooks, all the materials offer insight into the thought process of the writer that lead to the culmination of his works. The archive has collected tens of thousands of documents about the writer’s work and life, including records, translations, and photographs.

Basel has the second largest population in all of Switzerland, along with an inspiring amount of museums dedicated to the rich culture in and around the Alps. The fascinating contemporary architecture along the Rhine River accentuates the cobbled streets of Old Town. After breakfast, be ready to see the splendor of Basel on a half-day tour. Your guide will meet you at your hotel in the heart of the city and escort you beneath the shuttered windows and the antique buildings to the Spalentor. The fortified gate was erected in the 14th-century and marks the edge of Old Town.

The Town Hall lines Marktplatz with captivating red walls that dominate the square. The main arcade was erected in the 16th-century with a Burgundian Gothic style; the original clockwork was designed in the 1500s and continues to adorn the façade that overlooks the square. Boats cruise along the tranquil waters of the Rhine as the walkways on the riverbanks lead to shading trees and fabulous views of the red-tiled roofs of the skyline. The Basler Munster stands on the highest point in the city, which accentuates the height of the prominent spires. The geometric shapes decorate the rooftop shine brightly in the sunlight.  12th-century Romanesque carvings continue to decorate the St. Gallus doorway.

Basel is enchanting in its celebration of art in all its facets, from gastronomy to architecture, and in the curation of exhibits. The Historical Museum is housed inside a 14th-century church and contains collections of local history and culture. The city stands at the crossroads of Swiss, German, and French heritage, to provide a unique view of how the cultures intertwine. Late Gothic tapestries and antique weapons tell a tremendous story about the city and the region’s past.

The old paper mill is found along the medieval canal that houses the Paper Museum.   A functioning waterwheel continues to swirl amidst the current as the interior evokes history with the dozens of mills that operate in the area. The museum contains working machinery that highlights the laborious process of the production of handmade paper that begins with the start of the paper revolution from Gutenberg’s press. Your private guide will meet you at the hotel and take you on a fantastic journey of the page in the footsteps of Hansjorg Schneider, a Swiss writer who created Inspector Peter Hunkeler, considered the Swiss Sherlock Holmes.

Begin at the Dreiländereck, as France, Germany, and Switzerland meet on the Rhine River. Ships fill the harbor on their way to the North Sea to pass through the locks of Rheinfelden. The sleuth Hunkeler uses common, and uncommon, knowledge to help finger the guilt to follow clues across Basel and Switzerland, including tracing the guilty party from the scene of the crime. From the Dreiländereck, venture to the Rhine Swimming facility at Rheinbad St. Johann. Kids splash in the cool mountain water as a smaller swimming area for adults has a strong current that sweeps through the protective cage. Each place you visit during your tour connects you to the author Schneider, along with the character of Inspector Hunkeler, which allows you to get into the mind of a celebrated detective in the beautiful city of Basel.

Lucerne is a gorgeous city known for its cobalt lake of the same name, mythological mountains, and candy-colored facades of the antique buildings in Old Town. Your private transfer will meet you at the hotel and lead you to the lovely streets and beautiful monuments of Lucerne. The city resembles a storybook, from the wood bridges that cross the Reuss River to the dramatic onion-shaped spires of the Jesuit church. Follow your guide on a tour of the city that immerses you in an atmosphere of fairy tales and legends.

The famous Chapel Bridge was erected in the 14th-century and contains more than 100 paintings that decorate the roof rafters. Some paintings depict scenes from the town’s history while others reflect patron saints. The aroma of spruce and freshwater fills the air as coats of arms adorn the artwork to show by whose patronage the paintings were made. The storybook allure of the city continues with your visit to the Lion’s Monument; a lion of stone was etched into the cliff to overlook a reflective pool. The sculpture depicts the wounded animal lion atop a broken shield adorned with the Fleur-de-Lis.

The monument was erected in the 19th-century in memory of the Swiss Guards who perished while defending King Louis XVI at the beginning of the French Revolution. The nearby Bourbaki Panorama in Lowenplatz is another war memorial equally as touching and less visited. The painting encompasses 118,403 square feet and depicts the 19th-century battle of the Franco-Prussian War in hyperrealism. Stand at the heart of the work, which provides the massive piece with a three-dimensional quality, where rail truck and figures burst from the wall.

Mountains tower above the shoreline of Lake Lugano as chic bars and charming cafes open to the thin labyrinthine cobblestones streets of the city. The flower- lined walkways of the promenade untangle around the cold alpine water. From the shore, you can see the towering figure of Monte San Salvatore rise out of the lake draped with emerald trees. The mountain stands nearly 3,000 feet above sea level with a summit offering a spectacular panorama of the Alps. You leave behind the tranquil beauty of Lucerne for the drama of Lugano, meeting your private guide near the boat landing at Paradiso.

Subtropical gardens surround modern sculptures as antique buildings overlook the quiet streets, including the 18th-century Palazzo Riva to create a picture-perfect image. Your guide will lead you on a remarkable exploration of the literary wonders of the region, in search of Hermann Hesse, a German-born Swiss poet, novelist, and painter best known for Siddhartha and Steppenwolf. The small Hermann Hesse Museum in the Camuzzi Tower opened in the 1990s while the writer resided on the estate grounds from 1919 to 1931 to enjoy the daily views of the lake.

The exhibit offers insight into the research and writing habits of the author throughout his life, and showcases notes and works representing different phases of Hesse’s active writing career. In the village of Ascona, located at 643 feet above sea level, embrace the mild climate that has given rise to street cafes and a friendly outdoor ambiance. Hesse and other artists built a colony atop Monte Verita, the Mountain of Truth. Zurich and Lucerne universities continue to hold seminars on the mountain and speak openly about the works many of the former residents pursued.

In the morning, the aroma of fresh espresso drifts out of the corner café near your hotel. The sunlight shimmers off of the cobalt waters of Lake Lugano as your private transfer meets you in the lobby to escort you to Milan. Soon, you will depart for home from the Malpensa Airport, but first, you will enjoy one last literary tour to visit the monuments detailed in Alessandro Manzoni’s classic Italian novel, The Betrothed, hailed as the first Italian novel ever written. The story tracks the fate of a couple that flees their hometown after a local nobleman takes an interest in Lucia. See the city through the lens of the young lovers on the run during the 17th-century Milan, when the city was under Spanish rule, as they dealt with plague and famine. It is a unique period worlds away from the fashionable and contemporary city of today and connects Milan’s significant past with its exciting present.