Jun 30

Written by: rhertzler
Saturday, June 30, 2007 5:15 AM 

Leaving Lauterbrunnen, mostly a day of driving with a couple of stops in the Emmental valley to discover a bit of our Swiss Anabaptist roots. First at Trachselwald Castle where many anabaptists where tortured and killed and then at a cheese factory / dairy in Affoltern. In Affoltern there was a special exhibit on the Amish of the USA including a quilting demonstration. We talked to the ladies doing the quilting (they were Swiss) and discovered one of them had been to Bird-in-Hand to gather Amish costumes and a donated quilt top. She offered us a knowledable English speaking guide for the castle, but as luck would have it, it was too late in the day and we needed to head to Germany.

Switzerland is celebrating Tauferjahre 2007 - "The truth shall be testified". A recognition that the Anabaptists actually were hundreds of years ahead of their time since membership in a state church and all that went along with that was tossed - but too late for the Anabaptists. Visit www.anabaptism.org for an overview of the events.

Here is a summary of the day in photos:

You can tell just by driving in this area that many of Lancaster Counties' roots are here. In this case Laniswil (The 'w' is pronounced 'v' in German.)

The main part of the Trachselwald castle.

Heading up to the prison cells in the square tower.

The torture rooms are intact including the wooden platforms you would have been strapped to. There were push buttons for recorded descriptions and big posters of descriptions as well - but all in German and very difficult to translate or understand.

View out the small window at the top of the tower. Very beautiful farming country in a very sobering place.

The dungeon tower fro moutside the castle.

Looking down on the production area for Emmentaller Kase (what we know as Swiss cheese.) They age it up to a year for different sharpness.

The aging / curing room.

The Amish exhibit for Tuaferjahre 2007.

And the quilters.

At an autobahn rest stop - confirmation we are in the right place - after the boys encouraged dad to go over 100 mph! Well - that doesn't seem that fast!