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Delémont – more reminiscences of the bishops and a look at the museum

In April 2022, I discovered charming Delémont:

  • the welcoming atmosphere with enticing shops, a small market, traditional restaurants, all mirrored in Renaissance fountains,
  • the medieval city centre with reminiscences of the Prince-Bishopric of Basel, 
  • the jurassic museum (Musée Jurassien d’Art et d’Histoire), curated with a twinkle in the eye. 

After having presented my first impressions of the welcoming atmosphere of Delémont and the Renaissance fountains, I will turn to some more reminiscences of the Prince-Bishops and to the jurassic museum. 

Have you noticed this coat of arms with the lions and the bishop’s crooks at the castle of Delémont? What does it tell us? 

It tells us who built this castle – see below…

 

Recapitulation: The map of the city centre of Delémont

This is the map of the medieval city centre of Delémont with some of its main sights.

Source: SwissMobile with my own additions

 

The château (castle) of Delémont was the summer residence of the Prince-Bishops; it is now a school

Delémont was the summer residence of the Prince-Bishops, and they lived in their castle here.

Prince-Bishop Johann Konrad II von Reinach-Hirtzbach (1705-1737) reconstructed the castle of Delémont in Baroque style (1716-1721). 

His coat of arms confirms that above the entry gate…

… and also inside the castle.

The Prince-Bishop tells us: “I am Johann Konrad von Reinach-Hirtzbach, and I have constructed this castle.”

His lions appear on some border stones marking the Prince-Bishopric of Basel.

I have come across this border stone above Ettingen (Prince-Bishopric of Basel) at the border to Hofstetten (canton of Solothurn).

Interesting to see this plastered Turk inside – the orient was a dream destination at that time, even for the catholic Prince-Bishop.

The castle is now a school. The inventive caretaker has craft skills. This is how he avoids that scooters lie around in the corridors.

In addition, he installed a self-service “lost-property office” for “objets trouvés” meaning “items found”, such as keys, caps, shoes or T-shirts. 

From the castle terrace, there is a gorgeous view of the mini Versailles garden (now very sober) and of the Jura hills surrounding Delémont.

The coat of arms of Delémont shows the hills of the Jura, just below the white bishop’s crook.

 

The church Saint Marcel – neoclassical

The church Saint Marcel was built in Neoclassical style (1762-67), under Prince-Bishop Simon-Nicolas de Monjoie-Hirsingue.

I will have to return to find his coat of arms in the church. Like other prince-bishops, Monjoie has marked his borders, for example, in the forest on the Bruderholz, between Bottmingen (then city of Basel) and Oberwil (Prince-Bishopric of Basel). 

Look for this coat of arms in the church Saint Marcel; it shows two keys and two bishop’s crooks.

The belfry, added later (1850) is slightly slanting and is called “Delémont’s leaning tower of Pisa”. 

Or should we rather say “Pisa’s leaning tower of Delémont”?

Just across the church, some tomb slabs have been reused for the sidewalk. 

Very sustainable construction.

 

The hospital that has never been a hospital

Prince-Bishop Wilhelm Jakob Rinck von Baldenstein (1693-1705) built this hospital. 

According to his opinion, it resulted to luxurious to be just a hospital. The city of Delémont gave the building to the Ursuline nuns to open a school for girls.

The hospital has never been a hospital, though the address is “Rue de l’Hôpital”.  

It is here, where the fountain with Saint Henry stands (emperor Henry II) (see the former blog about the fountains).

 

Chapelle Saint Michel in the cemetery of Delémont

Just above the Place de l’Étang, I find the chapel of Saint Michel, built in 1614, in late Gothic style mixed with Renaissance. 

It has been constructed under Prince-Bishop Wilhelm Rinck von Baldenstein (1608-1628, perhaps we can find his coat of arms here…).

Inside, the atmosphere is sober, the main decoration being the baroque altar of 1618.

 

The Musée Jurassien d’Art et d’Histoire – it is well worth a visit

The Burgenfreunde organised a short guided visit to the Musée Jurassien d’Art et d’Histoire. 

The museum has been curated with a twinkle in the eye. When the managers renovated their museum, they hired a historian, a cartoonist and a photographer and carefully rearranged the exhibits around the seven main clichés that the Jura is known for, such as “au bout du monde” (at the “end of the world”),…

Source: Claude Hauser, p. 38

… “La Tête de Moine” (the cheese from the monastery of Bellelay; alluding to the history of the catholic church and the prince-bishops),…

… “Jurassique: identités sous-sol” (Jurassic: identities under the ground referring to the geological era called “Jura”)…

… or l’heure de la décolleteuse” (hinting at the turning machines and the industrialization in the Jura canton; watches, knives “Wenger”, and even my favourite chocolate bars Ragusa are from the Jura).

Not to forget the fight of the Jura to become a canton of its own, symbolized with this new “number plate” replacing the old ones from Bern.

“79 BE” (for a bicycle) and “0000” (somewhat for a car)- two more twinkles! 

Now the Jura is a canton of its own. Until about 1800, the Jura belonged to the Prince-Bishopric of Basel. In 1815, the Congress of Vienna added it to the canton of Bern. In 1978, the Swiss citizens voted and approved the new canton Jura, making the “BE79” number plates for bicycles obsolete. 

The museum displays pieces of identity of the youngest canton of Switzerland, one of them being the fruit brandy Damassine. 

Did you know that Damasson rouge is a plum that only grows in the Jura (and adjacent France)? It makes an excellent fruit brandy! Last December, I tasted it at Saignelégier (also part of the canton Jura) after a long and chilly day of cross country skiing in the Franches Montagnes. It did warm me up and helped digest the excellent dinner we had at our hotel. 

 

I will surely visit Delémont and the museum again

The Musée Jurassien d’Art et d’Histoire is worth a visit. I intend to explore it in more detail. Furthermore, I would like to look for more coats of arms that the prince-bishops left and for more wild men holding the coats of arms of Delémont. 

And, furthermore, just enjoy the welcoming atmosphere of the charming city of Delémont. I was here for the first time, but surely not for the last time. 

 

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Delémont – wild men and Renaissance fountains

In April 2022, I discovered charming Delémont:

  • the welcoming atmosphere with enticing shops, a small market, traditional restaurants, all mirrored in Renaissance fountains,
  • the medieval city centre with reminiscences of the prince-bishopric of Basel, 
  • the jurassic museum (Musée Jurassien d’Art et d’Histoire), curated with a twinkle in the eye. 

After having presented my first impressions of the welcoming atmosphere of Delémont, I will now tell you about wild men and the Renaissance fountains at Delémont.

Have you noticed the coat of arms of Prince-Bishop Jakob Christoph Blarer von Wartensee (1575-1608) on the Renaissance fountains?

Let us explore, why the coat of arms appears here. 

 

Orientation first: The medieval city centre

The medieval city centre of Delémont is located on a hill above the Sorne, within the red rectangle on the map below. I have marked some of the main sights such as the Museum, the Town Hall or the Castle (Château). 

Source: SchweizMobil (online), my own additions of some sights

Let us look for wild men and Renaissance fountains in the medieval city centre.

 

Wild men hold the coat of arms of Delémont showing the bishop’s crook above the hills around Delémont

In medieval times, the city was surrounded by a wall with four towers, only two of which are left.

The first gate is the Porte au Loup that we have already seen, when entering the city. Named after Monsieur Loup who lived here 700 years ago.

The second gate is the Porte de Porrentruy, also called Porte Monsieur. “Monsieur” Prince-Bishop used to enter the city here to get to his summer castle.

On both gates, two wild men are holding the coat of arms of Delémont. 

This is the coat of arms above the entry of the Porte au Loup.

The coat of arms shows the bishop’s crook above the Jura hills around Delémont, white on red background. Actually the name “Delémont” alludes to mountains (“mont”). 

I came across more wild men holding the coat of arms of the city. One pair of them is above the entry to the town hall.

Another wild man decorates the Renaissance fountain in front of the Musée Jurassien d’Art et d’Histoire. Also this wild man holds the coat of arms of Delémont. 

It was Prince-Bishop Jakob Christoph Blarer von Wartensee who had the wild man crafted in 1576, one year after his election. 

There must be more wild men (“sauvages”) at Delémont: The treasure hunting app Drallo motivates children to find all of them and to redeem the premium at the Croisée des Loisirs (near the train station). 

Googling, I learn that “wild people” (Wildleute, either men or women) were popular supporters for coats of arms (see for instance Roger Rebmann’s altbasel.ch).

 

Prince-Bishop Jakob Christoph Blarer von Wartensee was the “reconquistador”

Prince-Bishop Jakob Christoph Blarer von Wartensee (1575-1608) marked a turning point for the Prince-Bishopric of Basel.

The Prince-Bishopric was on the decline after 1529, when Basel had become a protestant city, and the bishop had to leave Basel. Then, the Prince-Bishopric had lost some villages to Basel; they had become protestant. Blarer von Wartensee successfully recovered lost ground regaining some of the protestant villages, such as Therwil or Oberwil. 

For the Prince-Bishopric, he was an excellent leader, he was somewhat the “reconquistador”. In the Musée Jurassien d’Art et d’Histoire, Pitch Comment summarizes his achievements as “Reconquista”. 

Source: My photo taken at the museum

“Reconquista” refers to the Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula by the catholic church, completed by the royal couple Isabella and Ferdinand a hundred years earlier.

Delémont was the summer residence of the Prince-Bishops, and Blarer von Wartensee decorated it with a series of Renaissance fountains, one of them being the fountain of the “wild man” mentioned above. Let us look at more of his fountains.

 

The fountain of Maria

The fountain of Maria decorates the town hall. 

Difficult to take a photo of Maria between  the tree and the town hall (town hall built in 1740). 

Maria was sculptured by Hans Michel in 1583. Maria replaced the wild man of 1576 that stood here before. The wild man was relocated to the Porte de Porrentruy, where we have seen it.

I have come across the sculptor, Hans Michel, before: Another of his works is the statue of Munatius Plancus that he created for the city of Basel (see below). 

Prince-Bishop Blarer von Wartensee could not do without leaving his marks; his coat of arms decorates the fountain of Maria. 

I know his cock from the castle of Porrentruy (where the Prince-Bishops settled, after having been chased from Basel, the cock is to the right of the bishop’s crook; see the photo on the site of Jura Toursime).

Furthermore, when hiking, I encountered the border stones of Blarer von Wartensee between Oberwil and Biel-Benken – this is one of them.

It also shows the cock, along with the bishop’s crook.

 

The fountain of the lion

Another Renaissance fountain presents the lion (1579). The lion holds the bishop’s crook. The cock of Prince-Bishop Blarer von Wartensee decorates also this shaft. 

Lions are another common supporter of coats of arms.

 

The fountain of Saint Maurice

The fountain of Saint Maurice was erected in 1577, also by Prince-Bishop Blarer von Wartensee.  

Have I not seen a very similar statue before? This Mauritius somewhat reminds me of Lucius Munatius Plancus in the courtyard of the Basel town hall… Pretty similar are the boots, the skirt and the coat. 

Yes, the tourism website of Delémont confirms my suspicions… Also Saint Maurice has been created by Hans Michel, like Munatius Plancus.

Mauritius and Munatius Plancus were Roman warriors. Munatius Plancus is said to have founded Augusta Raurica in 44 B.C. (not exactly true, but close, see my earlier blog), and Mauritius belonged to the legendary Theban Legion of the Romans, in the 3rd century A.D.. Though three centuries apart, they look about the same, except for the helmet: Munatius Plancus wears a solid helmet with a basilisk, and Mauritius wears a hat the shape of which reminds me of the pilgrimage hat of Saint James. It also seems to be that Mauritius does not wear leggings, whereby Munatius Plancus has pink leggings with golden laces.

Anyway: Roman warriors looked quite a bit different from these Renaissance incarnations created by Hans Michel. Nevertheless, I like both Renaissance statues. 

 

Fountain of Saint Henry

 Saint Henry decorates this fountain from the 19th century in front of the old hospital. The statue of Saint Henry is from 1596 (see “Chronologie jurassienne”).

Saint Henry is the emperor Henry II of the Roman Holy Empire of German Nation around 1000 A.D. Saint Henry or Henry II was canonized by the pope in 1146. He had the Cathedral of Basel constructed. At Delémont, Henry seems to present the model of the Basel Cathedral, though, in 1596, it belonged to the protestants, no longer to the catholic Prince-Bishopric. 

I have come across Henry II again and again: He and his wife Kunigunde decorate the façade of Cathedral of Basel (sculpture from 1290)…  

… and the altar of the dome of Arlesheim (painted by Appiani in 1759-61). In Arlesheim, Henry holds the “little sister” of the Cathedral of Basel, the beautiful Rococo dome of Arlesheim (built in 1679-81 and rebuilt in 1759-61, see my earlier blog about the dome).

Henry is the patron of the Prince-Bishopric of Basel and of the city of Basel; another Henry decorates the clock of the Basel town hall. 

In the next blog, I will continue with more reminiscences of the prince-bishopric of Basel and with the jurassic museum (Musée Jurassien d’Art et d’Histoire). 

 

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Delémont/Delsberg, the charming capital of the Jura

Delémont/Delsberg is the capital of the canton Jura. Founded in 1979, the Jura is the youngest canton of Switzerland. At Delémont, the friends of the castles of both Basel held their general assembly in April 2022. I decided to attend the assembly and benefit from the opportunity to visit Delémont..

So far I had never visited Delémont, except the train station (a terminal station, Sackbahnhof) and the ring road (to get to the Franches Montagnes for hiking or for cross country skiing).  Now, I discovered the charm of Delémont:

  • the welcoming atmosphere with enticing shops, a small market, traditional restaurants, all mirrored in Renaissance fountains,
  • the medieval city centre with reminiscences of the prince-bishopric of Basel, 
  • the jurassic museum (Musée Jurassien d’Art et d’Histoire), curated with a twinkle in the eye. 

I will start with my first impressions of the welcoming atmosphere of Delémont.

 

Delémont belongs to the French speaking part of Switzerland – more easy-going – parking is free of cost…

It is only a good half hour’s car trip from Basel to Delémont.

Along the town wall, I find lots of parking spaces and a parking meter. I enter four francs. The meter accepts the first three francs and rejects my fourth franc. The meter does not accept more coins nor does it return the coins already entered. Why? – Ah, three francs is the maximum I can pay, which allows me to stay here for four hours (or was it three hours?); not enough to attend the assembly and the visits planned by the Burgenfreunde.

I take my car and drive to Place de l’Étang nearby that has a large parking space. The gate is open and the parking meter is out of service. I leave my car here; now I am in the French speaking part of Switzerland, where life is somewhat more easy-going, where parking meters may work or not, where parking may cost some coins or not… today it is free, unexpectedly. I am happy to have contributed three francs to the city before.

 

Delémont remembers Mr. Loup from the 14th century

I enter the city centre from the north, through the “Wolf’s Gate” or Porte au Loup. 

No, this was not the gate “for” the wolfs. It is named after Monsieur Loup:  Rouelin Loup owned the neighbouring house in 1392. Enough reason, to call the city gate “Porte au Loup”, still today, some 700 years later.

Above the gate, two wild men are holding the coat of arms of Delémont. It shows the bishop’s crook above the mountains of the Jura (see heraldry of the world). 

We will see more of these wild men later; they are called “sauvages” in French.

 

A charming small market in the Rue de l’Hôpital

A small market is going on. A Tibetan stand sells a choice of steamed dumplings. Enticing, but I cannot buy dumplings now. The assembly might not like the smell. 

Another stand sells food from Tunisia, praised by the owner with enthusiasm. Delémont seems to be an international place.

The market stretches along the Rue de l’Hôpital. 

I stand in front of the Fontaine de la Boule, the “ball fountain”, a Renaissance fountain from 1596. “Boule” (ball or globe) describes it well. 

The houses reflect in the water of this fountain.

 

Spring flowers bring colour to the streets

I stroll through the streets and enjoy the flowers decorating them, such as these tulips in la Rue de la Grange (Barn Street)…

… and these daffodils in the Rue du Fer (Iron Street).

 

Inviting places for shopping and reading

Nathalie sells wool behind her nicely decorated window. I believe, all the charming shops selling just wool have disappeared in Basel, unfortunately.

I come across the Bibliothèque des Jeunes (library for the young). Inside, children are reading books.

I frown a bit at the “Pharmacie du Tilleul”. “Tilleul” means “lime blossom”. This pharmacy seems to sell a choice of rather “soft” medicine.

Well, may be, they make a careful selection of medicine, considering traditional knowledge about plants as well.

 

Delémont – multilingual

This restaurant is multilingual mixing German, French and English. 

As a matter of fact, in 1880 the percentage of German speaking inhabitants was about 45%, and now it is down to 3% (see Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz). The once bilingual town still announces its “Weinhandlung”, which is a coffee bar today, the “Café d’Espagne”. 

We have dinner at the Restaurant de la Croix Blanche. The atmosphere is cosy, the walls are painted. 

This painting with the coat of arms of the young canton Jura has been made after 1979. The restaurant owner tells me that they have enlarged the restaurant; the paintings in the front part are older than the ones at the  back. We enjoy a lovely meal; the portions of the menu are enormously large – and good.

Yes, Delémont has a welcoming atmosphere with enticing shops, a small market, traditional restaurants, all mirrored in Renaissance fountains. 

Let us discover details of the medieval city centre with the traces of the Prince-Bishops in the following blog.  

 

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