Prospect der Stadt Solothurn von der Mittags-Seite. / Vue de la Ville de Soleure du Cote du Midi.

Title

Prospect der Stadt Solothurn von der Mittags-Seite. / Vue de la Ville de Soleure du Cote du Midi.

Description

General view of the municipality of Solothurn in the canton of the same name in Switzerland.

ca. 1780

Artist

Leizel

Historical Description

During the 8th and 9th centuries Solothurn belonged to the administrative region Waldgau of the Frankish Empire under the Carolingians. In the 11th century, during the reign of the last Burgundian kings, numerous imperial days were held in Solothurn, while the Stefanskapelle served as a coronation site. Besides Lausanne and Zurich, Solothurn was the only larger city in the Mittelland. Due to the death of Count Rudolf of Rheinfelden in 1080, new noble families entered the country. Among them, the Zähringers were the most important. However, the Zähringers left the most lasting traces in Solothurn in terms of urban development. This Zähringian city wall formed the center of Solothurn life until the beginning of the 19th century. After the death of the last childless Zähringer, Solothurn, like Bern, was declared a free city in 1218 and henceforth had the status of an imperial city within the Holy Roman Empire. 1393 marked the beginning of Solothurn's time with the Confederates. It was not until a few decades later that Solothurn, along with Fribourg, joined the Confederation in 1481, although from then on they became second-tier cities. Until 1513, other towns were added and together then formed the thirteen old towns. Due to the innovations in the art of war, Solothurn's fortifications had to be strengthened and the cityscape increasingly changed.