Overview of Swiss Costume

Hello all,

I received a request for some information the traditional clothing of Switzerland, especially of the area around Luzern, so I will give a very short overview of this information.

Switzerland, as is well known, is a multilingual nation which strongly identifies as one ethnicity. This is extremely unusual, and is rooted in the fact that the Swiss Confederation was voluntary on the part of its citizens, at least at first, and as it grew, that was still mostly true. 

Here is a linguistic map of Switzerland, one showing the names of the cantons, and one showing more detail.

 

Covering the cantons from the northeast, going counter-clockwise. This is a very short and incomplete overview.

Allemanisch or 'German' Switzerland:

St. Gallen

Appenzell

 

Thurgau

Schaffhausen

 

Zurich

Zug

 

Schwyz

Glarus

Uri

 

 Unterwalden

[includes Obwalden and Nidwalden]

Luzern

Aargau

Basel

Solothurn

Bern

This is a large canton with several costumes, here is just a sample.

Emmental

where the famous cheese comes from

Emmental on the right, Bern midlands on the left

Berner Mutz

Oberhasli

Saanenland

'French' and Savoy, or 'Welschland' Switzerland. 

[Welsch is an old Germanic word meaning 'people whose language we don't understand']

 Jura

Neuchâtel

Fribourg

Vaud

Geneva

Valais/Wallis

The west half of the canton is French/Arpitan speaking, and the east half is German/Allemanisch speaking. This canton is also rather large and rich in costumes.

Ticino 

This, along with a couple of the southern valleys of Graubuenden, makes up 'Italian' Switzerland.

Grischun/Grigioni/Graubuenden/Grisons

The last canton, home of the Romansch language, also home to German/Allemanish and Italian speakers.

Thank you for reading, I hope that you have found this interesting and informative.

Feel free to contact me with requests for research. I hope to eventually cover all of Europe and the Former Russian Empire/Soviet Union. I also gratefully accept tips on source materials which i may not have. I also accept commissions to research/design, sew, and/or embroider costumes or other items for groups or individuals.

Roman K.

email:  Rkozakand@aol.com  

Source material:
Lotti Schuerch - Louise Witzig, 'Trachten der Sweiz', Bern, 1978
Louise Witzig, 'Schweizer Trachtenbuch', Zurich, 1954
Louise Witzig et Edwige Eberle, 'Costumes Suisse', Lausanne,