Soleure
or SOLOTHURN, a canton in the N. of Switzerland; bounded on the W. and S. by Berne, and on the N. and E. by Basel and Aargau; area, 302 square SOLITAIRE miles; pop. (1920) 130,230, mostly Roman Catholics and speakers of German. The greater portion of the canton is fertile and well cultivated, especially in the valley of the Aar. But it also embraces outlying ranges of the Alpine and Jura Besides grain, the principal systems. products are fruit, timber, cherry brandy , cheese; cotton, paper, iron, hose, watches, clocks, etc. The canton consists of the territories acquired by the town of. Soleure.
Soleure, or Solothurn, the capital of the canton, is situated on both sides of the Aar, 18 miles N. N. E. of Berne. The most notable building is the cathedral of St. Ursus, built in 1762-1763 on the site of an older church (1050), with a cupola and façade of Corinthian columns. There are also a curious old clock tower, an arsenal with a museum of ancient trophies of war, and collections of antiquities. The principal objects of industry are cotton, watches, clocks, and cement Pop. (1920) 12,970. Soleure (Salodurum) was a place of some consequence in Roman times, was made a free city of the empire (1218), joined the Swiss Confederation in 1481, and in 1828 was chosen the bishop's see for the diocese of Basel. Close by are the baths of Weissenstein, with a celebrated "whey cure" that is very much frequented.