Soleure
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
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 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.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
Collier's gave the canton 130,230 people in 1920; today Solothurn holds roughly 280,000, more than doubled, and the city itself has grown from 12,970 to around 17,000. The confessional picture has shifted too: the canton is no longer overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, though Solothurn remains the seat of the Bishop of Basel, as it has been since 1828. Watch and clock making survived the century and still matters in the canton, especially around Grenchen, while cotton milling and the "whey cure" at Weissenstein have gone; the Weissenstein is now reached by a gondola lift opened in 2014, replacing the funicular. English usage has largely dropped the French "Soleure" in favour of Solothurn.
Written for this edition, 2026.