Hans Brühlmann Rundweg, Station 7

Gugg and Federal Councillor Forrer

In 1902, Ludwig Forrer was elected to the Federal Council as the "Lion of Winterthur", where he headed six different departments over the course of time and was President of the Swiss Confederation several times. The busy man occasionally complains at the regulars' table in Winterthur that he can never edit his procedural writings undisturbed. He is constantly distracted. He is recommended a very secluded place where foxes and hares would say good night to each other. Forrer visits Vättis and rents a room for the time being. He likes the secluded location and paradisiacal tranquility of the mountain village on Calanda. He had the Gugg holiday home built with a master builder from Winterhur and with Vätten craftsmen from the Kohler brothers. His day's work in alpine surroundings begins with the processing of federal Bernese correspondence. For the time being, the magistrate of the Reformed denomination who has come here seems alien to the purely Catholic inhabitants. Numerous anecdotes confirm the gradual process from initial rejection to mutual acclimatization and appreciation. For example, he was a 1 August speaker in Vättis several times.