Searching for Treasures in Swiss Castles, Museums, and Churches

Where yesterday was spent driving through the Swiss countryside and mountain ranges, today was spent in castles, museums, and churches. We were looking for objects related to Anabaptists, Desiderius Erasmus and Ulrich Zwingli. The locations delivered! Here’s how the day went…

(But first, thanks to Logos for sponsoring this trip. Please check out their church history bundles to assist your studies of church history.)

The night sky in Eggiwil, Switzerland.

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We began our day at Trachselwald Castle where Anabaptist prisoners were once kept. We had the place to ourselves. Literally. There was no sign of anyone else.

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Anabaptists were imprisoned in Castle Trachselwald.

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After Trachselwald we went to Basel where we found a surprisingly important artifact: the Erasmus Chest. Just sitting there in the corridor in the Basel Historical Museum.

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We went to this cathedral expecting it to be Catholic. But then we spotted a pulpit at the front and knew it must have been claimed by the Reformed church during the Reformation. We also found Erasmus is buried there.

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In the Swiss National Museum in Zurich we found a rare treasure: Erasmus’s translation of the New Testament. It’s a little book that changed the world.

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The day was still grey and rainy, so we kept doing indoor things, like visiting Grossmunster Church where Zwingli was once based. It’s remarkable for being plain and unadorned. And for having 1,001 “no photos” signs within. So I didn’t get any interior shots.

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And a fun one: sunrise from our Airbnb.

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