The transformation of Switzerland in the 19th century through a biography3 reading minutes

In The Transformation of Switzerland (1847-1920). Regards de Georges Dommen, Bridget Dommen plunges us into a pivotal period in Swiss history, through the journey of a man at the crossroads of social, economic and technological change.

Le Regard Libre: Your story is set in a very different Switzerland than today. How would you describe the country at the time of Georges Dommen's birth?

Bridget Dommen: Switzerland was still predominantly rural and poor. Villages lacked basic infrastructure such as electricity, running water and well-developed transport networks. Georges Dommen, born in 1847 in a small Lucerne village, grew up in an environment where agriculture was predominant and employed the majority of workers. Life expectancy was low: barely forty years. Added to this was the fact that families often lost more than forty children.