After settling into our home stays and getting used to life in Interlaken, the group took our first trip together to the city of Glarus. About a three-hour train ride from Interlaken, Glarus is towards the northwest of Switzerland. Unlike our host town of Interlaken, Glarus does not appeal to many individuals, especially tourists. In fact, many members of our group were asked why we were there. After a great deal of observation and exploration, many field notes were gathered which led to stimulating conversation the next day.
Question #1: What do you learn about Glarus? How and where do you learn?
When we stepped off the train in Glarus, the group immediately began to see the vast differences between Glarus and Interlaken. Glarus is simply not a tourist town or village by any stretch of the imagination. A train station employee gave some students a city map and pointed them in the direction of the local protestant church. Other students asked locals what they should see. One group described a Glarus native being stumped by that question and saying there was little to nothing for them to see in the city. Another group reported their experience at a local café. The menus were all in German and the waitress spoke poor English. While the methods of finding information about Glarus varied from group to group, all of us came to the consensus that it is a so-called “normal” Swiss village not attempting to achieve widespread tourist appeal.
Question #2: What can New Glarus tell us about old Glarus?
New Glarus is a town in Wisconsin that was first founded by Swiss immigrants to America. Now it has grown into an American tourist trap with debatably authentic Swiss-style chalets, yodelers, and other attractions with the sole purpose of recreating Swiss culture in one part of America. Comparing new and old Glarus helped the group discover what the differences are between “traditional and authentic Swissness.” New Glarus is a very “traditional” Swiss village that is less “authentic.” On the contrary, old Glarus is an “authentic” Swiss village that is less “traditional.” An authentic village or town does not need flags on every building, red flowers in every windowsill, and chalets on every street corner to be Swiss. That is Switzerland on a post card. Glarus simply rejects that notion of “Swissness.”
Question #3: What evidence do you find for the staging of Glarus and or “Swissness?”
Staging refers to the concept of building a city, town or village around the idea of tourism. It is concerned with presenting the destination in the best possible light to make it enjoyable for tourists and make them want to come back. Our group discussions primarily found there to be little staging of Glarus. A few class members did, however, point out the geography of the city itself could have been a staging technique. The COOP, restaurants and bars were all within close proximity to the train station. This makes it easy for visitors to simply get off a train and walk across the street for a beer or some food. The city also staged the concept of “Swissness.” Being a host country for Euro Cup 08, Switzerland has a great deal of banners and posters all throughout its cities, villages and towns. Glarus is no exception to this. The numerous ads and the central fan zone in the town square demonstrate Glarus’ contribution to Euro Cup 08. The group believed this to be a staging of Swiss culture and its pride for their country and its ability to perform and regulate a European wide sporting event with great success.
Question #4: What evidence of the “backstage” can you see, if any?
In tourism, the backstage refers to things that are not usually seen by the eyes of a tourist on a regular basis. The group felt there were many examples of the backstage in Glarus. Instead of being drawn to sites across the city on a map, most group members simply walked around the city looking for nothing in particular. Cameron bumped into a man carving wood sculptures in his back yard. Other people watched kids kick a soccer ball around or locals eating in the cafes and restaurants. Our discussion led to the groups’ basic consensus that Glarus is simply a backstage of Switzerland. Nevertheless, this does not make the town any less Swiss. In fact, it helped pose the question of what true “Swissness” really is. Our class will examine this question further as the class evolves.
Posted by Jordan Van Vleet and Maggie McVey