The guide to mysterious places

A haven of peace and tranquillity, Switzerland and its immutable mountain landscapes offer outside visitors a stable, peaceful façade – one that has always shaped its reputation in the world. But looks can be deceiving… In this paradise of cheese and chocolate, cows and watches, there are unsolved mysteries, dramas, and bloody legends that lie hidden.

In each mysterious place, the clear – or sometimes barely audible – echoes of unanswered questions still reverberate. Never will we know why, in his secret cave, gentle giant Maurice gathered what in his eyes were treasures, and what in ours is useless junk. Nor will we know why, enlightened by faith, hermits spent decades carving out the immense labyrinthine warren that is the Magdalena Hermitage. Who were the counterfeiters of Rovray? Why was the Jürgensen Tower built? Is the Moncor mound really home to a sleeping Celtic princess?

There are few answers to these questions despite, in some cases, scientific explanation having resolved what, to our ancestors, remained a mystery. And yet, the legends crafted to explain the inexplicable continue to haunt the very places that witnessed their births.

This book will delight those who enjoy walking in both the past and the present of magical sites, those who still know how to truly listen and feel, and those whose imagination is not reined in by undue rationality.

Already bestsellers in its two French volumes, this guide is for those seeking to discover Western Switzerland off the beaten track, away from the overly-crowded tourist sites. The twenty walks described in this book are all easily accessible and do not require any particular physical skills.

Let your feet and your fancies take you to extraordinary places and into the world of age-old legends…