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the spring equinox
Ballon d'Alsace

At the spring equinox, if we observe it from the Ballon d’Alsace, the sun rises behind the Black Forest Belchen 70 km away

Anfang Mai / Beltene
Ballon d'Alsace
About 40 days after the spring equinox, beginning of the Celtic summer half-year, the sun rises in the east-northeast behind the summit of the Grand Ballon.
21.6 summer solstice
Ballon d'Alsace

At the summer solstice, the sun rises in the northeast above the Markstein, in the direction of the Petit Ballon

Anfang August / Lugnasad
Ballon d'Alsace
About 40 days after the summer solstice, the sun rises in the east-northeast, behind the summit of the Grand Ballon.
22.9. the autumn equinox
Ballon d'Alsace

At the autumnal equinox, if we observe it from the Ballon d’Alsace, the sun rises behind the summit of Schwarzwaldbelchen 70 km away.

Anfang November / Samhain
Ballon d'Alsace

About 40 days after the autumn equinox, beginning of the Celtic winter half-year. The three Celtic settlements Britzgyberg, Basel-Gasfabrik and Augusta Raurica are on the line of the sunrise.

21.12. Winter solstice
Ballon d'Alsace

The sun rises in the southeast behind the Tödi in the Glarus Alps, in between lies the Jura Belchen

Anfang Februar / Imbolc
Ballon d'Alsace
About 40 days after the winter solstice, middle of the Celtic winter half-year. The sun rises in east-southeast. The three Celtic settlements Britzgyberg, Basel-Gasfabrik and Augusta Raurica are on the line of the sunrise.
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The grace cave in the rock

Mariastein

The grace cave in the rock

In the narrow valley, which leads from Flüh to Rotberg Castle, lies the cave of ‹Maria im Stein› on the right rock face. A pilgrimage church and a mighty Benedictine monastery rise above it. To the left of the church portal, a long, arched corridor leads into the “Gnadenhöhle”, the walls of which are covered with votive plaques made of marble and granite. “Maria helped”, “merci” and “grazie Maria” are engraved on it, occasionally Tamil lettering can be seen. Mariastein is also a sacred place for the Hindus living in Switzerland, since ‹Maria im Stein› represents the dark life-in-death goddess Kali, whom she venerates here. It is believed that the cave facing the rising sun was already a cult place in pre-Christian times.

After an eventful history, which had started with the escape of the monks during the revolutionary period, the pilgrimage was continued by the bishop residing in the canton of Solothurn until the Benedictine abbey was finally legally restored in 1971. As a result, the monastery complex and pilgrimage church were extensively renovated.

On the hill, which extends towards Flüh, behind the former monastery courtyard a path leads up to the St. Anna chapel, in which frescoes from the 15th and 17th centuries are still preserved. Cultural historians interpret Saint Anna, patron of fertility, as the transformation of a Celtic goddess, Ana.

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Bad Zurzach