Evening star., 1938-03-20
ALPS-LAND READY
FOR GAY SUMMER
Switzerland Lists Many
Events to Entertain
Visitors of 1898.

GENEVA, March s--Switzerland,
combining scenery and exceptional
opportunities for recreation with a
pronounced pocketbook appeal. prom
ises to be again in 1888 favorite
playground for Americans vacationing
in Europe.
Since the readjustment of the Swiss
franc in 1886 the American dollar
buys AZ per cent more in Switzerland
And there are no money formalities
Smart bathing beaches offer all
modern aquatic pastimes and excel
lent tennis courts and golf courses
invite everywhere. Swiss rivers and
lakes are Just as ideal for rowing and
padding as they are for fishing, and
there is excellent sailing on several
OF the lakes. Hikers and climbers
who are keen on exploring and con-
ouerlng haunts or peaks far off the
beatep path discover in Switzerland
that there is such thing as dreams
come true
Season Starts in June.
Swiss summer season events start in
resplendent parade early in June.
There are music, singing and flower
festivals; open-air performances and
festival plays; swimming, rowing and
sailing contests; horse races, Vene-
tian nights tennis and golf tourna-
ments, gymnastic and rifle shooting
events, summer ski festivals. Alpine
and costume festivals and many
others. Art exhibitions and fairs af-
ford a picture of the Swiss people
from other angles,
Zurich opens the march of Swiss
summer season attractions with a
June festival of operas and plays in
the local Stradttheater. Wasner's
complete "Niebelungenring' will be
another feature, and the distinguished
Wilhelm Furtwangler himself will di-
rect Beethoven's "Fidelio' on June IL
and IA.
Bern, Swtzerland's over-7OO-year-
Old capital, is preparing for special
season OF music from the middle of
May to the middle of June. "Berne
sings" as the event is called. will have
the support of different choirs and
musical organizations. and a series of
concerts will be given on Munster
square. "Berne in flowers" will
again be feature this year, and as
result the beautiful old city will ap-
pear in artistically planned floral
garb from June until September.
Drama. as we'll will play a promi-
nent role among the seasons Offer
ings. William Tell" so very appro-
pirate in Switzerland. again is to be
presented in the Tell Playhouse. at
Altdorf, near Lake Lucerne. each Sum-
day from July II 10 September IL,
and in the opcn-air theater at Inter-
lsken each Sunday from July 10 to
September II.
Passion Plays at Lucerne.
OF exceptional interest this year
will be the performances of passion
plays three times week on Hofkirche
Square at Lucerne from July to Sep
temoer II. The Lucerne biblical plays
date back to 1470 AID.
Invariably charming are the Swiss
Alpine and costume festivals which
are held here and there throughout
the summer. Native pastimes and
native garb are on parade on these
occasions and Alpine horn playing,
yodellng, singing and dancing may be
enjoyed at their best. The Fribourg
costumes fete is scheduled to be held
at Bulle on June IL, and Brunnen, on
Lake Lucerne, will celebrate in a SINH
lar manner on July IS. An Alpine
fete also is planned for August 7 at
Fronalp. above Brunnen, and a gon-
dola corso and yodeling festival will
be Brunnen attractions on August 16.
Flower festivals are annual features,
with Geneva observing its always very
lavish event on June 25 and 26, and
Montreux its gorgeous narcissus fete
on July and 3.
A national horse show at Thun on
June 25 and rs is one of the early sum-
mer events in the equestrian direction
and is followed from July to 10 by
the noted international horse show
and jumping competitions at Lucerne.
On August 13 and Ia a national horse
fair and horse races will be held at
Salgnelegler, in the Swiss Jura, where
some of the finest thoroughbred horses
are raised
Water Fetes Arranged.
Bathing beaches everywhere ar
range festivals and contests from time
to time, and Venetian nights are at
fractions of fairyland splendor in
many lake cities. From July to 10
Lausanne will observe its annual in
ternational sailing and rowing week.
with contests and Lido fashion show.
Geneva will celebrate bathing beach
festival on July 8. Venetian night
fete de luxe is promised by Lucerne
for July % and by Thun for August 6.
Tiny Switzerland, as a climax, will
enable those visitors who may have
missed out on skiing and ski jumping
events during the winter season to
make up for this loss on Jungfraujoch,
where the annual summer ski races
will be held on July and 10. Jung
fraujoch. famous for its superb Alpine
panorama, is conveniently reached by
mountain railways from Interlaken
and also offers dogsleigh riding, as we'll
as skating in hal1 of iro b,eu,,, o,,4