Saturday, June 30, 2012

Saturday's postcard: Enjoy the view of Finhaut, Switzerland

Sometimes you just have to sit back and enjoy the scenery...


This old black-and-white postcard1 has French text on the front that states: "Massif du Mont-Blanc vu des Six Jeurs s/ Finhaut."

Mont Blanc massif is a mountain range that runs through parts of France, Italy and Switzerland. Its highest peak is Mont Blanc, which soars to 15,782 feet.

Six Jeurs is -- as best as I can interpret -- a mountain or plateau that overlooks the tiny Swiss village of Finhaut.2 The village dates back to at least the 1290s and currently has a population of about 400.

For more on the history of Finhaut, here are some Google translations of the village's French language website (obviously, something is lost in translation on some of these):
  • Inhabited since the late 13th century, though some archaeological evidence of Neolithic and Roman eras suggest passages for over 5,000 years.
  • In 1638, a plague affecting the region.
  • A policeman and a forest guard ensure that council decisions are respected. These are announced by the drum on Sundays after church on the village square.
  • The path of the goats is regulated to preserve the forest, including those located above the villages that provide a clear protective role.
  • In 1865, the town has three hotels, five in 1879, eleven in 1901 and nineteen on the eve of WWI. ... The announcement of the First World War put an end to the tourist boom of the Belle Epoque.

Addendum 1
Check back tomorrow to see the best suggestions from last week's Italian postcard caption contest and learn who the winner is!

Addendum 2
Another milestone! This is Papergreat's 500th post. But I really only pull out all the stops for milestones that are divisible by 200, so you'll have to wait about 3½ months for Post #600 if you're expecting more chickens.

Footnotes
1. Some notations from the back of the postcard:
  • No. 940 A.C.F. 3. 10. 1939
  • Edition Art. Perrochet & Phototypie S.A., Lausanne
Also, the postcard was stamped but not used. The stamp is pictured at right.
2. Finhaut is not technically a village. Technically, it's "a municipality in the district of Saint-Maurice in the canton of Valais in Switzerland." But we don't really need to get technical, do we?

1 comment:

  1. I have two of these stamps the 20 Helvetica on a envelope A. FRANCKE AG. BERN POST MARKED1948 WHAT DO I HAVE

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