Soleure

Soleure (Ger. Solothurn), a canton in the north of Switzerland, bounded on the W. and S. by Bern, and on the N. and E. by Basel and Aargau. Area, 306 sq. m.; pop. (1880) 80,424; (1888) 85,621, mostly Roman Catholics and speakers of German. The greater portion of the canton is fertile and well cultivated, especially in the valley of the Aar. But it also embraces outlying ranges of the Alpine and Jura systems. Besides grain, the principal products are fruit, timber, cherry-brandy, cheese, cotton, paper, iron, hose, clocks, &c. The canton consists of the territories acquired by the town of Soleure. The legislative council is elected by the people, and that body chooses the executive (5 members), both for four years. But both bodies are subject to the immediate control of the people, as well as every act they do, by means of the referendum.—The town of Soleure, the capital of the canton, is situated on both sides of the Aar, 18 miles NNE. of Bern by rail. The most notable building is the cathedral of St Ursus, built in 1762–63 on the site of an older church (1050), with a cupola and façade of Corinthian columns. There are also a curious old clock tower, an arsenal with a museum of ancient trophies of war, and collections of antiquities. The principal objects of industry are cotton, clocks, and cement. Pop. 8305. Soleure (Salodurum) was a place of some consequence in Roman times, was made a free city of the empire (1218), joined the Swiss Confederation in 1481, and in 1828 was chosen the bishop's see for the diocese of Basel. Close by are the baths of Weissenstein, with a celebrated 'whey-cure' that is very much frequented.