Michael van Orsouw

Michael van Orsouw

Michael van Orsouw has a PhD in history and is a performance poet and author. He regularly publishes historical books.

Website: geschichte-texte.ch

Puttin’ on the Ritz: the global hit with Swiss roots

Michael van Orsouw 11.05.2023 César Ritz was not only a pioneering Swiss hotelier, he also established a luxurious way of life that was immortalised in a song. ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’ became a global hit after Ritz himself had sadly died following a decades-long battle with depression.
Fred Astaire’s dance performance to the song ‘Puttin' on the Ritz’ in 1946.

World-famous typefaces from Kriens

Michael van Orsouw 27.04.2023 Roman Scherer’s highly specialised factory in Kriens manufactured wood type for the whole world – including for Pravda, the official newspaper of Russia’s Communist party in Moscow.
Crossing linguistic borders: Roman Scherer’s typefaces conquered the world in the early 20th century.

The strangest state visit of all time

Michael van Orsouw 31.08.2022 In 1909 the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph visited Switzerland. It could have been an official state visit with the mighty Emperor, but it turned out just a “courtesy call”. The Emperor didn’t set foot on Swiss soil, and was gone again after just a quarter of an hour. A strange episode in Swiss foreign affairs.
On 31 August 1909, Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria shook hands with the Vice President of the Federal Council, Robert Comtesse, on board the saloon steamer Kaiserin Elisabeth.

The naked sun doctor

Michael van Orsouw 27.07.2022 Opinions were divided on naturopath Arnold Rikli. He delivered his holistic form of treatment, which involved bathing in the nude, at a sanatorium he had set up himself. Not in Switzerland, but in what is now Slovenia. The Monte Verità counterculture group was inspired, ultimately, by many of Rikli’s ideas and practices.
Steam baths were part of Rikli’s water-air-light therapy.

Switzerland and the House of Windsor

Michael van Orsouw 01.06.2022 Queen Elizabeth II was at the head of the British Royal Family for 70 years. The House of Windsor maintains a close relationship with Switzerland – not politically, but on a more private level. Here we take a look behind at the scenes at the connection between the Swiss and the Royals.
Queen Elizabeth II’s state visit to Switzerland in 1980. Accompanied by Federal President Georges-André Chevallaz, the monarch inspects the guard of honour at Zurich-Kloten Airport.

The Ticino glacé king

Michael van Orsouw 27.05.2022 Born in a mountain valley in Ticino, Carlo Gatti moved on to Paris and later to London. He was the first street vendor of ice cream in London, eventually earning a reputation as the uncrowned “Ice Cream King” of Victorian England.
From a small Ticino village to the centre of London: the steep rise of ice cream king Carlo Gatti. Illustration by Marco Heer.

The almost-pioneer from Basel

Michael van Orsouw 13.04.2022 Anna Wecker from Basel is Switzerland’s first known cookbook author. She infiltrated this male-dominated sphere in 1598.
La première femme auteur de livres de cuisine en Suisse s'appelait Anna Wecker et était originaire de Bâle. Illustration : Marco Heer

From Borneo to Bern

Michael van Orsouw 02.03.2022 In 1860, Alois Wyrsch from Stans was the first non-white member of parliament. A Nidwalden citizen “of colour”? Wyrsch’s mother came from Borneo, where his father had served as a mercenary soldier.
Portrait of Alois Wyrsch, who made history as Switzerland’s first non-white politician.