''Hinkender Bote'' ("limping messenger", French ''Messager boiteux'', Italian ''Corrier zoppo'')
was the title of several early modern
almanac
An almanac (also spelled ''almanack'' and ''almanach'') is an annual publication listing a set of current information about one or multiple subjects. It includes information like weather forecasts, farmers' planting dates, tide tables, and other ...
s which appeared in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, from the later 17th century and throughout the 18th century and in some cases to the present day. Since 1801, the ''Lahrer Hinkender Bote'' has also been published in
Lahr
Lahr (officially Lahr/Schwarzwald since 30 September 1978) (); gsw, label= Low Alemannic, Lohr) is a town in western Baden-Württemberg, Germany, approximately 50 km north of Freiburg im Breisgau, 40 km southeast of Strasbourg, and 95&nb ...
,
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...
, Germany.
The first publication with this title appeared in
Basel
, french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese
, neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...
in 1676. A French edition of the Basel publication appeared in
Vevey
Vevey (; frp, Vevê; german: label=former German, Vivis) is a town in Switzerland in the canton of Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Geneva, near Lausanne. The German name Vivis is no longer commonly used.
It was the seat of the district of ...
in 1707.
A
Bern
german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese
, neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen
, website ...
ese ''Hinkender Bote'' first appeared from 1695, from 1748 also in a French edition, ''Véritable Messager boiteux de Berne''. This French edition was in turn published in a German translation in Vevey, as ''Hinkender Bott von Vivis'', from 1794 to 1848.
Both the Bernese and the Vevey publication persist today. A ''Véritable Messager boiteux de Neuchâtel'' appeared 1805–1962.
In
Lugano
Lugano (, , ; lmo, label=Ticinese dialect, Ticinese, Lugan ) is a city and municipality in Switzerland, part of the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino. It is the largest city of both Ticino and the Italian-speaking southern Switzerland. Luga ...
, there was a ''Corrier zoppo, o sia Mercurio storico e politico'' from 1756 to 1762.
The almanachs contained calendars with both
Catholic and Protestant feast days, the dates of important fairs and astronomical ephemerides, and anecdotal accounts of events of the preceding years sections accompanied with illustrations.
In Vevey, a tradition developed of depicting a real-life leg amputee on the cover; the currently serving "limping messenger" is one Jean-Luc Sansonnens of Fribourg (b. 1969) who lost his leg in a motorcycle accident in 1988. His predecessor was local celebrity Samuel Burnand (1896-1985).
References
* Teresa Eva Tschu
Die Bilderwelt des «Berner Hinkenden Boten» Von seinen Anfängen bis zur Blütezeit am Ausgang des 18. Jahrhunderts* François de Capitani, (2009)
External links
(vevey.ch)
{{Authority control
Defunct magazines published in Switzerland
Almanacs