The ''Historical Dictionary of Switzerland'' is an
encyclopedia on the
history of Switzerland
Since 1848 the Swiss Confederation has been a federal republic of relatively autonomous cantons, some of which have a history of
federation that goes back more than 700 years, putting them among the world's oldest surviving republics.
The ear ...
that aims to take into account the results of modern historical research in a manner accessible to a broader audience.
The encyclopedia is published by a
foundation
Foundation may refer to:
* Foundation (nonprofit), a type of charitable organization
** Foundation (United States law), a type of charitable organization in the U.S.
** Private foundation, a charitable organization that, while serving a good cause ...
under the patronage of the
Swiss Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences (SAGW/ASSH) and the
Swiss Historical Society (SGG-SHH) and is financed by national research grants. Besides a staff of 35 at the central offices, the contributors include 100 academic advisors, 2500 historians and 100 translators.
Print edition
The encyclopedia is published simultaneously in three of Switzerland's national languages:
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
(''Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz'', HLS, in red),
French (''Dictionnaire Historique de la Suisse'', DHS, in blue) and
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
(''Dizionario Storico della Svizzera'', DSS, in yellow). The first of a total of 13 volumes was published in 2002 and the final volume was in 2014. All volumes are available in German, French and Italian, and an abbreviated version in 2 volumes (3100 articles) is available in
Romansh (''Lexicon Istoric Retic'').
The 36,000 headings are grouped in:
# Biographies (35%)
# Articles on families and genealogy (10%)
# Articles on places (municipalities, cantons, other nation states, fortresses, signories, abbeys, archeological sites) (30%)
# Subject articles (historical phenomena and terms, institutions, events) (25%)
On-line edition
The on-line edition has been available since 1998. It makes accessible, for free, all articles ready for publication in print, but no illustrations. It also lists all 36,000 topics that are to be covered.
''Lexicon Istoric Retic''
''Lexicon Istoric Retic'' (LIR) is a two volume version with a selection of articles published in
Romansh. It includes articles not available in the other languages. The first volume was published in 2010, the second in 2012. An on-line version is also available.
Editions
* ''Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz'' (HLS), Schwabe AG, Basel, (2002–)
* ''Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse'' (DHS), Editions Gilles Attinger, Hauterive, (2002–)
* ''Dizionario storico della Svizzera'' (DSS), Armando Dadò editore, Locarno, (2002–)
* ''Lexicon Istoric Retic'' (LIR), Kommissionsverlag Desertina, Chur, (vol.1: Abundi à Luzzi), (vol. 2: Macdonald à Zwingli)
References
External links
DHS/HLS/DSSonline edition in German, French and Italian
''Lexicon Istoric Retic'' (LIR)online edition in Romansh
{{Authority control
2002 books
Historiography of Switzerland
Encyclopedias of history
German-language encyclopedias
French encyclopedias
Italian-language encyclopedias
Romansh-language mass media
21st-century encyclopedias
Swiss online encyclopedias
1998 establishments in Switzerland
Swiss encyclopedias
National encyclopedias
Online databases
Organisations based in Switzerland
Historical dictionaries