On the trail of Celts and Helvetians, with an evening under the stars (one day)

3 September

Description

Did you know that the official name of Switzerland is Confoederatio Helvetica? (That is written on our 5chf coins and on our stamps!). The Helvetian tribes occupied the Western Central Swiss plateau and it is supposed that one of their oppida was located on the Mont Vully, a hill resembling a pearl gently placed between the three lakes of Murten, Neuchâtel and Biel before.

This trip invites you to discover the Celts and Helvetians of the Swiss plateau with the world-famous site of La Tène where hundreds of weapons and military ornaments were discovered in the middle of the nineteenth century, thus giving its name to the late Iron Age. The first stop is therefore the Neues Museum Biel (NMB) in the canton of Bern, where the most finds of this site are kept. Here a specialist will allow you to have a close insight on the objects and the way the site was discovered. Then off we go to the beach of La Tène for a view of the site and a well-deserved coffee-break. Afterwards, we will join the Mont Vully and meet our guide for an hour visit tour that will take you to Praz, an authentic village in the vineyard where a restaurant on the shore of the lake of Morat will host you for a typical Swiss dinner. The day will end with a talk on the perception that our antique and Celtic ancestors had of the sky, followed by an observation of the stars with professionals.

Capacity:

10 - 17 people

Price:

150 EUR (includes transportation from and to Bern, dinner in restaurant, guides and tickets to all visits, lecture and star-watching)

Transportation:

mini-bus

Meeting Point:

Kunstmuseum (Hodlerstrasse 8, 3011 Bern), 12:45

Approximate schedule

 13:00  departure from Bern to the New Museum of Biel
 14:00  guided visit and special access to the collections of La Tène
 15:30  departure for the internationally renowned site of La Tène
 16:00  presentation of the site of La Tène and coffee break
 17:30  guided visit of the Mont Vully oppidum
 19:00  evening meal in the authentic restaurant of Belair in Praz on the shore of lake Morat
 20:30  lecture on Celtic astronomy by Dr. Marguerite Hirt (University of Cambridge)
 21:30  observation of the stars with telescope under professional supervision
 23:00  departure from Mont Vully back to Bern
 24:00  arrival in Bern

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