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The Schwarzenburg Mystery
I recently obtained a German-language postcard showing a scene
in "Schwarzenburg."
The card contains the heading, "Schwarzenburg. Wirtschaft
Linde Radio-Station fur Konzerte aus Paris ect.," referring
to a building with the sign, "Wirtschaft zur Linde"
(roughly "Linde Company"). Schwarzenburg was for
many years the home of the major Swiss SWBC facility. Although
this card must have long predated Schwarzenburg as a SWBC center
(the card appears to be circa 1920s-1930s), the location of some
sort of "radio station" in Schwarzenburg in those early
years is in itself interesting. George Zeller of Cleveland,
Ohio, recently visited the site and reported as follows:
"There is no question whatsoever that your Schwarzenburg
radio postcard is a picture from Schwarzenburg, Canton Bern, in
Switzerland. This is, of course, the same town that had
the Swiss Radio International transmitter site three miles east
of town for decades.
"The complex of three buildings on the right of the postcard
is still standing. The Linde Company bulding with the radio
station has been torn down, but on the vacant lot there is a sign
announcing a 'Linde Dorfzentrum' development project. (See
Photo 1.) Behind the Linde building on the card is another
building with a tower sticking up at the far left. I stood at
the same spot where the postcard photographer stood, and that
tower still stands. (See
Photo 2.) The tower is on a very large house now occupied
by a notary. Note that 'Dorfzentrum' translates into 'City
Center' in English.
"In the postcard's three-building complex on the right, four
businesses currently occupy this complex. Starting at the
far left where the covered wagon is parked out front is 'Feldschossen,
Le Village Bar,' according to the sign on a small tavern.
Also in that building, up a small stairs above the bar, is 'Frisor
Und Kosmetik,' apparently a beauty parlor. In the middle
building is 'Bierladen," a retail beer store. Finally,
in the same building closest to us with the five windows on each
floor, is 'Hauser Antiqitaten' ('Hauser's Antiques'). They sell
antique furniture. (See
Photo 3. Also see
Photo 4 for a view of the three-building complex from the
vacant lot.)
Thanks, George. Does anyone know more about this station?
Ontheshortwaves visitor Daniel Weber from Switzerland provides this valuable additional information:
"Because I worked for a couple of years in the transmitter station of Schwarzenburg, I was interrested in your investigations about this old picture postcard. In fact I found someone who told me the story of the 'Linde-Radio station.' The 'Linde' was a restaurant in the heart of the village of Schwarzenburg and is no longer existing. It must be in the early 1920 when the owner of the Linde bought a medium wave receiver and a lot of people came into the restaurant to listen to the concerts already transmitted by the station on the Eiffel tower at Paris. I think at this time the Paris transmitter was one of the most listened to stations in central Europe."