A cherry in Switzerland with a very unusual background is the Schauenburger cherry, also called Flurianer. In about 1900 a Swiss hotelier called Emil Flury went on holiday in the country of Lebanon. From this trip, he brought back scions of a cherry variety. These he grafted on a wild cherry tree next to his hotel, which was called Bad Schauenburg. In time, these cherries were propagated and widely shared so that in 1937 when Fritz Kobel published his work Die Kirschensorten der deutschen Schweiz (Cherry-varieties of German-speaking Switzerland) in 1937 the Schauenburger had already become a main commercial variety in the Canton of Basel, which was (and still is today) known for its great production of table cherries (compared with Central Switzerland (where I am from) which was mostly known for Brennkirschen, cherries for distillation.) Since the Schauenburger is too small by todays standards it is mostly grown in gardens, by connoisseurs or by direct-marketing farmers.
Sadly, Emil Flurys story did not end as well. As far as I was able to find out, he lost the Bad Schauenburg due to financial mismanagement. He may have been cheated by his suppliers, but wasn’t able to prove this, because of his own lack of account-keeping. He lost his Hotel, converted to Catholicism and went to live in a monastery, where he died in 1940. The Bad Schauenburg is still a Hotel today.
The whole story has a very fond place in my heart. It is beautiful and sad in one and even has a little mystery. I have often asked myself: Does this cherry variety still exist in Lebanon and if yes, what is it called? How beautiful would it be to find out its name, and history, in this country that is so far away. I hope it is as loved and cherished in Lebanon as it is in Switzerland.
In this post 2020 pick of the day - #139 by Oepfeli I have posted a picture of them, since I seem to have forgotten to take pictures this year.