Liestal Things to Do

what you definitely have to see is the 'CHIENBAESE' in liestal.
chien= an other name for the wood
baese= broom
the chienbaese is an old rite, but there are some quite different interpretations from where it originally comes. today it's interpretated to banish the winter with fire.
every year in the evening, when it's dark, on the sunday after ash wednedsday the spectacle starts.
first the 'cliquen', carnival groups play their marchs down the hill and down through the old town. then the first men (and also women) with their 'chienbäse' arrive under the great applause of the people watching the spectacle. their are carrying burning brooms. there are various sizes of the brooms, some up to nearly 100 kilogramms.
the procession includes up to 200 of these brooms. but the crown of this procession are the fire waggons. iron waggons with burning firewood inside are pulled and limited down the old town by up to 16 people.
and when they make a rest in front of the watchers, it can get extremly hot!!!
coming through the upper old towngate, wooden in some parts, the firebrigade has to water it before and after the pass, otherwise the waggons would be too hot for the towngate.
every year people come from all parts of switzerland to watch it and even from near germany and france. and if YOU have the chance: WATCH IT!