Solothurn

Solothurn, in French Soleure, is a town of about 16,800 inhabitants and the capital of the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. It is located in the north-west of Switzerland on the banks of the Aare at the foot of the Weissenstein Jura Mountains, and it is the only municipality of the district of the same name. The city got its name from Salodurum, a Roman-era settlement. From 1530 to 1792 it was the seat of the French ambassador to Switzerland, and the pedestrian-only old town built in those years shows an impressive array of Baroque architecture, combining Italian grandezza, French style and Swiss ideas. The city has eighteen structures listed as heritage sites. The oldest finds from Solothurn probably date from the Paleolithic era, and the remains of a Mesolithic camp were discovered in 1986 during renovations.