List of massacres in Switzerland explained

The following is a list of massacres and mass murders that have occurred in Switzerland. A mass murder involves the murder of four or more people during the same incident.[1]

14-20th centuries

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BernJewish community killed by burning. One of the earliest massacres of the 1348/1349 persecutions in a German speaking city.[2]
Zofingen4 + xFour Jews killed in autumn after they had confessed under torture to have poisoned the wells. The Jewish community of Zofingen was likely burnt soon after in November 1348.
SolothurnJewish community killed by burning.
Basel50-70Basel massacre

Jewish community burnt.

SchaffhausenJewish community burnt.[3]
Zürich≈60Zürich massacre

The best source dates the event on evening of Feb 23 without giving further details. One source dates the event on Feb 21. The Jewish community of Zürich at that time had about 100 members out of a population of 6,000. Sources indicate that several women and children were spared as were those willing to accept baptism.

Winterthur330 Winterthur massacre

Jewish community of Winterthur and several other cities (among them Aarau) under the rule of Duke Albrecht of Austria burnt on a hill called Brühlberg. Albrecht tried in vain to protect the Jews by sheltering them for several months in his castle Kyburg, 7 km south of Winterthur.

Schaffhausen30Schaffhausen massacre

Jews executed by burning.

Greifensee62Murder of Greifensee

Garrison of a castle beheaded after successful siege, part of the Old Zürich War.

Canton of Nidwalden400+Catholics killed by French Troops.

20-21st centuries

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HellbühlCanton of Lucerne404A man shot and killed a couple and their two farmhands..[4] [5]
RomanshornCanton of Thurgau7714Romanshorn shooting

Seven people shot, seven more injured including the mentally ill perpetrator.

Republic and Canton of Ticino6814A man killed five people and wounded eight others in a shooting spree. The gunman killed himself.[6] [7]
ZürichCanton of Zürich516After his wife petitioned for divorce, a man killed four family members and wounded another before committing suicide.[8]
GenevaCanton of Geneva136578November 1932 Geneva shooting

Police and army fired on a crowd protesting a fascist demonstration.

Eaux VivesCanton of Geneva5715A man caused an explosion which killed him and four others. Seven people were wounded.[9]
ZürichCanton of Zürich707A man killed six family members and himself.[10] [11]
WürenlingenCanton of Aargau47047Swissair Flight 330

A bomb exploded on board of a plane killing forty-seven people.

SeewenCanton of Solothurn505Seewen murder case

Five people shot. The crime has never been solved.

ZürichCanton of Zürich4151986 Zürich shooting

A man killed four colleagues and wounded a fifth at his workplace.[12] The perpetrator was sentenced to 20 years in prison and was paroled on good behavior after serving 14 years in 2000.[13] He died in 2015 in a bicycle accident.[14]

ZürichCanton of Thurgau, Canton of Zürich6410A man killed his family before traveling to Zürich and shooting six people, two fatally. He fled the scene and later killed himself.[15] [16]
Val-d'IlliezCanton of Valais606A 42-year-old man shot to death all five members of his family, before killing himself in an Alpine cottage.[17] [18]
Lugano DistrictRepublic and Canton of Ticino6612Rivera massacre

A man opened fire at multiple homes, killing six and wounding six before being arrested.

Cheiry, SalvanCanton of Freiburg, Canton of Valais48Two cult mass murder-suicides related to the Order of the Solar Temple left forty-eight people dead.[19]
ZugCanton of Zug151833Zug massacre

People shot in the parliament of the Canton of Zug. The perpetrator later killed himself.

EscholzmattCanton of Lucerne505A man shot and killed four family members with a pistol, before committing suicide.[20]
MenznauCanton of Lucerne55102013 Menznau shooting

A man opened fire at his workplace, killing four people and wounding five before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

WürenlingenCanton of Aargau505Four people killed before the perpetrator shot himself in a domestic incident.[21]
RupperswilCanton of Aargau404Rupperswil murder case

A man murdered four people with a knife.

Yverdon-les-BainsCanton of Vaud505Police suspect that a man shot and killed his wife and three daughters before committing suicide.[22]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Serial Murder – Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives for Investigators . Morton . Robert J. . Hilts . Mark A. . 2008 . . en-US . 2022-08-05 . PDF.
  2. Winkler . Albert . 2007 . The Approach of the Black Death in Switzerland and the Persecution of Jews, 1348-1349 . . en-US . 2023-07-25.
  3. Web site: 2018-09-04 . Gedenktafel an die Ermordung der Juden im Mittelalter in Schaffhausen . Commemorative plaque to the murder of the Jews in the Middle Ages in Schaffhausen . https://web.archive.org/web/20230418151911/https://www.stadt-schaffhausen.ch/index.php?id=316&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=2414&cHash=663ac01f57bf2d5032864016089f7baf . 2023-04-18 . Stadt Schaffhausen . de-CH.
  4. News: Estermann . Linus . 2018-03-13 . Das sind die schlimmsten Verbrechen Luzerns . de-CH . These are the worst crimes in Lucerne . zentralplus . 2024-01-02.
  5. News: 1950-10-22 . Die letzte Enthauptung in der Schweiz . de-CH . The last beheading in Switzerland . . 2231 . 2024-01-02 . 0376-6829.
  6. News: 1922-02-07 . Terrifying scenes . en-GB . . registration . 2022-10-30. British Newspaper Archive.
  7. News: 1922-02-09 . Five shot dead . en-NZ . LIII . 5 . . 34 . 2022-10-30 . Papers Past.
  8. News: 1927-03-25 . Man Shoots Family . 1 . . 2023-08-14 . Trove.
  9. News: 1937-04-06 . O barbeiro sem trabalho provocou a catastrofe . pt. The barber without work provoked catastrophe . 54 . A Federação: Orgão do Partido Republicano Liberal . 79 . Brazilian Digital Library.
  10. News: 1943-04-27 . Une tragédie à Zurich . fr. A tragedy in Zurich . 3 . Journal de Genéve . 98 . 2022-10-30. Le Temps.
  11. News: 1943-04-27 . Effroyable drame de famille à Zurich . fr. Appalling family tragedy in Zurich . 146 . 4 . . 115 . 2022-10-30. Le Temps.
  12. News: 2010-01-27 . Die schlimmsten Bluttaten: Eine Chronologie von Amokläufen in der Schweiz. . de-CH . The worst acts of bloodshed: A chronology of rampages in Switzerland. . . 2022-10-30.
  13. News: Dammann . Viktor . 2016-02-08 . BLICK-Reporter Viktor Dammann erinnert sich an den Fall Tschanun: Der Mörder zeigte nur einmal Gefühle . de-CH . BLICK reporter Viktor Dammann remembers the Tschanun case: The killer showed emotions only once . . 2023-08-23.
  14. News: Müller . Patrik . 2021-04-12 . Bericht enthüllt: Vierfachmörder Günther Tschanun war Mitglied der SP – ein SVP-Journalist zieht daraus seine Schlüsse . de-CH . Report reveals: Quadruple murderer Günther Tschanun was a member of the SP - an SVP journalist draws his conclusions from it . . 2023-08-23.
  15. News: 2001-10-08 . Chronik der Amokläufer in der Schweiz . de-CH . Chronicle of the spree killers in Switzerland . . 2022-10-30.
  16. News: 1990-08-31 . Hunt After Killings . en-GB . 15 . . 2022-10-30 . Newspapers.com.
  17. News: 1992-03-06 . Swiss Take New Look At Gun Control Laws . en-US . 112 . 13 . . . 56 . 2023-06-21 . Google News Archive.
  18. News: 1991-05-21 . Une famille anéantie: six morts . fr-CH . A family wiped out: six dead . 24 . 5 . . 115 . 2023-07-25 . e-newspaperarchives.ch.
  19. News: 2019-10-05 . 48 Morde in 24 Stunden erschütterten die Schweiz . de-CH . 48 murders in 24 hours shook Switzerland . . 2023-06-24.
  20. News: 2014-03-23 . 10 Jahre nach der Bluttat von Escholzmatt LU geht es den Vollwaisen wieder gut . de-CH . 10 years after the bloody deed in Escholzmatt LU, the orphans are doing well again . Watson . 2022-12-24.
  21. News: Elgot . Jessica . 2015-05-10 . Gunman kills four people and himself in 'family dispute' in northern Switzerland . en-GB . . 2022-05-26 . 0261-3077.
  22. News: 2023-03-11 . Familienvater erschießt eigene Frau und drei Töchter . de-CH . Father of a family shoots his wife and three daughters . . 2023-07-03.