On the trail of a man who wanted to fly

Description

The successful author and crime writer Rolf von Siebenthal has written a historical novel about an extraordinary man from the Waldenburg valley titled «The Inventor – Jakob Degen's Dream of Flying». At the IMW-Flash in Niederdorf, he shares images from his research, travels, and his search for Jakob Degen's traces. Rémy Suter reads selected passages from the novel.
Jakob Degen was born in 1760 in Liedertswil. In 1771, at the age of eleven, he left Switzerland with his parents. A famine led the family to Vienna. There, the impoverished silk ribbon weaver became a respected watchmaker and eventually an inventor.
When Degen saw the French balloonist Jean-Pierre Blanchard take to the skies, a dream began to occupy him: he wanted to fly himself. He built his own flying devices and performed in front of amazed audiences. His experiments made him well known beyond Vienna. Degen was admired but also ridiculed, and despite his fame, money remained scarce.
Later, a groundbreaking invention for secure banknote printing earned him a lifelong position at the Austrian National Bank.
More than two centuries later, Rolf von Siebenthal traced the footsteps of this tinkerer from the Waldenburg valley. For his novel, he researched in archives and traveled to the locations of Degen's life. From historical documents, places, and transmitted stories, a picture of a man emerges who was repeatedly driven by his dream and inventive spirit.
The evening in Niederdorf is therefore not a traditional author reading. Rolf von Siebenthal takes the audience behind the scenes of his novel and shares images from his research, travels, and discoveries. At two to three selected points, Rémy Suter reads from the book.
The event complements the special exhibition of the Industrial Museum Waldenburg Valley «Tinkerers, Thinkers, Makers – Innovations & Developments from the Waldenburg Valley» and highlights an early regional inventor.
Rolf von Siebenthal's only appearance in Northwestern Switzerland in 2026 is in Niederdorf.
After the event, the novel «The Inventor – Jakob Degen's Dream of Flying» can be purchased on site and personally signed by Rolf von Siebenthal. Friday, October 30, 2026, 7:30 PM
Multipurpose Room (small gym)
Kilchmattstrasse 5a, 4435 Niederdorf
Free entry – donation
Limited seats

Highlights

• Reading by Rolf von Siebenthal and Rémy Suter
• Free entry
• Historical novel about Jakob Degen

General Information

The event takes place at IMW-Flash in Niederdorf and offers insights into Rolf von Siebenthal's research for his new novel «The Inventor». The author tells about Jakob Degen, a pioneer of flight, while Rémy Suter reads selected passages from the book.

Location

Kilchmattstrasse 5A, 4435 Niederdorf, Switzerland

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