Johann Caspar Weissenbach: Eydgnosssisches Contrafeth

The most significant Baroque drama of Catholic Switzerland, Johann Caspar Weissenbach's Eydgnossisches Contrafeth, was first performed in Zug on two occasions in 1672. It was published in print in Zug in 1673. After further performances, it was re-staged in Zug in 1701 and in Lucerne in 1702. There are also records of later performances of certain parts of the play. To this day, the work has never been edited. A critical and annotated edition based on the first edition has long been a desideratum of international Baroque research, as the Contrafeth, despite its distinctly national Swiss character, is also closely related to Jesuit theater. Emerging from the theater culture fundamentally established by Johannes Mahler and supported by the Lukas Brotherhood of the city of Zug, Weissenbach's drama became a mirror of confederate history from the perspective of Catholic Central Switzerland, highlighting its significance in general history, social history, and the history of literature and theater.