The Swiss town of Solothurn, maintaining the Verena Hermitage, has hired a new hermit after the departure of the previous hermit in February 2016, who complained of too much social interaction with visitors to the historic site. The new hermit is Michael Daum, a 55-year old German ex-policeman who studied theology and meditation after leaving law enforcement.
URLs: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/09/27/hermit-switzerland-michael-daum/91164116/; http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/alpine-town-switzerland-hires-new-hermit-article-1.2810479