The Solothurnerisches Wochenblatt ( 1788-1792) or Solothurnisches Wochenblatt (1793-1794) was one of the first newspapers in the canton of Solothurn. It was founded and edited by the printer and bookseller Franz Josef Gassmann (1755-1802), one of the most prominent exponents of the ideas of the Enlightenment in Solothurn. All issues are conceived in a similar manner. The main section consists of philosophical treatises and satirical articles, followed by advertisements, information on public sales, auctions, food prices, and obituary lists. Reports of local events are rare. There are no political articles, as censorship by the government authorities would have made these difficult to publish. At the end of 1794, Gassmann ceased to publish the Wochenblatt. From 1797 to 1798, he revived the concept with a new weekly publication named Helvetischer Hudibras.

The Helvetischer Hudibras was published from June 1797, also by Franz Josef Gassmann. After a gap of more than two years, it succeeded his earlier newspaper Solothurnisches Wochenblatt. Gassmann gave the Helvetischer Hudibras a more political tendency than the Wochenblatt, despite censorship by the state authorities. On 6th February 1798, Gassmann and other proponents of political change, the "Patriots", were arrested. On 2nd March, following the French occupation of Solothurn, they were released and almost immediately, on the 10th of March, Gassmann published a new issue of the Hudibras. Gassmann was now able to express himself freely and without censorship, praising the political achievements of the Helvetic Republic. Nonetheless, the Hudibras abruptly ceased publication following the issue of 11th August 1798.