Today the media were welcomed to festival founder Claude Nobs’ garage, next to the home he grew up in, to see the kick-off this year’s Montreux Jazz Festival and to celebrate its 50th birthday. Sadly, Claude passed away unexpectedly in 2013 after a skiing accident, so this event under the leadership of its new boss, was both nostalgic and upbeat. Le […]
3 cheers for Switzerland! – the prisoners of war interned in Switzerland in 1916
“It is difficult to write calmly about it for the simple reason that I have never before in my life seen such a welcome accorded to anyone, although for twenty-eight years I have been present at every kind of function in half the capitals of Europe. At Lausanne some 10,000 people, at 5am, were present […]
What’s in a name – most common Swiss surnames and their meaning
Like Smith, the most common name in England, the most frequent surnames in Geneva and Zurich come from professions. In some parts of Switzerland common names also relate to geography or places. An example of a well-known name with geographic origins in Switzerland is the royal Austrian name Habsburg, which has its home in the eponymous Swiss commune […]
Smoking – the big differences between Switzerland, Britain and the USA
Many anglophones new to Switzerland will have been struck by the high number of smokers. In fact the percentage of those who smoke is 68% higher than the United States. 28.2% of the Swiss population smoke, according to government figures for 2012. This compares to 19% of Brits and 16.8% of Americans. There are other big differences […]
Could living in Zurich or Geneva be cheaper than New York City?
What makes one city more expensive than another? To a large extent surveys do. What you put in the cost of living basket can make all the difference and every survey has a different basket. The recent Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) report places Singapore at the top and Hong Kong third. Another, based on price information contributed […]
On this day 200 years ago Geneva nearly doubled in size
A 19th century map of Geneva looks like an expanding puzzle. 200 years ago, on 16 March 1816, a big piece making up nearly 40 percent of present-day Geneva, was added. 19th century Geneva is marked by four important dates. The first is 31 December 1813, the date it gained independence from Napoleonic France. The second is 19 May 1815, […]
No laughing matter – French satirist makes fun of Switzerland’s president
The French satire news show Le Petit Journal recently made fun of a speech made by Swiss president Johann Schneider-Ammann. The speech, made to commemorate Switzerland’s day of the sick on 1 March 2016, recommends laughter to those suffering from illness. The message however, is delivered with no trace of humour. This absence of humour now has […]
How immigration makes Switzerland the world’s most inventive nation
Swiss resident companies and individuals applied for more patents than those in the UK in 2015. The European patent office’s recently released annual report, shows there were 7,088 Swiss-based european patent applications compared to the UK’s 5,037. On the face of it these numbers are not too far apart. On a per capita basis there is a more than tenfold […]
Around 60 frozen skiers rescued by helicopter from a Verbier lift
While enjoying a warm drink in Verbier’s Carlsberg restaurant, which sits at 2,500 metres, a group of us noticed that one of the chair lifts across from the restaurant wasn’t moving, and that most of the chairs had people on them. Two of our group had been turned away from this lift, that connects La Ruinette with La Chaux, when […]
Swiss vote to ban food speculation. Clever or cuckoo?
Does speculation distort food prices and create hunger? Food shortages are caused by many things, among them, bad weather, wars and supply problems. There is also evidence that speculation amplifies natural price movements, sometimes to a point that limits access to food in poor countries. In a working paper, Stephen Spratt, from the Institute of Development […]
