A report published recently the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) shows a sharp increase tularemia cases, a disease spread primarily by ticks. From 2010 to 2016, an average of 31 cases of infection were recorded annually. In 2017, the number jumped to 129, a four-fold increase. 129 cases is 1.5 per 100,000. Most were […]
The Swiss cantons making the most wine
In 2017, Swiss residents downed 249 million litres of wine, around 37 litres per resident over the age of 191. This equates to roughly one bottle of wine per week. Statistics from 2015 show that 13.8% of the nation don’t consume alcohol. If this is factored in average weekly wine consumption by those who do […]
Patrouille des Glaciers – record breaking times in 2018
The biennial high-altitude race from Zermatt to Verbier, completed on touring skis, wrapped up on Sunday 21 April 2018. Irrésistibles, les militaires italiens explosent le record de la Patrouille des glaciers: Robert Antonioli, Matteo Eydallin et Michel Boscacci ont assumé leur statut de favoris et ont rallié Zermatt à Verbier en 5h35’27. La patrouille italienne […]
Basel airport – night time take-offs to be cut in half
For those who fly regularly, living close to an airport might be convenient, but it’s also noisy. To reduce noise, Basel-Mulhouse airport has decided to reduce the number of flights taking off between 11pm and midnight by half, according to a press release. Unlike Geneva airport, which is located entirely on Swiss soil but still […]
High temperature record broken in Swiss Alps
Friday 21 April 2018 saw the mercury climb to 28.9 degrees in Sion, the capital city of the Swiss canton of Valais, according to Meteo Swiss, Switzerland’s metrological service. 28.9 degrees is a record for this date in the Alpine city. The last record for this date was set on 21 April 1968. On Friday, […]
62% of electricity consumed in Switzerland attributed to renewable sources
Last week the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) announced that 62% of the electricity consumed in Switzerland had been linked to renewable sources. It is difficult to know where the electricity from your plug came from. It is sometimes a bit like taking water from the sea and claiming it came from a particular […]
Heavy floods could hit Switzerland this year, says one insurance CEO
Heavy snow this winter means there is a lot of snow in high places ready to melt and flow from the mountains to the plains. According to the 20 Minutes, Ueli Winzenried, head of insurance at the GVB, the canton of Bern’s state buildings insurer, told the Bieler Tagblatt that he is very concerned that […]
New online app lets you see Swiss neighbourhoods 30 years ago
Swisstopo, Switzerland’s mapping agency, has launched a new online app that lets you see what your neighbourhood looked like around 30 years ago. Moving the slider left or right reveals before and after aerial photographs. Click here to go to the app. For more stories like this on Switzerland follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Switzerland experiences an exceptionally cold March this year
According to Swiss Meteo, north of the Alps, March 2018 was around one degree colder than average monthly temperatures between 1981 and 2010. South of the Alps it was one of the coldest in 30 years. March 2017 was Switzerland’s hottest March since 1864, registering an average temperature 3 degrees above the norm, an average […]
Food consumes far less of Swiss budgets than it did 25 years ago
Comparing the most recent statistics on Swiss consumer inflation to those in 1993 reveals a steep drop in the percentage of spending allocated to food. When statisticians calculate consumer price rises they look at the prices of a standard basket of goods. In 1993, food and non-alcoholic beverages made up 14.3% of the value of […]
