Every year on 1 August, Swiss celebrate the founding of their nation with barbecues, friends, town celebrations and a lot of fireworks. But what is it all about? 1. The Federal Charter of 1291 Switzerland’s national celebration, held every year on 1 August, celebrates the signing of the Federal Charter of 1291 in early August […]
Avalanches: 7 ski deaths in three days in Switzerland
At around 10:20am on Monday 18 January 2021, ten people were caught in an avalanche below Les Attelas in Verbier – pictured below. All ten, who were wearing avalanche detectors, were found, however, a 38 year old British citizen and resident of Verbier died and another was rushed to hospital in a helicopter, according to […]
Referendum: Swiss to vote on two weeks paternity leave
On 27 September 2020, Swiss voters have many decisions to make. The list of referenda is long and includes decisions on fighter jets, ending the free movement of people between Switzerland and the EU, hunting and tax deductions for child care. Another is a decision on whether to accept a proposal to grant fathers two […]
Swiss clocks move forward one hour this Sunday
Early on Sunday 29 March 2020 – at 2am to be precise – Swiss clocks will move forward one hour. This means you will miss one hour of sleep and it will be darker when you get up. On the plus side, it will be light for longer in the evenings. Daylight saving likely to […]
You’re in the army now: an expat recruit’s experience in Switzerland’s militia
This article was first published on Global Geneva As one of Europe’s most culturally mixed immigrant nations, Switzerland is witnessing the rise of a steadily growing group of citizens known as the ‘new’ Swiss. These are citizens of expatriate background, some born in Switzerland, others not, ranging from Kosovars and Spanish to British, Americans, Bangladeshis and […]
Switzerland’s most popular names in 2018
In Switzerland one name really stands out. At the end of 2018, 82,577 people called Maria were living in Switzerland, almost twice the number with the second most popular female name Anna (41,582), according to figures from the Federal Statistical Office. Maria’s secret to success is partly its historical appeal across all of Switzerland’s linguistic […]
Children cleaning Swiss classrooms divides opinion
In 2002, Prilly, a municipality in French-speaking Switzerland decided it needed to cut its spending. The roughly 15,000 francs it was spending on school cleaning didn’t escape the cuts, according to 20 Minutes. Less commercial cleaning meant pupils and teachers had to pitch in and help keep the school clean. Commercial cleaners continued to clean […]
Mistrust of Islam nearly three times higher than negative views of muslims
A recent survey in Switzerland shows mistrust of Islam is close to three times more prevalent than negative views of muslims. Every two years, Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office compiles a survey of attitudes towards people of different race, religion and nationality. The survey entitled: living together in Switzerland, asks a wide range of questions covering […]
Death of child in skiing accident acts as reminder of the dangers of reckless skiing
The recent death of a young girl in a skiing accident in Lenk in Switzerland has reopened the debate on how to deal with dangerous skiers. On 28 December 2018, a four year old girl, who was hit by a skier at the resort of Lenk in the canton of Bern, died in hospital after […]
Swiss prison rate one of world’s lowest
This week, Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office released the latest Swiss prison figures. In 2017, the total incarceration rate was 81 per 100,000, down from 83 in 2016. Switzerland’s rate is a far cry from the 656 per 100,000 found in the US. In a world ranking of 222 countries, Switzerland comes in 162nd lowest. In […]
