Every year, Switzerland tests its apocalyptic-sounding sirens on the first Wednesday of February. This year it will be done on 7 February 2018, starting at 13:30. Sirens will be sounded for three minutes. The tests finish at 14:00 for general sirens, and 15:00 for flood sirens. If an alarm sounds outside of these times it […]
Switzerland ranked best country in 2018 – the good, bad and the ugly
Once again the USA News Best Country ranking placed Switzerland first out of 80 countries in 2018. The overall score is based on nine groups containing a total 65 measures, scored out of 10, which show Switzerland’s underlying strengths and weaknesses. Switzerland makes the top 10 on five of the nine high-level measures. These include: […]
Life satisfaction in Switzerland by age, money and household makeup
A recent report by Switzerland’s Federal Statistics Office shows how life satisfaction varies based on life situation. Life satisfaction in Switzerland, measured on a scale of zero to 10, sits just below 8 across all age groups. It peaks at an age of 16-17 at around 8.7. Then it’s all down hill to around 7.8 […]
Basel’s Fasnacht festival gets UNESCO cultural heritage status
All those weird masks (and the people behind them) that are so much a part of Basel’s annual Fasnacht festival have a new reason for their crazy grins. The annual 3-day festival was just added to the UNESCO list of events exhibiting the “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”. With this list, UNESCO “seeks to protect […]
Swiss hate lateness – a study shows just how much
In Switzerland, punctuality is important. Expectations vary by age, gender, political leaning and language. Someone among the 15% that frown upon any degree of tardiness is most likely to be male, over 65, politically right, and Italian speaking, according to figures published in a survey by Sotomo. The survey, done on behalf of the insurance […]
Time to change Swiss clocks – an idea once rejected by voters
If you’ve found recent mornings a little too dark, don’t worry, help is on its way. At 3am next Sunday 29 October 2017, Swiss time moves back one hour, giving Swiss residents an extra hour to sleep (or party). Until fairly recently however, there was no Daylight Saving Time (DST) in Switzerland. In 1978 Swiss […]
The number of Swiss brewers continues to rise despite declining beer consumption
A recent report shows a 2% drop in average Swiss beer consumption in 2016. Over the last 20 years it has dropped 4% to 54.9 litres per person. On its own this would be no cause for alarm, however in 2016, the number of breweries in Switzerland rose by 21% to 753. Since 2011, the […]
A majority of Swiss support legalising cannabis, says survey
According to a survey, a majority of Swiss support the legalising the sale of cannabis under certain conditions. The survey, conducted by GFS Zurich for Fachverband Sucht and GREA, an association of professionals focussed on addiction, involved questioning 1,200 people by telephone. Of those surveyed, 22% had tried cannabis. The biggest variation was across age. Only 4% […]
Switzerland’s 142 year old cheeses
According to Le Matin, a cheese collection in the Swiss Alpine town of Grimentz in Valais contains two of the oldest cheeses in the world, possibly the oldest. The two cheeses, among a collection of 72, were made 142 years ago in 1875. The pastures that fed the cows that produced the milk for them […]
Forty new Swiss papal guards sworn in
Over the weekend, 40 new Swiss guards were sworn in at the Vatican in Rome. They swore to sacrifice their own lives to protect the life of the Pope if required. Pontifical Swiss Guards have served since 1506. The new guards swore to “…faithfully, loyally and honorably serve the Supreme Pontiff Francis and his legitimate successors, […]
