A new film called “La Liste”, starring 26 year old Jérémie Heitz, charts the history and evolution of steep skiing. Planned for release in 2016, the film will show the skier descending 15 Swiss peaks over 4,000 metres in his home canton of Valais. The film trailer below shows the incredible steepness and speed of his […]
Could Switzerland language divisions ever divide it?
Christophe Büchi discusses the country’s language divisions and why we should worry about Italian-speaking Ticino. Long time correspondent in French-speaking Switzerland for the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, the journalist and writer is fascinated by the complex relationship between Switzerland’s French and German speakers. He spoke with Thibaut Kaeser of Echo magazine about Switzerland’s language divisions and […]
5 myths about Switzerland
1. Swiss people work a lot An average Swiss worker spent 1,568 hours working in 2014, 11% fewer hours than the OECD average of 1,770. Workers in Greece (2,042), Portugal (1,857), Ireland (1,821), Italy (1,734) and the United Kingdom (1,677), all spent more hours at work. How Switzerland leads Europe on youth employment (Le New […]
Lemanus Lacus or Lac de Genève – take your pick
Much breath is expended on discussions about Lake Geneva’s true French name. Is it Lac Léman or Lac de Genève? Discussions can become quite heated the further you go from Geneva. Many in Lausanne recoil at the idea of the lake’s name deriving from a certain town at the far and thinner end of Switzerland’s […]
The Lausanne Church that was targeted by thieves posing as beggars
Begging gangs in Lausanne are operating with increasing audacity and focusing evermore tightly on exploiting soft targets. “We’re used to having beggars pushing for money at the church door and even coming into the church hall to steal money, hats and coats.” A Swiss member of the congregation told Le News. “This episode, however, was […]
Burglary season starts now. Why break-ins rise dramatically in winter.
24 Heures. A Vaud study shows home break-ins in November and December are 44% higher than those in July and August, according to the Swiss newspaper 24 Heures. Most break-ins during winter months occur at the end of the afternoon while shops and offices are still open. Why? According to the local police, criminals like […]
Geneva’s fines for excessive noise and driving in bus lanes more than triple
Tribune de Genève. On 1 October 2015, fines in Geneva went up massively. According to Tribune Genéve, the increases are expected to put an extra CHF 3 to 4 million per year into Geneva’s public purse. The increases impact a myriad of things including driving and parking infringements and excessive noise. For example the fine […]
Swiss pumpkin champion hit by heat wave
2015 was a disappointing season for Beni Meier. Last year he became known as the man who grew the world’s largest pumpkin when he produced a 1,054 kilogram whopper, presented at a competition in Ludwigsburg in Germany. This year Beni still managed to take the prize for the largest Swiss pumpkin, weighing a relatively modest […]
Happy Valley – and the real reasons behind VW’s Dieselgate
Autumn has always been a wonderful time to be in Happy Valley. The leaves are changing, and chasse is on the menu at the local auberge. So imagine my anger when I learned that the crisp, pure autumn air I’ve been breathing is perhaps not as crisp and pure as I had thought. I’m speaking […]
Swiss break alphorn concert record in Milan. An amazing spectacle.
Over the weekend 420 Swiss alphorn players performed a concert in Milan’s Piazza del Duomo. The concert was the largest of it’s kind performed outside Switzerland and will be submitted to the Guinness book of records, according to a post by the Swiss Pavilion of the 2015 Expo in Milan. According to Swissinfo.ch the group […]
