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The big freeze: your pictures

When the temperature drops in Switzerland, it doesn’t just get icy. Fantastic natural ice sculptures are created alongside lakes, particularly in the west of the country.

The cold “Bise” wind, which blows across Switzerland, picks up moisture from lakes in the west, and then collects in marvellous frozen shapes on the lake shores.

On Wednesday morning in Switzerland, passengers who usually travel to work by boat on Lake Geneva found themselves trapped on dry land. Weather conditions prevented the boats from setting off. 

Earlier in January, lakes high up in the Swiss Alps froze over, creating a unique chance for people to take to the frozen lakes’ surfaces and skate. 

We asked our FacebookExternal link and TwitterExternal link fans to get in touch with their pictures. Here are some of the best.

1. Étang de la Gruère lake, canton Jura

​Nathalie Geiser

2. Montreux

Marwan Rana

3. Irchel park, Zurich

Lu Maggion PHotography

4.  Hergiswil, Nidwalden

Tom Chadwick

5. Chamby, Montreux

Liz Andrews

6. Zurich main railway station

Asako Ogiwara


Have you managed to capture some of these icy moments on camera? Send us your pictures on Twitter to @swissinfo_enExternal link or via a direct message on our Facebook pageExternal link


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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR