For some people, 2018 was energising, but others found the summer heat very draining. Here’s our look back at the past 365 days, using some of the year’s most powerful images.
We had the Sun’s energy in abundance this year: summer was hot, long and very dry. Water levels in Swiss lakes and rivers got low. The heat caused water temperatures to rise and resulted in an even more intense melting of Alpine glaciers.
But the heatwave also increased mineral water and beer profits. Open-air swimming pools were full to bursting with people seeking to beat the heat. Mountain regions benefited too as people enjoyed the cooler temperatures of the mountain lakes and gorges.
Heat at the ballot boxes
The year was marked by heated vote campaigns, such as for the proposal to abolish the mandatory licence fee for Swiss public broadcasters or the “Swiss law first” initiative, both of which did not get through at the ballot box (the licence fee proposal was rejected by 71.6% voters in spring and the law initiative by 66.2% in autumn).
Women’s power
The Swiss Federal Council, the country’s governing body, received a boost in December after Karin Keller-Sutter and Viola Amherd were elected – the first time in Swiss history that two women have made it into the cabinet at the same time. This means that from 2019 there will be three women and four men sitting in government.
Dazzling blood moon
Summer saw a rare, but spectacular natural phenomenon - the blood moon lunar eclipse, the longest of its kind of the 21st century. We’ll have to wait until June 9, 2023 for the next one of a similar length.
