Have you ever heard anything peculiar about Switzerland that you found interesting?
Did you know that it is illegal to keep just one guinea pig in Switzerland? Have you ever heard of the Swiss sport of Hornussen? Is the story about the diplomat who was surprised to find the mummy of his great-grandfather in Egypt true?
Every Saturday we publish an article on quirky topics about Switzerland in our weekly briefing.
Is there anything peculiar related to Switzerland that has caught your interest? Share it with us, and we might feature it in an article!
I am a proud swiss citizen living in Vancouver Canada for the last 47 years
I am disturbed that a beautiful, fair and neutral country such a Switzerland would host the questionable WEF (World Economic Forum) in Davos
I have a daughter who lives in the countryside of Bern and her mother was Yenish and I was wondering what is known about this tribe of switzerland that lives in the country for some 400 years..
It has always puzzled me why banks in Switzerland are allowed to safeguard fortunes of dubious provenance, such as those of Germans in the Second World War and more recently those safeguarded by the Crédit Suisse bank.
Siempre me ha intrigado la razón por la que se permite en Suiza que los bancos resguarden fortunas de dudosa procedencia, cómo es el caso de alemanes en la 2da guerra y más recientemente las resguardadas por el Banco Crédit Suisse
The rental of cemetery plots in Switzerland is something quite different from experience in other countries. Some of the most beautiful cemeteries I have ever seen are there.
We had the pleasure of visiting Switzerland in 2019. Unfortunately, towards the end of the scheduled trip, my wife became ill with pneumonia and was hospitalized in a Swiss hospital for 10 days. We were very pleased with the care she received in a rather small town hospital. Whenever I have told the story about this adventure to friends here in the states, the first question is, “How was it under socialized medicine?”. They always seem very surprised when I explain to them that the Swiss system is actually more like the US system than it is the socialized systems in other European countries. The universal coverage in Switzerland is one of the main differences from the US. I was surprised to learn that private insurance is mandatory for those who can afford it. Seniors are covered by a program similar to Medicare in the US, and the disadvantaged are covered by a program similar to our Medicaid. The other big difference is that the Swiss seem to be able to handle healthcare much more cost-effectively than we do in the states.
How people live in the high Alps is an endless source of news abroad. In the BBC documentary, among Tibetans, Incas of the Andes etc they shown Swiss mountain rescue!
Antwort to oingoboingo
2024-12-10 07:58. Antwort
Right to the point, you are absolutely right
People abroad usually have wildest ideas about Swiss having guns at home and about bunkers in cellars. It would be good that SRF publicized the facts - not for me, but mant foreigners would find it interesting.
I left Switzerland 30 years ago and my husband is American from Texas I was born in Lugano Ticino but I still miss my original country Switzerland has strange rules but I still respect it
I would like advance information on typically Swiss festivals taking place in Switzerland..... Not just photos of past events.
Example: the Fête de l'Escalade you discussed yesterday, how do I know when it takes place? Is there a calendar for such typically Swiss festivals?
Desiderei avere in anticipo informazioni su festival tipicamente svizzeri che avranno luogo in Svizzera..... Non solo le foto degli eventi passati.
Esempio: la Fête de l'Escalade di cui avete discusso ieri, come faccio a sapere quando avviene? Esiste un calendario di questo tipo di feste tipicamente svizzere?
Good morning,
there are many sites that list the various more traditional festivals. Here are two of them:
Switzerland Tourism's webpage lists the 15 biggest events: https://www.myswitzerland.com/it-ch/scoprire-la-svizzera/estate-autunno/listicles/principali-eventi-tradizionali/
On the website of the federal administration, a section is entirely dedicated to festivals and traditions, separated according to season: https://www.eda.admin.ch/aboutswitzerland/it/home/gesellschaft/traditionen.html
Buongiorno,
ci sono molti siti che elencano i vari festival più tradizionali. Eccone due:
Sulla pagina web di Svizzera Turismo sono elencate le 15 più grandi manifestazioni: https://www.myswitzerland.com/it-ch/scoprire-la-svizzera/estate-autunno/listicles/principali-eventi-tradizionali/
Sul sito dell'amministrazione federale, una sezione è interamente dedicata alle feste e alle tradizioni, separate a seconda della stagione: https://www.eda.admin.ch/aboutswitzerland/it/home/gesellschaft/traditionen.html
I have a lifetime of experience travelling in Switzerland - all over. We owned an apartment near Geneva for 20 years, ending in 2020. I am 85. My birth name is Beeler, common in central Switzerland. In regard to the article on Coats of Arms, I found that in Schwyz there are coats of arms for families which are placed on the walls of churches, signifying the families' membership. There was one for the family I believe I am descended from. These are often very beautiful and delicate, not at all related to war and conflict. Ours had flowers - lily of the valley. This would make an interesting story. I was never able to research it sufficiently. "Coats of arms" may not be the proper name - "waffen"?
Is it true that Switzerland has one of the highest suicide rates, due to depression?
Es verdad que Suiza tiene uno de los más altos índices de suicidios, por depresión?
Talking about housing shortage. As long as service providers, such as Psychiaters, Psychologists, Acupuncturist,, cosmeticians, nail studios etc, all of them KMU's, are permitted to rent 3 and more room apartments in buildings designed and designated to house families, instead of being relegated to commerce designated areas, our housing shortage is no surprise. A psychiatrist who charges Frank 240.00 per hour, rents an apartment to use as his office for less than 2000.00 Franks a month, taking away another living quarter in a central location of the city. I have seen this in Thun, in Spiez and in Chur. I am certain there are thousands of similar situations all over Switzerland. This is wrong. The companies produce income and a raise in rent costs, if there is one, can much easier be absorbed than a family. These business are contributing heavily to the housing shortage. However, no one talks about it in Switzerland. Let's not rock the boat (the usual excuse).
That switzerland is a very beautiful city with beautiful landscapes leaf one day I could go to visit greetings blessings
Que suiza es una ciudad muy hermosa con paisajes bellos hoja un día pudiera ir a visitar saludos bendiciones
Anything peculiar about the Swiss..? Hmm.. Yes.
Greed?
The Swiss might just be the greediest people alive and for the Swiss, any source of income that flows into Swiss pockets is fine. Like Jewish gold teeth from mass slaughtered Jews during WW2 or Russian gold. At the same time, the Swiss maintain they’re ”neutral” but are they? It seems Swiss neutrality is nothing but a false narrative as soon as their ”neutrality” is tempted with good old blood gold, diamonds and money. Swiss neutrality is nothing but a thin disguise to continue pumping in money into Switzerland from all the worlds dictatorships and Swiss institutions and politicians unashamedly run the errands of their dictator business partners by setting up restrictions to please them.
For instance, Switzerland has revoked the license of Poland's largest arms trading company, punishing Poland for importing 645,000 small-caliber rounds into Ukraine. This decision comes as Switzerland maintains its ban on selling arms to Ukraine
At the same time, Switzerland ranks first in Europe for the number of components found in Russian weapons. Notably, Swiss parts are still used in the production of Russia's Kinzhal missiles.
Beautiful.
And Russian gold is flowing into Swiss banks via -stan countries, which enables Russians to continue its genocide in Ukraine.
Lovely.
I have seen that in SWITZERLAND there are many construction companies that do not respect the state, they create their own ways of not paying wages, mandatory tax contributions, pushing their employees into debt in general, creating despair, worsening their lives and those of their families. I realise that there should be more control in the offices of companies.
There are many companies manipulating employees, creating a fear among workers of losing their jobs.
There should be a free legal department at GEMEINDER to guide and support workers who have been wronged by their employers.
Tenho verificado que existe na SUIÇA muitas empresas de construção civil que não respeitam o estado, criam formas proprias para não pagar os ordenados, contribuição obrigatória dos impostos, empurrando os seus empregados para dividas no geral, criando desespero, agravando as suas vidas e das familias. constatando que deveria existir mais control nos escritórios das empresas.
Há muitas empresas a manipular os empregados, criando um medo de entre os trabalhadores de perderem o emprego.
deveria existir um departamento Jurídico gratuito nas GEMEINDER para orientar e apoiar trabalhadores lesados pelos seus patronatos.
I learned that a church in Switzerland has created an AI Jesus? Is this a joke or is it true?
Good morning,
it is true, although it was not created by a church but by the Immersive Realities Research Lab and the Sankt Lukas Gesellschaft with the support of the University of Applied Arts and Sciences and the Faculty of Theology in Lucerne.
It was an active art installation in Lucerne's Peterskapelle for a few months. It is now no longer in operation.
We talked about it in this article: https://www.swissinfo.ch/ita/vivere-in-svizzera/lintelligenza-artificiale-anima-un-ges%C3%B9-inedito-a-lucerna/87340336
Our RSI colleagues also interviewed one of the computer scientists from the team that developed the AI Jesus and transcribed a conversation they had with this artificial intelligence. https://www.rsi.ch/cultura/filosofia-e-religione/Abbiamo-parlato-con-il-Ges%C3%B9-virtuale--2425590.html
Buongiorno,
è vero, anche se non è stato creato da una chiesa ma dal laboratorio Immersive Realities Research Lab e dalla Sankt Lukas Gesellschaft con l’apporto dell’Università di Arti e Scienze Applicate e la Facoltà di Teologia di Lucerna.
Si trattava di un'installazione artistica attiva nella Peterskapelle di Lucerna per qualche mese. Ora non è più in funzione.
Ne abbiamo parlato in questo articolo: https://www.swissinfo.ch/ita/vivere-in-svizzera/lintelligenza-artificiale-anima-un-ges%C3%B9-inedito-a-lucerna/87340336
I nostri colleghi di RSI hanno inoltre intervistato uno degli informatici del team che ha sviluppato l'AI Jesus e hanno trascritto una conversazione avuta con questa intelligenza artificiale. https://www.rsi.ch/cultura/filosofia-e-religione/Abbiamo-parlato-con-il-Ges%C3%B9-virtuale--2425590.html
I have read that the Swiss federation has withheld funds intended for UNRWA. I wonder if this action is not contradictory with our neutrality. What's more, if we punish the Jordanians, what about Israel? Shouldn't we take action against it too?
J’ai lu que la fédération Suisse a retenue les fonds destinés à l’UNRWA. Je me demande si cette action n’est pas contradictoire avec notre neutralité. En plus si l’on puni les Jordaniens qu’en est-il d’Israel, ne devrait-on pas prendre une action contre elle également?
A psychologist here once told me that there is an extremely high rate of eating disorders like anorexia here in Switzerland because so many Swiss people look down on anyone for being even slightly overweight or not thin. He said this has generated a fear of gaining weight and that fear has caused a lot of people to develop anorexia. He said a large number of his patients are there because of eating disorders. He also told me that an unusually high percentage of Swiss people are on antidepressants.
I have read that it is very difficult to emigrate to Switzerland or to any of the cities in this country, especially if you come from America. There are a lot of requirements and the truth is that the process is a bit discriminating.
He leído que es muy difícil poder emigrar a Suiza o a alguna de las ciudades de este país, sobre todo si vienes de América. Son muchos requisitos y la verdad es un poco discriminante el proceso.
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