Swiss Identity

City secrets uncovered

This content was published on Oct 27, 2002 The site at the Casinoplatz is now being excavated by archaeologists, who are documenting all their finds for the city’s archives. “We have very few records of medieval Bern,” explained project leader, Armand Bäriswil. “It used to be that archaeologists were interested in the prehistoric era and Roman remains, but it’s only since the Second…

Swiss survive Russian hostage crisis

This content was published on Oct 26, 2002 Five people with Swiss passports or ties to Switzerland came out of the ordeal relatively unscathed. Russian special forces launched an assault on the theatre early Saturday morning after the rebels began shooting hostages, according to officials. Gas was also used during the attack to stun the hostage takers. Some of the hostages were incapacitated…

Culture

Mouthwash king haunts Tarasp Castle

This content was published on Oct 26, 2002 But it was the inventor of the world’s first antiseptic mouthwash who really left his mark on the medieval fortress. And some believe Karl August Lingner’s ghost still haunts its dark corridors. “Lingner died in 1916, just two weeks before he finished restoring and renovating the castle,” explains castle custodian, Jon Fanzun. “He never saw…

History

Controversy focuses attention on Swiss Muslims

This content was published on Oct 26, 2002 The Swiss Commission Against Racism publicly condemned Hani Ramadan, a state secondary school teacher, for advocating the stoning of adulterers under Islam. In an open letter to the French newspaper “Le Monde”, Ramadan, who as well as being a teacher heads an Islamic centre in Geneva, also came out in favour of a religious ban…

Demographics

Lighting the way

This content was published on Oct 25, 2002 A gala dinner is being held to celebrate this weekend’s milestone but also to raise much-needed funds for the future. “The Lighthouse began its life during the darkest days of AIDS, when the disease was still the subject of hysterical headlines,” recalls hospice leader Mario Odoni. “The aim was to offer a beautiful haven where…

Switzerland projects anti-money laundering image

This content was published on Oct 25, 2002 Briefing foreign media in Bern on Friday the government attempted to explain Switzerland’s complex banking regulation system. The government’s desire to portray the country as a model of financial probity – an image that runs headlong into well-worn stereotypes of Switzerland as a haven for ill-gotten gains – comes amid touchy negotiations with the European…

Culture

Cities offer rainy day alternatives

This content was published on Oct 25, 2002 The traditional Autumn Fair in Basel begins on October 26 and runs for two weeks. It is followed a few days later by Switzerland’s largest wine fair in Zurich. As has been the case for centuries, the Basel festival opens when the bells of St Martin’s church strike noon on the last Saturday in October.…

Demographics

Russia seeks Swiss help in hostage crisis

This content was published on Oct 24, 2002 Michel Minnig of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) secured the release of some hostages, when he was allowed into the building to deliver medicine. ICRC spokeswoman, Annick Bouvier, told swissinfo that Minnig had been one of two representatives allowed into the building, and had brought out a British man, who needed medical…

Culture

Long night of the short stories

This content was published on Oct 24, 2002 More than 100 readings and text-related side-shows are taking place across the city as part of Saturday’s “Long night of short stories.” The event, now in its second year, was originally based on Zurich’s pioneering “Long night of the museums”, which introduced the city to the idea of late-night culture. It’s now hoped that the…

History

Carouge reveals its master crafts and secret gardens

This content was published on Oct 23, 2002 Just ten minutes ride from the bustle of the city, visitors stumble on a uniquely “Mediterranean” corner of Switzerland. “If Geneva is an elegant, worldly-wise lady, then Carouge is the cheeky boy that everyone loves,” says Gianna Mestermann, who organises themed guided tours through Carouge’s distinctive streets. If it is a cheeky boy, he is…

Swiss Identity

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