Swiss oddities

A sign in the shape of a small house draws attention to agricultural products.

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Why the farm shop works so well in Switzerland

This content was published on Mar 14, 2026 The mixture of self-service, high-tech and trust can be found in Switzerland more than in almost any other country.

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World’s first e-skis: genius or joke?

This content was published on Mar 7, 2026 A Swiss company has developed the world’s first battery-powered skis. But it might be an uphill battle to win over purists.

The Bernese bear will continue to display its red limb on the coat of arms

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Bear penis to remain on Bernese coat of arms

This content was published on Mar 6, 2026 The bear on the coat of arms of canton Bern will continue to display its red penis, the cantonal government has ruled.

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Funeral cards, a genealogical treasure trove

This content was published on Feb 28, 2026 A once widespread tradition in Switzerland is dying out. Today these images are of particular interest to genealogists.

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Switzerland, the country of four seas

This content was published on Feb 21, 2026 In a geographical peculiarity, landlocked Switzerland is connected to four seas via its rivers. How many can you name?

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Why do some Swiss dress up as Japanese during carnival?

This content was published on Feb 14, 2026 A group in canton Schwyz performs ‘Japanese plays’ during carnival. But the 170-year tradition is struggling.

Sign indicating that honking is prohibited.

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Penalties and peculiarities of the Swiss Highway Code

This content was published on Feb 7, 2026 The Swiss Highway Code reflects some magnificent obsessions typical of the Swiss mentality.

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Cash for mouse tails: a dying Swiss tradition?

This content was published on Jan 31, 2026 Paying hunters – usually children – about a franc per tail remains an official strategy in some regions of Switzerland.

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High on a Swiss hill: the oldest playable organ in the world

This content was published on Jan 24, 2026 The 15th-century organ at Notre-Dame de Valère in Sion attracts fans from all over the world.

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Switzerland, home of the original Jurassic park

This content was published on Jan 17, 2026 The name of the period in the Mesozoic Era originates in the mountain range dividing Switzerland and France.

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The ‘January slump’ – a Swiss invention

This content was published on Jan 14, 2026 This is the astonishing story of the “January slump” – from its beginnings in the Swiss Alps to the post-Christmas blues.

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The most terrifying fountain in Switzerland

This content was published on Jan 10, 2026 If you visit Bern with children, best stay away from Kornhausplatz, where a fountain could well give them nightmares.

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Why Switzerland has no head of state

This content was published on Jan 3, 2026 This annually rotating office is a Swiss peculiarity, found nowhere else in the world. So how exactly does it work?

Christmas without snow this year? A woman collects her fresh red fir from the Zurich city forest, on Saturday, December 13, 2025, in Zurich.

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Snapshots of 2025 through a Swiss lens

This content was published on Dec 30, 2025 Switzerland faced many challenges in 2025. But there were also many cheerful moments and traditional events.

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The Geneva cardoon: a vegetable with spine

This content was published on Dec 27, 2025 The thistle-like relative of the globe artichoke is an intrinsic part of festive season in Geneva.

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When the ancient Swiss wanted to be beside the seaside

This content was published on Dec 20, 2025 A museum is looking at the mass migration of Helvetii to the Atlantic coast 2,000 years ago.

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Play it again, Sämu: decoding Bernese nicknames

This content was published on Dec 13, 2025 The Bernese are particularly creative when it comes to tweaking and shortening forenames.

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Birdie Song: how a Swiss wrote the ‘most annoying song of all time’

This content was published on Dec 6, 2025 A Swiss accordionist composed Switzerland’s biggest international hit as an après-ski tune in Davos.

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A 260-metre skyscraper in Zermatt?

This content was published on Nov 29, 2025 A hotelier-designer-artist dreams of building a 62-storey residential tower in the Valais resort by 2034. Visionary or too much?

A real postcard image: the small town of Rue, perched around a rocky promontory dominated by a medieval castle.

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Is the smallest town in Europe really in Switzerland?

This content was published on Nov 22, 2025 Several towns claim to be the smallest in Europe. Rue in canton Fribourg is a serious contender.

Nouvelliste crossword case: UDC complaint upheld

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Swiss People’s Party sues crossword setter over clue

This content was published on Nov 18, 2025 Two people involved with a crossword that appeared in Le Nouvelliste have appeared in court.

Approaching the Helvetic way of life: an event centred on the Celts near Vully in 2017.

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Why Caesar was wrong about the ‘nomadic trouble-making’ Helvetii

This content was published on Nov 15, 2025 It turns out the Helvetii were sedentary networkers rather than nomadic warriors.

The original recipe calls for soaking a tablespoon of rolled oats in three tablespoons of water for 12 hours and then adding a tablespoon of condensed milk, the juice of half a lemon, a grated whole apple and a tablespoon of chopped walnuts or almonds.

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Birchermüesli: from cure to cult

This content was published on Nov 8, 2025 Today, Birchermüesli symbolises Swiss cuisine and has conquered the world. But doctors originally turned up their noses at it.

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Switzerland’s first animal hatch opens

This content was published on Nov 3, 2025 The first Swiss small-animal hatch opened in canton Bern to receive abandoned pets, such as rabbits, guinea pigs and other rodents.

Swiss oddities

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Switzerland, a paradise for dinosaur hunters. Or is it?

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Why the farm shop works so well in Switzerland

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World’s first e-skis: genius or joke?

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Bear penis to remain on Bernese coat of arms

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Funeral cards, a genealogical treasure trove

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Switzerland, the country of four seas

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Why do some Swiss dress up as Japanese during carnival?

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Penalties and peculiarities of the Swiss Highway Code

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Cash for mouse tails: a dying Swiss tradition?

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High on a Swiss hill: the oldest playable organ in the world

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Switzerland, home of the original Jurassic park

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The ‘January slump’ – a Swiss invention

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The most terrifying fountain in Switzerland

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Why Switzerland has no head of state

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Snapshots of 2025 through a Swiss lens

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The Geneva cardoon: a vegetable with spine

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When the ancient Swiss wanted to be beside the seaside

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Play it again, Sämu: decoding Bernese nicknames

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Birdie Song: how a Swiss wrote the ‘most annoying song of all time’

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A 260-metre skyscraper in Zermatt?

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Is the smallest town in Europe really in Switzerland?

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Swiss People’s Party sues crossword setter over clue

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Why Caesar was wrong about the ‘nomadic trouble-making’ Helvetii

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Birchermüesli: from cure to cult

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Switzerland’s first animal hatch opens

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