Most of the participants, some 20,000 scouts aged between 12 and 17, arrived at the camp in the alpine Goms region in the western Swiss canton of Valais.
Around 5,000 younger scouts, aged between seven and 11, are expected to arrive on Sunday.
The federal transport system was beefed up to cope with the swell of scouts. Extra trains were laid on to increase capacity from the usual 260 people per hour to accommodate 1,200 passengers every 60 minutes.
Eighty special trains were laid on, as part of an additional 120 train and bus journeys to the normal schedule, to also transport some 1,500 bicycles and more than a thousand baggage items.
The Swiss defence ministry is contributing CHF7 million ($7.2 million), 20 tons of equipment, including tents, blankets and kitchen utensils for the participants to support the two-week event, which runs until August 6.
Groups from Britain, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Poland, Serbia, Finland, the United States, Belgium and Italy are also attending, according to the organisers.External link
The event, which is organised every 14 years, is the biggest of its kind in Switzerland. It was originally scheduled for 2021 but had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Employees in Switzerland increasingly stressed at work
This content was published on
The proportion of people in Switzerland who are stressed at work has increased by 5% over ten years, according to the Federal Statistical Office.
This content was published on
F/A-18 fighter jets will practice take offs and landings on the A1 motorway between Payerne and Avenches in canton Vaud on June 5.
Swisscom finalises financing for Vodafone Italia takeover
This content was published on
Telecoms group Swisscom has taken the next step in its takeover of Vodafone Italia and secured financing for the deal, the company said on Thursday.
This content was published on
They are among more than 25,000 children, guides and volunteers who have pitched their tents in the southeastern region of Lake Zurich where they will stay until the beginning of next month. The 22 Swiss abroad are living proof of the theme of the summer camp, Contura 08 – forging ties among different language groups.…
This content was published on
“Compared to other countries, we have very young scout leaders,” says Stan Frossard of the Swiss Scout and Guide Movement. “But it has always been that way – our goal is for young people to learn to be responsible for themselves and each other.” Today there are around 56,000 Swiss scouts, of whom 60 per…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.