For decades, home stories from the living rooms of the nation’s Federal Councillors have been popular reading material for Mr and Mrs Swiss. A look at the sofas of the past.
Federal Councillor Philipp Etter held office for 25 years. Laying out Switzerland’s cultural policy from the 1930s onwards was one of his greatest challenges.
We mentally associate schwingen, traditional Swiss wrestling, with brawny herdsmen fighting a clean fight in idyllic mountain surroundings. But it’s not as straightforward as that. Urban dwellers played a bigger role in popularising the sport than one might think.
From the 1950s onwards, Lake Lucerne served as the testing ground for a new type of technology. Over a period of more than 20 years, hydrofoils glided over the surface of the water. From Lake Lucerne, the futuristic-looking craft went on to make their mark on the world.
These days, you can do courses on game design right here in Switzerland. Before the turn of the millennium, however, Swiss game developers led a shadowy existence. But individual productions from our country still created a buzz.
Around 1,600 years ago, the Roman Emperor Valentinian I had the Rhine and Danube borders extended by a substantial amount. He wanted to protect the empire from the onslaught of the peoples of the north.
The history of Switzerland comes with a big slice of ‘Wurst’. National dish or globalised cervelat: Swiss identity is all tied up with a very special sausage.
