A Humorous Guide to Switzerland

Imagine a weather forecast for Switzerland that predicts it's gonna be cold. Very cold. Real freezing. So cold that eventually not only the small ponds and waters but even the big lakes in Switzerland will freeze over. I know, that would be hard to believe when all you get are mild winters? But remember, it hasn't always been this way. Switzerland has seen it's share of very cold winters not so long ago.  The 1962/1963 Seegfrörni in Zurich During the winter of 1962/1963 it was so cold in Switzerland that Lake Zurich froze over! In Swiss German this phenomenon is called ' Seegfrörni ' which simply means 'freezing over of a lake'. For a lake as big as Lake Zurich (about 88  km 2  large and 136m deep) that's pretty impressive. My mom was actually living in the Zurich area in those years and the frozen lake is one of the most vivid and fondest memories of her childhood.  Frozen Lake Zurich - Archive of Stadt Zürich Just imagine, instead of taking ...

We Swiss are famous for our banks. Whether we like our bank secret or not is a different question. Fact is, Switzerland has been a major banking center for quite a while now. However, the grand majority of Swiss bank accounts is pretty unspectacular. No secret entrances, elaborate identifying procedures or strange codes. The average Swiss citizen watches the numbers in his bank account grow and diminish and takes out some cash at the ATM; depending among other on the salary that enters the account each month. Some more daring people might invest their money in bonds or stocks but generally having a regular Swiss bank account is nothing like it's portrayed in the movies . How and why banknotes are changed Money can be very interesting though. Whereas in earlier times money was exclusively an instrument of payment, it nowadays has become through and through elaborated and even a designer object. Safety measures for banknotes need to be renewed every so often. Many countries ta...

Swiss Flag - berggeist007  / pixelio.de Yesterday, on the 1st of August 2011, Switzerland celebrated its 720th anniversary! The celebrations included many fireworks and even more cook outs and they inspired me to look into the history of Switzerland and it's 1st of August celebrations. Here are some of my findings. 10 Facts about Swiss 1st of August Celebrations Traditionally, it is assumed that Switzerland was founded on August 1st in 1291 but the true birth date of Switzerland is unknown . Think about it for a moment. Switzerland is so much older than the US or France that both gained independence in the end of the 18th century. The first 'version' of Switzerland included only three of todays 26 cantons : Uri, Schwyz and Nidwalden . They took an oath to cooperate and assist each other in the quest for political autonomy from the Austrio-German Habsburgian rulers . This oath allegedly took place on the Rütliwiese , a grassy hill on the shores of Lake of Lucerne. ...

Americans and Brits are familiar with the division of a country into smaller parts such as states and counties. In the US, the different states may differ in their legislation, the accent of its inhabitants, the climate and the landscapes. Mississippi and New Jersey for example are very different places on many levels. The segmentation of a country for administrative purposes makes sense especially in one as big as the USA. However, in a small country like Switzerland its benefits are somewhat obscure. Do we really need to split the country into smaller parts to be able to manage it? Today, Switzerland consists of 26 cantons which are more or less the equivalent of states in the US. The reason for this division is mainly historical . The Swiss Federation or Helvetic Federation started with just four cantons that united in 1291 against their common enemy, the Lords of the House of Habsburg. They were the cantons of Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden and Nidwalden . Over the next 500 years anoth...