https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Switzerland in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Aside from chocolate, cheese, watches and army knives, Switzerland is often synonymous with wealth. But why exactly is this small country of only around 9 million people so rich? https://www.thelocal.ch/20210602/how-did-switzerland-get-so-wealthy Wed, 02 Jun 2021 16:56:12 +0200 how-did-switzerland-get-so-wealthy During the night on April 30th into May 1st everything revolves around witches, bonfires, and Celtic folk music. The Local explains what the night is all about, how it’s celebrated and what you can (and cannot) do to ring in spring in Switzerland. https://www.thelocal.ch/20230428/walpurgisnacht-how-the-swiss-celebrate-the-night-of-witches Fri, 28 Apr 2023 18:41:11 +0200 walpurgisnacht-how-the-swiss-celebrate-the-night-of-witches A 108-year-old mystery surrounds one of Switzerland's best-known products: the Toblerone chocolate. https://www.thelocal.ch/20200525/swiss-history-whats-the-real-story-behind-the-chocolate-pyramids Mon, 25 May 2020 18:10:35 +0200 swiss-history-whats-the-real-story-behind-the-chocolate-pyramids For half a century after WWII ended, the Swiss army refused to decommission its carrier pigeons, even though they had long outlived their usefulness. https://www.thelocal.ch/20200221/swiss-history-pigeons-were-used-in-military-service-until-1996 Fri, 21 Feb 2020 17:51:47 +0100 swiss-history-pigeons-were-used-in-military-service-until-1996 A politician in the eastern Swiss canon of St Gallen has raised plenty of eyebrows by suggesting the Austrian state of Vorarlberg should join Switzerland. https://www.thelocal.ch/20190920/this-politician-wants-austrias-voralberg-to-become-switzerland-newest-canton Fri, 20 Sep 2019 13:09:57 +0200 this-politician-wants-austrias-voralberg-to-become-switzerland-newest-canton On Thursday, Switzerland's tiny neighbour Liechtenstein will be celebrating its national day. To mark the occasion, we have chosen some of the key figures that shed light on the sixth smallest country in the world. https://www.thelocal.ch/20190814/285-unemployed-people-and-2-accidental-invasions-the-numbers-that-tell-the-story-of-liechtenstein-history-300-anniversary Wed, 14 Aug 2019 10:39:36 +0200 285-unemployed-people-and-2-accidental-invasions-the-numbers-that-tell-the-story-of-liechtenstein-history-300-anniversary A new English translation of the Swiss oral history work 'The Green Silk Shawl' by Marcella Maier provides a fascinating insight into the lives of four generations of women in the Switzerland's Engadin region. https://www.thelocal.ch/20190726/book-review-the-green-silk-shawl-describes-a-poorer-and-tougher-switzerland Fri, 26 Jul 2019 08:37:20 +0200 book-review-the-green-silk-shawl-describes-a-poorer-and-tougher-switzerland The Swiss government has just published a remarkable archive of historical photos taken from the air which reveal how much the country has changed in the last 70 years. https://www.thelocal.ch/20190522/in-pics-historic-photos-show-changing-face-of-switzerland Wed, 22 May 2019 19:23:51 +0200 in-pics-historic-photos-show-changing-face-of-switzerland The Plan of St Gall, which dates back to approximately 825AD, is now on public display for the first time. https://www.thelocal.ch/20190412/switzerlands-and-worlds-oldest-surviving-architecture-plan-from-middle-ages-goes-on-public-display Fri, 12 Apr 2019 16:14:29 +0200 switzerlands-and-worlds-oldest-surviving-architecture-plan-from-middle-ages-goes-on-public-display Archaeologists in the Swiss canton of Jura have unearthed a stunning fragment of a baby boot dating from the second half of the 14th century. https://www.thelocal.ch/20190328/extremely-rare-650-year-old-baby-boot-found-in-switzerland-archaeology Thu, 28 Mar 2019 21:12:30 +0100 extremely-rare-650-year-old-baby-boot-found-in-switzerland-archaeology On Wednesday, Switzerland was named 'the best country in the world' for the third year in a row because of factors including its economic and political stability. But we at The Local believe there are plenty of other (more surprising) reasons why the country is so great. Here are just seven of them. https://www.thelocal.ch/20190124/seven-real-reasons-why-switzerland-is-the-best-country-in-the-world Thu, 24 Jan 2019 12:31:39 +0100 seven-real-reasons-why-switzerland-is-the-best-country-in-the-world Every evening, the night watchman clambers to the top of the Lausanne cathedral bell tower and gets to work: he shouts out the time each hour, keeping a six-century-old tradition alive. https://www.thelocal.ch/20190118/after-600-years-night-watchman-still-keeps-vigil-over-lausanne Fri, 18 Jan 2019 09:27:36 +0100 after-600-years-night-watchman-still-keeps-vigil-over-lausanne From reformers to referendums, Switzerland's history is rich and diverse. Find out how much you know by taking our quiz. And good luck! https://www.thelocal.ch/20181122/quiz-how-well-do-you-know-these-key-dates-in-swiss-history Thu, 22 Nov 2018 21:58:00 +0100 quiz-how-well-do-you-know-these-key-dates-in-swiss-history Pipe laying works in the Swiss town of Avenches have led to the discovery of a highly detailed Roman mosaic. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180906/richly-decorated-roman-mosaic-uncovered-during-swiss-building-works Thu, 06 Sep 2018 11:49:11 +0200 richly-decorated-roman-mosaic-uncovered-during-swiss-building-works Residents in Zurich’s Küsnacht district were evacuated on Tuesday after an unexploded bomb turned up during gardening works near an old people’s home. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180905/zurich-residents-evacuated-after-gardeners-find-ww2-bomb Wed, 05 Sep 2018 12:53:08 +0200 zurich-residents-evacuated-after-gardeners-find-ww2-bomb Swiss archaeologists studying mysterious shafts unearthed at the Roman site of Augusta Raurica have successfully demonstrated that they can store beer on ice for at least three months, adding weight to their hypothesis that the four-metre pits were designed as ancient refrigerators. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180706/augusta-raurica-basel-ancient-roman-fridge-keeps-beer-cool-for-a-month Fri, 06 Jul 2018 11:39:16 +0200 augusta-raurica-basel-ancient-roman-fridge-keeps-beer-cool-for-a-month Archaeologists in the canton of Valais have discovered a 5,000-year dolmen, or megalithic tomb, during construction of an underground garage, cantonal authorities said on Thursday. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180628/5000-year-old-dolmen-discovered-during-construction-of-swiss-garage Thu, 28 Jun 2018 17:45:16 +0200 5000-year-old-dolmen-discovered-during-construction-of-swiss-garage A wooden spear fitted with a battery of sensors has helped an international research team establish that Neanderthals killed animals at close range. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180626/swiss-hi-tech-spear-helps-explains-neanderthal-hunting-tactics Tue, 26 Jun 2018 17:18:49 +0200 swiss-hi-tech-spear-helps-explains-neanderthal-hunting-tactics Archaeologists near the Swiss city of Basel are trying to definitively establish if mysterious shafts discovered at Switzerland’s extensive Augusta Raurica site in 2013 could have been ancient refrigerators. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180403/swiss-researchers-try-to-get-ancient-roman-fridge-working-again-history Tue, 03 Apr 2018 12:37:44 +0200 swiss-researchers-try-to-get-ancient-roman-fridge-working-again-history Newly crowned world tennis number one six years after last being at the top of the rankings, Roger Federer is arguably the most famous Swiss person in the world. But there are plenty of other Swiss people we here at The Local believe should be better known internationally. Here are just nine of them. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180219/nine-famous-swiss-people-youve-probably-never-heard-of Mon, 19 Feb 2018 21:54:27 +0100 nine-famous-swiss-people-youve-probably-never-heard-of