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 Immaculately dressed in Victorian costume, Sherlock Holmes devotees gathered at the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland to recreate the intrepid detective's fateful duel with his nemesis Professor Moriarty, 135 years on. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260505/sherlock-holmes-fans-recreate-fateful-duel-at-swiss-falls Tue, 05 May 2026 08:13:21 +0200 sherlock-holmes-fans-recreate-fateful-duel-at-swiss-falls On April 1st, 1957, the BBC broadcast a three-minute video about a family in southern Switzerland harvesting their annual spaghetti crop. More than 60 years later, it’s widely regarded as the most successful April Fools’ Day prank of all time. https://www.thelocal.ch/20200401/re-living-the-swiss-spaghetti-harvest-the-most-successful-april-fools-day-prank-of-all-time Wed, 01 Apr 2020 18:01:51 +0200 re-living-the-swiss-spaghetti-harvest-the-most-successful-april-fools-day-prank-of-all-time The small Schaffhausen commune of Thayngen, located near Switzerland’s border with Germany, must decide whether to grant a permit to a company planning to open a brothel in the centre of town. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260324/prostitution-in-switzerland-plan-for-new-brothel-next-to-church-sparks-anger Tue, 24 Mar 2026 12:50:11 +0100 prostitution-in-switzerland-plan-for-new-brothel-next-to-church-sparks-anger In some countries, neighbours don’t need an instruction manual on how to treat each other in a courteous and respectful way. But the Swiss have their own — written and unwritten — etiquette. https://www.thelocal.ch/20210503/eight-tips-on-how-to-get-along-with-your-swiss-neighbours Mon, 03 May 2021 16:44:53 +0200 eight-tips-on-how-to-get-along-with-your-swiss-neighbours The skies over Switzerland will reveal a unique spectacle on Saturday when a partial eclipse of the sun takes place. https://www.thelocal.ch/20250328/switzerland-to-witness-partial-eclipse-of-the-sun-this-weekend Fri, 28 Mar 2025 15:55:29 +0100 switzerland-to-witness-partial-eclipse-of-the-sun-this-weekend The pristine turquoise waters of Lake Geneva (as well as other Swiss lakes) may appear serene, but lurking beneath are piles of bombs, cartridges and possibly even chemical weapons discarded decades ago. https://www.thelocal.ch/20210922/why-switzerlands-lake-geneva-is-littered-with-discarded-bombs-and-munitions Wed, 22 Sep 2021 13:55:34 +0200 why-switzerlands-lake-geneva-is-littered-with-discarded-bombs-and-munitions Switzerland’s military is facing financial woes— its coffers are short of 1 billion francs to fund new arms purchases. But according to one MP, the army has a more pressing problem right now. https://www.thelocal.ch/20240417/mp-up-in-arms-over-swiss-militarys-choice-of-wine Wed, 17 Apr 2024 17:44:24 +0200 mp-up-in-arms-over-swiss-militarys-choice-of-wine In October, the Swedish tourist board launched a tongue-in-cheek campaign in a bid to end the confusion of people mixing up the Scandinavian country with the Alpine nation. Now a Swiss ambassador has responded. https://www.thelocal.ch/20231102/swiss-ambassador-weighs-in-on-the-sweden-versus-switzerland-debate Thu, 02 Nov 2023 15:34:45 +0100 swiss-ambassador-weighs-in-on-the-sweden-versus-switzerland-debate If you want to mail a letter in the village of Staubern in the Swiss canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden, you’d better have a very long ladder or climbing rope. https://www.thelocal.ch/20230920/the-story-behind-the-mysterious-swiss-mailbox-stuck-on-the-side-of-a-mountain Wed, 20 Sep 2023 13:08:42 +0200 the-story-behind-the-mysterious-swiss-mailbox-stuck-on-the-side-of-a-mountain A mysterious stash of 120 gold bars found on a Swiss train nearly four years ago has been given to the Red Cross, prosecutors said Friday, after failing to trace the owner. https://www.thelocal.ch/20230825/red-cross-receives-gold-bars-left-on-swiss-train Fri, 25 Aug 2023 19:09:13 +0200 red-cross-receives-gold-bars-left-on-swiss-train Wolves have in recent decades returned to Switzerland after being wiped out, but it has sparked an increase in attacks on livestock. Volunteers are camping out in the Alps to help chase predators away - to preserve the lives of both wolves and their prey. https://www.thelocal.ch/20230822/how-volunteers-are-scaling-the-swiss-alps-to-chase-wolves-away-from-livestock Tue, 22 Aug 2023 13:02:21 +0200 how-volunteers-are-scaling-the-swiss-alps-to-chase-wolves-away-from-livestock The Swiss capital of Bern is not known for being wild. But the city has been getting hundreds of noise complaints this summer. What's going on? https://www.thelocal.ch/20230815/why-the-swiss-city-of-bern-is-receiving-hundreds-of-noise-complaints Tue, 15 Aug 2023 18:38:43 +0200 why-the-swiss-city-of-bern-is-receiving-hundreds-of-noise-complaints Switzerland is well known for its long-standing diplomacy and maintains good relationship with most countries. But sometimes diplomatic snafus happen – especially when national reputation is at stake. https://www.thelocal.ch/20230811/how-swiss-foreign-minister-almost-caused-a-diplomatic-incident-over-chocolate Fri, 11 Aug 2023 16:20:59 +0200 how-swiss-foreign-minister-almost-caused-a-diplomatic-incident-over-chocolate Sure, there are bankers, chocolate and cheese manufacturers, plus watch makers. But while typically ‘Swiss,’ these positions don’t fall under the ‘wacky’ category. We list some that definitely fit the bill. https://www.thelocal.ch/20230802/hermit-to-trash-rummager-six-quirky-jobs-you-can-do-in-switzerland Wed, 02 Aug 2023 17:27:50 +0200 hermit-to-trash-rummager-six-quirky-jobs-you-can-do-in-switzerland The hamlet of Albinen in Switzerland made international news in 2017 when it offered to pay tens of thousands of francs to individuals and families who settled in the Valais village. What's happened since then? https://www.thelocal.ch/20230313/what-happened-to-the-swiss-village-that-offered-to-pay-people-to-move-there Mon, 13 Mar 2023 17:24:18 +0100 what-happened-to-the-swiss-village-that-offered-to-pay-people-to-move-there Cows are important to the Swiss. But rail passengers in St Gallen took the obsession a step further by taking a cow on a commuter train. https://www.thelocal.ch/20230227/only-in-switzerland-cow-taken-on-a-train-ride Mon, 27 Feb 2023 17:39:53 +0100 only-in-switzerland-cow-taken-on-a-train-ride Get out your binoculars and telescopes to watch a unique astral phenomenon, as a green-coloured comet will be visible over Switzerland for the first time in human history. https://www.thelocal.ch/20230112/how-to-see-an-ancient-comet-cross-swiss-skies-on-friday Thu, 12 Jan 2023 16:33:38 +0100 how-to-see-an-ancient-comet-cross-swiss-skies-on-friday If you are looking for a new, mostly uncharted career path in Switzerland, you may want to apply for this highly unusual vacancy — but only if you have the right skills (and you're cheerful enough). https://www.thelocal.ch/20230111/positive-vibes-why-a-swiss-company-wants-to-employ-a-happiness-officer Wed, 11 Jan 2023 16:55:41 +0100 positive-vibes-why-a-swiss-company-wants-to-employ-a-happiness-officer Police said Tuesday they were "amazed" to find an SUV at the Swiss-German border crammed with 23 members of the same family. https://www.thelocal.ch/20230103/car-packed-with-23-family-members-stopped-at-swiss-border Tue, 03 Jan 2023 18:18:26 +0100 car-packed-with-23-family-members-stopped-at-swiss-border When an elderly man suddenly realised that he was missing more than 20,000 Swiss francs in cash just withdrawn from a Swiss bank, he assumed he had been robbed. https://www.thelocal.ch/20221201/swiss-couple-rewarded-for-returning-20000-francs-dropped-by-mute-man Thu, 01 Dec 2022 18:49:09 +0100 swiss-couple-rewarded-for-returning-20000-francs-dropped-by-mute-man