Swiss Stories

Bertrand Piccard

Bertrand Piccard - The power of dreams for the energy of tomorrow

Environment
Bertrand Piccard, the Swiss mastermind behind Solar Impulse, has harnessed his pioneering spirit and thirst for exploration for a global cause: the quality of life for future generations.
The Ocean Mapping Expedition_ Swiss sailing boat Fleur de Passion

Tracing Magellan's route

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In April 2015, the Fleur de Passion, a 33-metre ketch, embarked on a four-year circumnavigation of the globe, following the route taken by famous Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan.
Gottardo 2016 © Amberg Group

The Gotthard Tunnel: also a women's story

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The world's longest rail tunnel, 57km long, opened on 1 June 2016. This feat of Swiss engineering, which crosses the Alps and links the cantons of Uri and Ticino, was built by AlpTransit Gotthard SA, a subsidiary of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB). AlpTransit has a workforce of 170, including 53 women, which makes it something of an exception in the construction and infrastructure engineering sector.
Horse-drawn carriage

Across the Gotthard on foot and by train

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Today's travellers have different ways of getting from one side of the Gotthard Massif to the other: they can either follow the old Gotthard Pass road, as our forebears did, or they can travel through the world's longest tunnel, the new Gotthard Tunnel.
André Borschberg

André Borschberg - Turning obstacles into opportunities

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Engineer, entrepreneur, CEO, accomplished pilot: this broad set of talents has enabled Switzerland's André Borschberg, co-founder of Solar Impulse, to play a key role in making this plane without fuel a reality.
Michael Weber, head of VariCom, and Danilo Christen, creater of the variety © Sedrik Nemeth

The Fred® pear – the fruit of perseverance and expertise

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The perfect pear does exist. It's Swiss and it's called Fred®. Launched at the beginning of 2018, the fruit is the culmination of an 18-year breeding programme carried out by researchers at Agroscope, Switzerland's centre of excellence for agricultural research. And at the heart of the process: the desire to produce the ideal pear to satisfy growers, sellers and buyers alike.
SBB

Intelligent technology for greater energy efficiency

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Tablets for saving electricity? They exist. Thousands of Swiss train drivers are now using tablets with a new innovative software for reducing the electricity consumption of trains. For this innovative solution, the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) has received the prestigious prize for energy efficiency Watt d’Or of the Federal Office of Energy (FOE).