Swiss Stories

Hugo Koblet

Swiss cycling pros

Society
Switzerland is not just a nation of tennis players and skiers. The competitive cycling scene has also often seen Swiss pros in the lead in the world's most important races. Five powerful pedallers: introducing Switzerland's leading cyclists.
ACE expedition

When Switzerland enhances polar research

Science & Education
The Swiss Polar Institute (SPI) typifies the Swiss grass-roots approach to research. It is the result of an initiative by passionate and dedicated individuals who work with Swiss research institutions. The Swiss government is delighted to be able to support such initiatives.
Schweizer Mythen und Legenden

Swiss myths and legends

History
The legend of William Tell – the man who skilfully splits an apple on his son's head with his crossbow rather than bowing down to a local dignitary's hat – has come to represent the Swiss people's spirit of independence. It is a story that is known and loved well beyond the Swiss border. But this folk hero from the canton of Uri is only one of the many characters in Swiss legends: alongside William Tell, there is a panoply of fairies, mountain trolls and dwarves, not to mention giant fish and angry witches 'beating' the streams. There is no shortage of Swiss myths and legends – and a new generation of books is generating fresh interest in their revamped stories.
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Swiss industrial designer Guberan

Society
Christophe Guberan, a Swiss industrial designer based in Lausanne, is currently teaching product design at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, one of the most prestigious universities in the world.

by Cécile Vulliemin

Iris Bohnet

Iris Bohnet, the Swiss woman who conquered Harvard

Science & Education
Iris Bohnet, a 52-year-old native of Lucerne, is the first Swiss woman to teach at Harvard University and at the same time a world-renowned economist specialised in the issue of gender. Portrait of a woman fighting for equality.

by Lea Huszno

SESAME, the CERN of the Middle East

SESAME, CERN of Middle East

Science & Education
In One Thousand and One Nights, ‘open sesame’ are the magic words that allow Ali Baba to access a hidden treasure of untold riches. In the 1990s this classic tale inspired physicists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva to ask whether the CERN model of science and peace could be replicated in the Middle East. It took years of hard work and complex negotiations to bring the dream to life. The new centre is called SESAME.

by Niccolò Iorno

Alver: Protein Soup

Algae to feed the planet

Science & Education
Mine Uran stepped down as Head of Protein R&D at Nestlé to set up a start-up. Her vision is to produce food for the future by growing micro-algae in the dark.