Swiss Stories

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.
© Wildbiene

7 Unexpected Swiss Start-ups

Economics
Switzerland is home to a high-quality start-up environment. In line with the country’s long-standing and traditional strengths in engineering, biotechnology, medical technology and financial services, many Swiss start-ups within those sectors seek to develop creative solutions in the technology sector.
Swiss dogs on Instagram

Swiss dogs on Instagram

Society
Meet the Swiss Instagrammers who share their uplifting pictures of everyday life with their dogs in the incomparable Swiss outdoors.
Scewo Bro

The wheelchair of the future – made in Switzerland

Science & Education
What started as a university project to build a stair-climbing robot turned into a start-up pushing the limits for wheelchair users. Scewo is also the story of three Swiss students who came together to turn their idea into a new business, ready to disrupt an old industry.
Il romancio, quarta lingua nazionale svizzera, è parlato da circa 60 000 persone e ha un suo canale di servizio pubblico, la Radiotelevisiun Svizra Rumantscha. © Keystone I Gaetan Bally

Romansh speakers and stories

Society
Bun di, bund de, bien di, bùn gi, allegra! There are five different ways to say hello in Romansh, Switzerland's fourth national language. For some people, Romansh triggers a memory, while for others it's completely new. It's also an integral part of Swiss identity. Despite being a minority language, it rings loud and clear onstage, alongside rap beats heard round the world, on news stations, and in classrooms and parliament. Echoes of Romansh can even be heard from Madagascar to Beijing.
© ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Bildarchiv

150 years ago, Europe's first mountain railway opened on the Rigi

History
Cogwheel trains are an iconic part of Switzerland's proud rail history. A look back through the archives of the first Alpine cogwheel line, between the cantons of Lucerne and Schwyz.