Swiss Stories

©️ Swiss Armed Forces Digital Media Centre, Nadine Strub

Haute cuisine in camouflage trousers: the Swiss Armed Forces culinary team

Society
The Swiss Armed Forces culinary team is repeatedly voted one of the best in its field, often far outdoing non-military culinary teams in international contests. How can that be? The answer lies in the militia system that has shaped Switzerland for centuries.

by Michael Senn

Saffron from Mund AOP

The Swiss AOP products you never knew existed

Economics
Switzerland boasts 23 different agricultural products that have been awarded the coveted AOP label, which denotes their protected designation of origin (also known internationally as PDO; actual labels in Switzerland show AOP: appellation d’origine protégée in French). Some are already well known, such as Gruyère and Raclette cheese, but others less so, such as saffron from Mund and spiny cardoons from the canton of Geneva.
Equipe nationale suisse féminine © Keystone

The phenomenal rise of women's football in Switzerland

Society
Switzerland is set to host its first major women's footballing event – the 2025 UEFA Women's Championship. This isn't just important for its global resonance. It also reflects the tremendous rise in women's football in Switzerland, which has seen the number of women players sky rocket in recent years. The Swiss national team, which has been competing at the highest international level, is set to play its second World Cup this summer in Australia and New Zealand. So what's behind this phenomenon? Let's take a look.

by Bertrand Monnard

Swiss Tech Convention Center © Alain Herzog / EPFL

The EPFL – at the heart of Health Valley

Science & Education

What do the first Swiss satellite sent into space, the first balloon to travel around the world without stopping and the Human Brain Proj
Extract of tapestry – wool on canvas: © Museum für Gestaltung, Zurich

Sophie Taeuber-Arp – Living Abstraction in the 20th century

Society
Three exhibitions, in Basel, London and New York, have recently paid homage to Sophie Taeuber-Arp, one of the foremost Swiss artists of the last century – a fitting tribute to this multi-talented, innovative pioneer of abstract arts and crafts.

by John Durham

San Bernardino © Andrea Furger - Destination Italian-speaking Switzerland: Photograph of the San Bernardino from the canton of Grisons by photographer Andrea Furger from Mesocco. The San Bernardino route is an alternative to the Gotthard pass to reach Ticino from eastern Switzerland.

Next stop, Italian-speaking Switzerland: one national language, two cantons, multiple identities

Society
Suitcase in hand, let's go! Next stop, Italian-speaking Switzerland. The itinerary first takes you to two Swiss cantons - Ticino and Grisons - and then opens up to the whole country. The soundtrack for our trip: the Italian language, jazzed up with some dialectical riffs and unmistakable Helvetisms. Travel note: after this tour of Italian-speaking Switzerland, you'll need more than one suitcase to bring back all the sounds and culture that you'll pick up from Switzerland's third national language.
Parc Ela

Switzerland on Instagram

Society
We have put a few questions to the charming Martina, better known as kitkat_ch, a photographer that pays tribute to Switzerland and its mountains.