Swiss Stories

train

Swiss public transport – going places for 175 years

History
175 years ago, the Spanisch-Brötli (Spanish bun) line between Baden and Zurich was the first railway to operate in Switzerland. Today, public transport brings hundreds of thousands of people to work and school every day – even in the most remote valleys and regions of Switzerland. Public transport connects and keeps us moving, and it is helping Switzerland achieve its climate goals.

by Union of Public Transport

Cloisonné de Théâtre (detail, 1951) – Aloïse Corbaz – Eternod and Mermod Collection, on loan to LaM (Villeneuve d’Ascq) © P. Bernard

7 Swiss works that have left their mark on art history

History
Switzerland has produced a wealth of artists and designers, making it hard to choose from the abundance of artistic creations on offer. Let’s take a look at our – inevitably subjective – choice of seven Swiss works that have left their mark on the history of art.

by Dimitri Kas

Paul Klee mit der Katze Fripouille, Possenhofen, 1921, Fotograf: Felix Klee, Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern, Schenkung Familie Klee, © Klee-Nachlassverwaltung, Hinterkappelen

Paul Klee's universe of images

History
Known for his magical imagery and dream-like worlds, Paul Klee was a world-class painter and one of the most important artists of the 20th century. He was a member of the Der Blaue Reiter movement and later taught at the Bauhaus in Weimar and Dessau. Although Klee spent more than half his life in Bern and is often referred to as a Swiss artist, he was in fact a German citizen all his life.
Barbara Piatti

by Barbara Piatti

Riverside bar scene, Lucerne (hi-res). Credit: © Simon Conway

Swiss Craft Beer Boom

History
Switzerland is famous for many things and now its burgeoning beer scene is beginning to gain recognition. The demise of the beer cartel at the end of the twentieth century opened up the industry and provided the space for Swiss brewers to create and flourish. They have responded by establishing breweries and microbreweries in unprecedented numbers and Switzerland has emerged as a major contributor to the ever-swelling European craft beer wave.
The charnel house in Leuk, June 2018 – © Cyril Zingaro for Le Temps

The catacombs of Valais: as fascinating as those of Paris

History
You don't have descend into the catacombs of Paris to feel the gaze of thousands of empty eye sockets. With its 24,000 skulls, the charnel house in Leuk in the Upper Valais region of Switzerland provides an equally chilling spectacle.
Gallia

The St Bernard: the making of an Alpine legend

History
According to the breed’s official motto, the St Bernard embodies dignity, devotion and sacrifice. So, how did this breed of dog become one of Switzerland’s most iconic ambassadors? A few salient historical facts will shed some light on how the St Bernard became an Alpine legend.

by Dimitri Kas

Teaser

The second life of Swiss bunkers

History
There are believed to be more than 8,000 of them, dotted all over Switzerland, some still concealed beneath their camouflage of yesteryear. But now the country's bunkers have come back to life as veritable national curiosities.