Swiss Stories

Schwingen

Swiss wrestling sumo-style

Society
300,000 spectators are expected to attend the upcoming Federal Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival at the end of August in Zug. Nobody can tell you more about this sport than Gabriel Yerly from Fribourg, the top wrestler from the French-speaking part of Switzerland in recent years.

by Bertrand Monnard

Tones

Tones, a trailblazing Swiss graffiti artist

Society
Interview with Tones, the acclaimed master of the Swiss graffiti scene whose tag now graces walls around the world, even Nike's headquarters in Oregon.

by Virginie Nussbaum

copyright Guillaume Megevand

The Swiss athlete who runs like a Kenyan

Society
Julien Wanders from Geneva has been training in Kenya since his late teens. Now, at the age of 23, he is already on first-name terms with the world's top runners. This is his inspiring story.

by Bertrand Monnard

Muse ©Lionel Flusin

The Montreux Jazz Festival

Society
'Smoke on the water' – just as Deep Purple's legendary song encapsulates the extraordinary event that transformed this resort city of long ago. The Montreux Jazz Festival has brought together the biggest names in music since it was created in 1967.
Roger

Federer's good for Switzerland

Society
Roger Federer – the man and his game – embody reliability and excellence, which are also associated with Switzerland. He also projects an image of a modern and open Switzerland. This spring he reached the landmark of 100 career titles. Experts share their views on Federer's international role.

by Bertrand Monnard

The Winegrowers' Festival 2019, Effeuilleuse costume, Flore Duboux. Fred Merz | Lundi 13 © Fête des Vignerons 2019

Vevey Winegrowers' Festival

Society
5,500 actors and extras, 20,000 spectators, an open-air arena of 14,000 m2, 21 performances. All this in an event that features on UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage and which takes place only once in a generation: welcome to the Fête des Vignerons, a festival that pays tribute to winemaking traditions. It will take place in Vevey, in the heart of the Lavaux vineyards, from 18 July to 11 August 2019.
Heidi in Isao Takahata’s anime series “Heidi the Girl of the Alps,” 1974. Source: Swissinfo

Heidi: behind the scenes of a Swiss myth

Society
She is the most famous Swiss child. Heidi has enchanted generations of readers with her love of life, her independence and her thirst for freedom. The novel has been translated into 70 languages and has inspired over 15 film adaptations. We all know Heidi. But did you know that Japan was at the heart of Heidi’s world fame? And that Heidi’s fate mirrors the story of the 19th-century Swiss emigrants? Here are some other things we bet you didn’t know…