Swiss Stories

Agroscope's rice cultivation trial in Schwadernau in the northern part of the canton of Bern © Kathrin Hartmann

Innovative Swiss agriculture

Environment
Will rice, soya beans and sweet potatoes – which originated in Asia and the Americas – become normal Swiss crops in the future? Valued for their adaptability to climate change and nutritional qualities and also as a potential source of diversification, these crops have in fact begun to be grown in parts of Switzerland and could be much more widely cultivated in the future.
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.
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

Teaser

Swiss children's book market

Science & Education
Time to take a look at the thriving and diverse children's book industry in Switzerland. With classics like ‘Heidi' and ‘A Bell for Ursli’, plus an array of exciting publications emerging from Switzerland's four literary traditions, Swiss children's literature has a lot to offer!
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

Gamescom 2018 (c) Julia Malcher PVM Production

Swiss video games

Science & Education
Every year, in March, San Francisco hosts the Game Developers Conference (GDC) and becomes the epicentre for games development. The conference brings together 30,000 sector professionals and sets the standard for the entire industry. A delegation of 19 Swiss studios and technology companies will be attending the 2019 event under the SwissGames banner.
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…