Swiss Stories

© Urban Games

The Swiss video game scene

Science & Education
When it comes to video game developers, the US and Japan are probably more likely to come to mind than Switzerland. And yet the Swiss video game scene is booming. While still a nascent business, it is growing at full speed and now an export industry. In less than a decade, Swiss game design has evolved from its startup roots to a fully fledged industry, holding its own at some of the world's leading video game conferences.
Schweizer Mythen und Legenden

Swiss myths and legends

History
The legend of William Tell – the man who skilfully splits an apple on his son's head with his crossbow rather than bowing down to a local dignitary's hat – has come to represent the Swiss people's spirit of independence. It is a story that is known and loved well beyond the Swiss border. But this folk hero from the canton of Uri is only one of the many characters in Swiss legends: alongside William Tell, there is a panoply of fairies, mountain trolls and dwarves, not to mention giant fish and angry witches 'beating' the streams. There is no shortage of Swiss myths and legends – and a new generation of books is generating fresh interest in their revamped stories.
etivaz

The champions of local produce

Society
The 7th Swiss local food competition has crowned artisans and their specialities in different categories. We provide a background on some of this year's winners.

by Tatiana Tissot

© Peter Mauss

6 Swiss architects who conquered the world

Society
The Olympic Stadium in Beijing, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Blue Tower in New York: these are just a few of the iconic buildings born from the imagination of Swiss architects.
Lake Lucerne

Combating climate change with Swiss lakes

Environment
Switzerland’s lake surface waters contain vast amounts of thermal energy, collected from the sun and stored as heat. This can be extracted and used for heating. At the same time lake water can be used as a coolant.
Local food competition

Switzerland praises local food

Society
The seventh edition of the Swiss competition of local food products will be held at the end of September in the Jura, providing the public with an opportunity to discover the different cantonal delicacies and mingle with the people whose passion and craft lies behind these treats.
Gordon Bennett

Switzerland, home of ballooning

Society
Although ballooning in Switzerland is most commonly associated with the record-breaking exploits of the Piccard family, its history actually dates back to 1788 when a hydrogen-filled balloon took to the air from Basel.