Swiss Stories

Avengers © Keystone

Five Swiss super talents in the Marvel Universe

History
Where would Stan Lee's superheroes be without Switzerland? The 2019 blockbuster 'Avengers: Endgame' called for no end of Swiss prowess. Indeed, even the heroes in tights seem drawn to our country...
Smixin © Smixin

The Swiss tap that can meet the world's water challenges

Science & Education
Freshwater is an essential resource and global needs keep rising, particularly because of population growth, agricultural development and industrial demand. But the world's water resources haven't changed, nor are they unlimited. The UN estimates there will be a 40% shortfall in the amount of water the planet needs by 2030. The cleantech sector has the potential to develop solutions to reduce how much of this valuable resource we use on a daily basis. Switzerland has extensive experience in the water sector and a network of tech companies that can help meet water-related challenges. One such start-up is Biel-based Smixin, which has come up with a novel type of tap.
Sports during lockdown © Unsplash/@single_lens_reflex

Champions are finding creative ways to keep fit and relax during lockdown

Society
Swiss sportsmen and women tell us about their frustration over tournament lockdown, downtime, training and discovering other passions.

by Bertrand Monnard

Josef Müller-Brockmann studio, Schindler Speedwalk Rollteppich (Schindler Speedwalk moving walkway), advertising brochure, ca. 1962, Schindler & Cie. lift and electric motor factory, Ebikon, © Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, Graphics collection / ZHdK / ProLitteris

Swiss Style forever – the story of a graphic design tradition

History
Conceptual strength, concision and technical precision: these are the hallmarks of Swiss graphic design and typography, which enjoy an excellent reputation around the world. They are the result of a long tradition of vocational education and training and professional excellence. Under the 'Swiss Style' label, Swiss graphic design gained international recognition in the 1950s and 1960s and became a highly successful export product. Read on to learn about the origins of Swiss Style – and why it never goes out of style.

by Barbara Junod, curator of the graphics collection of the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich

Val Poschiavo - Lago Saoseo

The Swiss valley on the verge of becoming 100% organic

Environment
Val Poschiavo in the canton of Graubünden is a global pioneer of organic farming. The people there have been cultivating the land this way for about 30 years and are aiming to be 100% organic within the next two years.
Albert Hofmann with a model of the LSD molecule in the early 1950s © Novartis corporate archive

The Swiss beginnings of LSD

History
In a stroke of serendipity over 75 years ago, Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann (1906–2008) discovered the effects of lysergic acid diethylamide – otherwise known as LSD. Initially this new hallucinogen was explored by Western scientists for its therapeutic potential. But LSD soon found its way out of the lab and into the world of recreational use by the counterculture movement. From the late 1960s it started to be banned, putting a halt to medical research in psychedelic substances. Since the 1990s, however, clinical studies of LSD have gradually resumed in some countries, including Switzerland.
Artist's impression of the space telescope © ESA/ATG medialab

Switzerland in space

Science & Education
Switzerland is leading the consortium of 11 European countries participating in the CHEOPS mission. The CHEOPS telescope was launched in 2019 to learn more about the little-known world of exoplanets. This is the first mission Switzerland has led within the European Space Agency (ESA), although it has been a member since the agency's inception. Other missions are in the pipeline – more on that below.