Swiss Stories

San Bernardino © Andrea Furger - Destination Italian-speaking Switzerland: Photograph of the San Bernardino from the canton of Grisons by photographer Andrea Furger from Mesocco. The San Bernardino route is an alternative to the Gotthard pass to reach Ticino from eastern Switzerland.

Next stop, Italian-speaking Switzerland: one national language, two cantons, multiple identities

Society
Suitcase in hand, let's go! Next stop, Italian-speaking Switzerland. The itinerary first takes you to two Swiss cantons - Ticino and Grisons - and then opens up to the whole country. The soundtrack for our trip: the Italian language, jazzed up with some dialectical riffs and unmistakable Helvetisms. Travel note: after this tour of Italian-speaking Switzerland, you'll need more than one suitcase to bring back all the sounds and culture that you'll pick up from Switzerland's third national language.
Scewo Bro

The wheelchair of the future – made in Switzerland

Science & Education
What started as a university project to build a stair-climbing robot turned into a start-up pushing the limits for wheelchair users. Scewo is also the story of three Swiss students who came together to turn their idea into a new business, ready to disrupt an old industry.
Eat

Swiss startups driving vegan innovation

Society
Switzerland is playing a leading role in research and innovation in the fast-changing food sector.
Senegal © Secours Protestant

The Swiss tap that saves water and lives

Science & Education
Good hand washing practice has come firmly into focus during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Amidst the clamour for hand sanitiser and protective face coverings in Europe, it must not be forgotten that there are around 3 billion people who are not able to wash their hands at home with soap and clean water. 1.7 million children die each year due to diseases transmitted by unclean hands. Exciting Swiss innovations, such as The Drop, recently recognised on UNICEF’s May 2020 list of ‘Handwashing Stations and Supplies for the COVID-19 response’, are being developed to meet these needs.
Frutiger font

Adrian Frutiger, forever true to type

Society
Adrian Frutiger, who died in 2015, was one of the most influential Swiss typographers of the 20th century. His work, exemplified by the Univers typeface, was a precursor for the way typography is approached today.
Umweltpreis

Swiss Award for the environment

Science & Education
Profitability and sustainability are steadily becoming a reality in many areas. Each year the Business Award for the Environment is awarded to innovative projects that are environmentally friendly and economically viable.
AlpTransit © AlpTransit Gotthard AG

The Swiss construction project of the century – linking northern and southern Europe

Economics
138 years after the completion of the legendary Gotthard railway tunnel – already a masterpiece in 1882 – a new milestone has been reached on the historic Gotthard route. The opening of the Ceneri Base Tunnel on 4 September 2020 marks the completion of the construction project of the century – the New Rail Link through the Alps (NRLA), which forms the core of Europe's main north-south freight route extending from Rotterdam to Genoa. Following on from the Lötschberg and Gotthard base tunnels, this is the last piece of the jigsaw puzzle to complete the flat-track rail link through the Alps.