Five Swiss myths busted

This content was published on August 1, 2023 - 09:00

1 minute

I have a wealth of experience as a journalist working in Switzerland and enjoy producing videos, articles and podcasts on a range of subjects, recently focused mainly on politics and the environment. Born in the UK, I studied law at Nottingham University, then went on to attend the first-ever post-graduate radio journalism college in London. After working as a radio journalist in the UK and then Switzerland from 1984 to 1995, I returned to the UK to complete a post-graduate diploma in film at Bournemouth Film School. I have been working as a video journalist ever since.

Deutsch

Zum 1. August: Fünf Klischees über die Schweiz im Check
Français

Cinq mythes suisses sous la loupe
Italiano

Cinque miti svizzeri sfatati
Español

Los cinco mitos suizos que han sido refutados
Português

Desvendamos cinco mitos da Suíça
日本語

スイスにまつわる5つの迷信
العربية

خمس خرافات عن سويسرا نفندها!
中文

破解五大瑞士流言
Русский

Разоблачаем пять неискоренимых мифов о Швейцарии

Mention “Switzerland” and a host of images spring to mind: cheese, chocolate, mountains, banks. To celebrate Swiss National Day on August 1, we unpicked five common myths about Switzerland.

Are all Swiss people rich? Do you become Swiss if you’re born in Switzerland? Does the population speak Swiss? Do the trains always run on time? And did yodelling really originate here? Play the video for the answers.

The Federal Palace, symbol of the federal city of Bern since 1902.

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Eine Besucherin der Schweizerischen Landesausstellung 1939 in Zuerich zeigt am 27. Mai stolz ihren Pullover mit aufgenaehten Kantonswappen. Am 6. Mai 1939 wurde in Zuerich die Landesausstellung "Landi 39" eroeffnet. 10,5 Millionen Eintrittskarten wurden an den Kassen geloest. (KEYSTONE/PHOTOPRESS-ARCHIV/Str)

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Mar 13, 2025

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7 Comments

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What factors should be taken into account when inheriting Swiss citizenship abroad?

Should there be a limit to the passing on of Swiss citizenship? Or is the current practice too strict and it should still be possible to register after the age of 25?

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Feb 10, 2025

14 Likes

18 Comments

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Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?

Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?

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Mar 22, 2025

1 Likes

9 Comments

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You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

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