Swiss perspectives in 10 languages
Login
Life & Aging

Travel

Cold as ice: the heart of Switzerland's Siberia swissinfo.ch
This content was published on
1 minute

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

More

Debate
Hosted by: Samuel Jaberg

How have recent political and economic events influenced your trust in the Swiss government?

For the first time, those who distrust the government outnumber those who trust it. Why?

Join the discussion
18 Likes
19 Comments
View the discussion

More

Debate
Hosted by: Anand Chandrasekhar

Should raw milk sales be banned or should consumers decide?

Swiss food regulations do not allow raw milk to be sold for direct consumption. However, a loophole allows 400 raw milk vending machines to do just that.

Join the discussion
108 Likes
63 Comments
View the discussion

More

Debate
Hosted by: Katy Romy

Should Switzerland take measures to support its struggling industries?

Industrial policies are back in fashion, not only in the United States but also in the EU. Should Switzerland, where various industries are struggling, draw inspiration from such policies?

Join the discussion
1 Likes
6 Comments
View the discussion
More Debates

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

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.

Read more

More

Muesli anniversary

This content was published on Zurich is known first and foremost as a city of bankers. But Switzerland’s financial capital is also a leading centre for health food trends. Swiss Radio International’s travel correspondent Dale Bechtel (BEK-TAL) found out that the city has long played a role in the holistic health movement.

Read more: Muesli anniversary

More

Mariastein monastery

This content was published on Religion is not bound by physical borders and the best proof of that is the popularity of the Mariastein monastery. Located in Switzerland’s northwest corner, Mariastein is a place of pilgrimage attracting 150,000 people a year from far and wide. Swiss Radio International’s Dale Bechtel (BEK-TAL) visited the monastery in search of its holy secrets.

Read more: Mariastein monastery

More

Swiss Siberia

This content was published on There’s been plenty of fresh snowfall and below freezing temperatures in Switzerland this winter. But there’s one country of the Swiss countryside that is colder than anywhere else, La Brévine (BREH-VIN-E), a village in the Jura hills. As Swiss Radio International’s Dale Bechtel reports, it’s also better known as the Swiss Siberia

Read more: Swiss Siberia

More

No smoking travel

This content was published on Anyone visiting Switzerland can be forgiven for thinking they have arrived in a land of smokers since smoking is allowed here on trains, in restaurants, cinema lobbies, public buildings, and even in offices and hospitals. This might come as a shock to tourists from countries where non-smokers’ rights are respected. But is it possible for…

Read more: No smoking travel

More

Castle hostel

This content was published on You don’t necessarily have to be rich to live like a king in Switzerland. While it may be one of the most expensive countries in the world, you can get by on a tight budget. The country has a network of hostels and backpacker hotels, many of which are found in wonderful old buildings –…

Read more: Castle hostel

More

Alpine farm school

This content was published on Now are you one of those people looking to do something different during your holidays? There are those who volunteer help save the rain forest… or endangered animals. But in Switzerland, it’s the alpine farmers who are becoming extinct… and inexperienced city dwellers who are lending a hand. At a school in the Bernese Oberland,…

Read more: Alpine farm school

More

Walter’s hotel

This content was published on A one-time Swissair chef has discovered a recipe that keeps American tourists flocking to the alpine hotel he now owns and runs. The recipe is unusual: be grumpy, make lots of rules, serve the same food over and over again … and offer rooms with some of the best views in the Alps. Swiss Radio…

Read more: Walter’s hotel

More

Bern’s Onion Market

This content was published on Every year in late autumn, the Swiss capital, Bern, hosts its annual Onion market – one of the country’s biggest fairs. It starts at five in the morning on the fourth Monday in November. Every year it attracts thousands of people to admire and buy the lovingly decorated braided onions, or just to soak up…

Read more: Bern’s Onion Market

More

Changing St Moritz

This content was published on St Moritz is the cradle of winter sports. And one Swiss man is given more credit than most for developing winter tourism, which laid the foundation for the creation of winter sports. His name was Johannes Badrutt and he was a 19th century hotelier in St Moritz. Today, nearly a century and a half later,…

Read more: Changing St Moritz

More

Walser heritage

This content was published on About 700 years ago, the people known as the Walsers (Val-sers) migrated from the upper Rhone Valley and settled in isolated mountain regions across the Alps. Surprisingly, they have managed to retain their common heritage, and they are as proud to be “Walsers” as much as they are Swiss, Austrian, Italian or citizens of Liechtenstein.…

Read more: Walser heritage

More

Chestnut industry

This content was published on The humble chestnut has shed its husk to become a trend food in Switzerland, as it has in many parts of the world. However, supply from Switzerland’s own chestnut belt cannot keep up with local demand. In the early years of the 20th century, chestnut orchards covered vast stretches of the countryside in the southern…

Read more: Chestnut industry

More

St. Moritz Cresta Run

This content was published on There’s a place in Switzerland where the Olympic sport of skeleton has maintained its tradition as an amateur sport. In the snowy resort of St. Moritz (San Moreetz), riders still hurtle down the now legendary Cresta Run, risking life and limb. As Swiss Radio International’s Dale Bechtel reports, those who try their luck on the…

Read more: St. Moritz Cresta Run

More

Inferno race

This content was published on The 10-kilometre-long Inferno ski race is arguably the most demanding downhill event in the world yet it’s not even on the World Cup circuit. The first Inferno race was held in 1928 in the Swiss resort of Mürren (MEW-REN), the birthplace of alpine ski racing. The Inferno’s popularity has only increased over the decades attracting…

Read more: Inferno race

More

St. Gallen Abbey

This content was published on Those interested in the religious history of Europe should plan to visit the Swiss city of St. Gallen. It has a very old Roman Catholic tradition, and is the home of one of Europe’s most beautiful medieval abbeys – one of the few on the Unesco World Heritage List. Swiss Radio International’s Michael Hollingdale has…

Read more: St. Gallen Abbey

More

Geneva’s Escalade

This content was published on Relations between Geneva, Switzerland and its French neighbours are excellent…today. But that was not always true! Swiss Radio International’s Roy Probert takes us back to a fateful December 12th evening in 1602. It’s come to be known as the Escalade or ‘scaling the walls’ – an event that has become a patriotic festival in the…

Read more: Geneva’s Escalade

More

Centovalli Railway

This content was published on If you’re looking for one of Europe’s most spectacular train rides, you’d be well advised to consider the trip between Locarno, Switzerland and Domodossola, Italy. It’s only 55 kilometres (35 miles) in length. But along the way, you’ll pass over no fewer that 83 bridges and through 30 tunnels. And you’ll be treated to a…

Read more: Centovalli Railway

More

Toblerone Trail

This content was published on Opinions are divided over how Switzerland was able to stay out of World War 2. Some say it was the country’s armed neutrality; others believe it had more to do with the country’s banking and financial facilities, what were beneficial to the Nazi’s. Whatever the case, it is undeniable that Switzerland maintained a very substantial…

Read more: Toblerone Trail

More

The St. Gotthard Pass

This content was published on The St. Gotthard Pass is one of Europe’s great North-South links. Today, there’s a rail and road tunnel through the St. Gotthard massif, providing a year-round weatherproof connection between German-speaking northern Switzerland and the Italian-speaking South. But for centuries prior to that, the Pass over the mountains was the only route available – a vital…

Read more: The St. Gotthard Pass

More

Origin of the Amish

This content was published on Centuries ago, a religious group called The Anabaptists made their home in the Emmental region of Switzerland. But this Christian sect came under pressure when the canton (state) of Bern officially recognized the Reformed Church after the reformation. As a result, the Anabaptists left Switzerland for the United States and parts of Canada, where they’re…

Read more: Origin of the Amish

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR