X-Nico

50 unusual facts about Switzerland


1920–21 Swiss National Ice Hockey Championship

The 1920-21 Swiss National Ice Hockey Championship was the 11th edition of the national ice hockey championship in Switzerland.

1921–22 Swiss International Ice Hockey Championship

The 1921-22 Swiss International Ice Hockey Championship was the seventh edition of the international ice hockey championship in Switzerland.

1921–22 Swiss National Ice Hockey Championship

The 1921-22 Swiss National Ice Hockey Championship was the 12th edition of the national ice hockey championship in Switzerland.

1929–30 Swiss International Ice Hockey Championship

The 1929-30 Swiss International Ice Hockey Championship was the 15th edition of the international ice hockey championship in Switzerland.

1929–30 Swiss National Ice Hockey Championship

The 1929-30 Swiss National Ice Hockey Championship was the 20th edition of the national ice hockey championship in Switzerland.

Albert IV, Count of Habsburg

Albert IV (or Albert the Wise) (ca. 1188 – December 13, 1239) was Count of Habsburg in the Aargau and a progenitor of the royal House of Habsburg.

Anglo Swiss

Anglo Swiss or Anglo-Swiss describes people or things with joint English and Swiss connections.

Association François-Xavier Bagnoud

Bagnoud was involved in over 300 rescue missions as part of Sion, Switzerland's Air Glaciers.

Auressio

In 2001 the municipality was merged with the other, neighboring municipalities Berzona and Loco to form a new and larger municipality Isorno.

Autigny

Autigny, Switzerland, a commune in the canton of Fribourg, Switzerland

Bellerive

Bellerive, Switzerland, municipality in the district of Avenches in the canton of Vaud

Beringen

Beringen, Switzerland, a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.

Berzona

In 2001 the municipality was merged with the other, neighboring municipalities Auressio and Loco to form a new and larger municipality Isorno.

Comologno

In 1995 the municipality was merged with the other, neighboring municipalities Crana and Russo to form a new and larger municipality Onsernone.

County of Baden

Upon the merging of the canton of Baden into Aargau in 1803, the district gained the municipalities of Würenlingen, Bellikon, Künten, Remetschwil, Stetten, Mellingen, Wohlenschwil and Mägenwil (from neighbouring districts of the canton of Baden) but had to give up Hüttikon, Oetwil an der Limmat, Dietikon and Schlieren to the Canton of Zurich.

Crana

In 1995 the municipality was merged with the other, neighboring municipalities Comologno and Russo to form a new and larger municipality Onsernone.

Economy of Switzerland

Railways played a major part in industrialization with the first railway appearing in 1847 between Zurich and Baden.

Farina bona

The oldest information to date is written in the notes of Serafino Schira, a Loco inhabitant (1826–1914).

Felben

In 1983 the municipality was merged with the neighboring municipality Wellhausen to form a new and larger municipality Felben-Wellhausen.

Frauen SHV-Cup

The Frauen SHV-Cup is an annual single-elimination tournament for Swiss women's handball clubs organized by the Swiss Handball Federation (SHV).

Fritz Angst

It describes and sharply criticizes his upbringing, parents, and environment in one of the most wealthy lakeshore neighborhoods of Zurich, Switzerland.

Guilé Foundation

This non-profit organization of Swiss private law has been founded in 1997 by the Charles Burrus family headquartered in Boncourt, Switzerland.

Helen Zimmern

She befriended Friedrich Nietzsche, two of whose books she would later translate, in Switzerland in the mid-1880s.

Invicta International Airlines Flight 435

On 10 April 1973 Invicta International Airways Flight 435 was a Vickers Vanguard 952, flying from Bristol Lulsgate to Basel-Mulhouse that ploughed into a snowy, forested hillside near Hochwald, Switzerland.

Isorno

The municipality was created in 2001 by a merger of Auressio, Berzona and Loco.

Johann Christoff Büss

It was at this point that he became acquainted with two of Pestalozzi’s assistants, Tobler and Krusi, and learned that Pestalozzi was looking for a teacher of drawing and music for his school at Burgdorf.

Kingdom of Arles

In 888, upon the death of the Emperor Charles the Fat, son of Louis the German, Count Rudolph of Auxerre, Count of Burgundy, founded the Kingdom of Upper Burgundy at Saint-Maurice which included the County of Burgundy, in northwestern Upper Burgundy.

Lavey-les-Bains

Lavey-les-Bains is located in the former municipality Lavey.

Lavey-Village

Lavey-Village is located in the former municipality Lavey.

Libero de Luca

He retired from the stage in 1961, and became a full-time voice teacher in Horn, Switzerland, near Lake Constance, where he died in 1997.

Lutry

Until 1823 it included the now independent municipality of Savigny.

Malans

Malans, Switzerland, a municipality in the Swiss canton of Graubünden

Osogna

During the reign of the Visconti in the 14th Century, Osogna, Claro and Cresciano were combined under the jurisdiction of a governor.

Paper honeycomb

In Switzerland and Germany, paper honeycomb has become an important material in home construction.

Pays-d'Enhaut District

The main valley runs from the village of La Tine in the direction of Gruyères and Bulle to Rougemont, continuing in the direction of Saanen and Gstaad.

Permanent Observer of Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva

The Permanent Observer of Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva is the representative of the Pope and the Catholic Church to the European office of the United Nations — in Geneva, Switzerland.

Pet, Inc.

John Baptist Meÿenberg (1847-1914) was an operator at the Anglo-Swiss milk condensery at Cham, Switzerland.

Saint-Luc, Switzerland

An independent municipality before, it merged on 1 January 2009 with neighboring Ayer, Chandolin, Grimentz, Saint Jean and Vissoie to form the municipality of Anniviers.

Samnaun

The exception was maintained even after a road was built in 1905 linking Samnaun to Martina in the Inn valley.

Ski school

The Ski School of Sarn/Heinzenberg in Switzerland claims to hold the world record with a ski class of 594 pupils - which is really amazing taking into account the size of this tiny resort with one chairlift an one T-Bar lift only.

Society for the history of art in Switzerland

The first issue of this series was devoted to the stained-glass windows of the chancel of the church in Oberkirch near Frauenfeld and the Weinmarkt (wine market) fountain in Lucerne, with texts by Johann Rudolf Rahn and Josef Zemp.

Souvenir d'un lieu cher

The Méditation was written between 23 and 25 March 1878, in Clarens, Switzerland, where Tchaikovsky wrote his Violin Concerto.

Stefan Bernhard

Diploma in Chemical Engineering (1985-1988) from the School of Engineering in Burgdorf, Switzerland

Steve Locher

Steve Locher (born September 19, 1967 in Salins) is a former Swiss alpine skier, who won the bronze medal in the combined event at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville.

Swiss Army knife

Originating in Ibach, Switzerland, the Swiss Army knife was first produced in 1891 after the company, Karl Elsener, which later became Victorinox, won the contract to produce the Swiss Army's Modell 1890 knife from the previous German manufacturer.

Tannay

Tannay, Switzerland, a municipality in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland

Tello

He bequeathed his extensive landed and movable wealth, which was concentrated in the lower Surselva between Flims and Trun, to Disentis Abbey, with which he had had close ties.

Tomorrow Blue

Tomorrow Blue is the second album by the Switzerland rock band of the Toad released in 1972.It was the second Toad album engineered by legendary British producer Martin Birch.

Trient

Trient, Switzerland, a hamlet of around 150 people in Valais, Switzerland

University of New York Tirana

Since September 2004, UNYT, in collaboration with Institut Universitaire Kurt Bösch in Sion, Switzerland and the University of Sunderland, offers a Master of Business Administration program.


Alf Bonnevie Bryn

He made several first ascents in Switzerland, Corsica and Norway, including the first successful ascent of Stetind in 1910 (together with Ferdinand Schjelderup and Carl Wilhelm Rubenson).

Arsham Parsi

Less than 3 years later, he was asked to speak publicly in Geneva, Switzerland, at the 2nd session of United Nations Human Rights Council and on 4th anniversary all international media published some articles about Iranian queers.

Augusto Giacometti

Augusto Giacometti (August 16, 1877 – June 9, 1947) was a Swiss painter from Stampa, Graubünden, cousin of Giovanni Giacometti who was the father of Alberto, Diego and Bruno Giacometti.

Bommer

Bommer Weiher, lake near Alterswilen in the municipality of Kemmental, Canton of Thurgau, Switzerland

Brünig

The Brünig railway line, a railway line in Switzerland linking Interlaken and Lucerne

Bruno Maag

Bruno Maag (born 1962) is a Swiss type designer and founder of type design company Dalton Maag.

Brunstad Christian Church

From the 1950s, the church began to spread throughout Western Europe, most notably in Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, after several church leaders were invited to participate in the Pentecostal conferences held at Leonberg during the 1950s.

Cetraro

According to Fonti a manager of Enea paid the clan to get rid of 600 drums of toxic and radioactive waste from Italy, Switzerland, France, Germany, and the US, with Somalia as the destination, where the waste was buried after buying off local politicians.

Chemins de fer du Jura

The Chemins de fer du Jura (CJ), the railways of the Jura canton in northern Switzerland, came about as the result of an amalgamation, in 1944, of four independent companies connecting Porrentruy to Bonfol, Saignelégier to La Chaux-de-Fonds, Glovelier to Saignelégier and Tavannes to Tramelan and Le Noirmont.

Crossair Europe

Crossair Europe (European Continental Airways) was an airline headquartered on the grounds of EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg in Saint-Louis, Haut Rhin, France, near Basel, Switzerland.

Diggin' in the Dirt

In Switzerland, "Diggin' in the Dirt" debuted at number seven on the Swiss Singles Chart, for the issue dated March 4, 2012, as well as becoming Heinzmann's first top ten single for Stefanie Heinzmann era.

Djamel Mesbah

In May 2010, Mesbah was called up for the first time to the Algeria national football team by Rabah Saâdane for a two-week training camp in Crans-Montana, Switzerland in preparation for the 2010 World Cup.

Duilio Poggiolini

At the time of his arrest over 15 billion lire in an account in Switzerland was seized registered to his wife, Maria Di Pierr Poggiolini: In addition to a house in Naples, the couple had several billion francs in gold ingots, jewels, paintings and ancient and modern coins (including gold Tsar Nicholas II rubles and South African Krugerrand).

Echo Eggebrecht

Eggebrecht has held solo exhibitions at Horton Gallery, New York; Nicole Klagsbrun Gallery, New York; Ter Caemer Meert Contemporary, Kortijk, Belgium; Sixtyseven, New York and Sixspace in Los Angeles as well as group exhibitions at the Brooklyn Academy of Music; ICA; Nicole Klagsburn; and White Box in New York; Groeflin Maag Gallery in Basel, Switzerland; Poets on Painters at the Ulrich Museum.

Franz Anatol Wyss

Franz Anatol Wyss (born Fulenbach, May 1, 1940) is a Swiss painter.

Friedrich Frey-Herosé

Friedrich Frey-Herosé (12 October 1801, Lindau - 22 September 1873) was a Swiss politician.

Georg Knorr

Theodor Georg Knorr (born November 13, 1859 in Ruda, West Prussia; died April 15, 1911 in Davos, Switzerland), was an engineer and entrepreneur on the field of railroad technology and founder of the company Knorr-Bremse.

Health insurance premium index

In Switzerland the Health insurance premium index is compiled by the Federal Social Insurance Office (for the basic health insurance) and by the Federal Statistical Office (for the field of supplementary insurances).

Heliswiss

During the following years Heliswiss expanded in Switzerland and formed a network with bases in Belp BE, Samedan GR, Domat Ems GR, Locarno TI, Erstfeld UR, Gampel VS, Gstaad BE and Gruyères FR.

Hürlimann Brewery

Hürlimann Brewery is a former brewery in Zürich, Switzerland, now owned by the Rheinfelden, Aargau based brewery Feldschlösschen, which is owned by Carlsberg.

Ice Hockey European Championship 1922

The tournament was played between February 14, and February 16, 1922, in St. Moritz, Switzerland, and it was won by Czechoslovakia.

Initiatives of Change

Mountain House, formerly the Caux-Palace Hotel in Caux, near Montreux, Switzerland is the Institute's conference center.

International Data Encryption Algorithm

A patent application for IDEA was first filed in Switzerland (CH A 1690/90) on May 18, 1990, then an international patent application was filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty on May 16, 1991.

Interoute

Interoute's offices: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, plus a Network Operations Centre in Sofia and a Customer Service Centre in Prague and Luleå.

Italian irredentism in Savoy

On 16 March 1860, the provinces of Northern Savoy (Chablais, Faucigny and Genevois) sent to Victor Emmanuel II, to Napoleon III, and to the Swiss Federal Council a declaration - sent under the presentation of a manifesto together with petitions - where they were saying that they did not wish to become French and shown their preference to remain united to the Kingdom of Sardinia (or be annexed to Switzerland in the case a separation with Piedmont was unavoidable).

Jean Rénald Clérismé

Clérsimé was ambassador of Haiti to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Trade Center (ITC), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland, from 2001 to 2003.

Josy Gyr-Steiner

Josy Gyr-Steiner (10 October 1949 – 18 April 2007) was a Swiss politician from the Canton of Schwyz and member of the Swiss National Council (2003–2007).

Konstanz

Konstanz station is served by the Upper Rhine Railway running west to Singen with connections to all parts of Germany, and the Etzwilen–Konstanz line running south into Switzerland, connecting to major routes at Weinfelden.

Léman Manhattan Preparatory School

Léman Manhattan has two sister schools, Léman International School in Chengdu, China and Collège du Léman in Geneva, Switzerland.

Linthstrasse

Linthstrasse is a stadium in Tuggen, Canton Schwyz, Switzerland.

Liz McComb

While regularly touring in Germany, Spain, France and Switzerland, she was in constant contact with the “greats”, doing the first part of their concerts, such as Bessie Griffin, Helen Humes, Luther Allison, B.B. King, James Brown, Ray Charles, Memphis Slim, Taj Mahal, Randy Weston, etc.

Lloyd Noel Ferguson

While affiliated with Howard University, he received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1953 and an NSF grant in 1960 that allowed him to travel to the Carlsberg Laboratory in Copenhagen, Denmark, and to ETH Zurich in Switzerland.

Lucienne Bloch

Bloch was born in Geneva, Switzerland, the youngest child of composer and photographer Ernest Bloch.

LZ 4

After modifications further trials were made on 23 and 29 June, and on 1 July a spectacular 12  cross-country flight was made during which it was flown over Switzerland to Zürich and then back to Lake Constance, covering 386 m (240 mi) and reaching an altitude of 795 m (2,600 ft).

Margrit Mondavi

A native of Appenzell, Switzerland, Margrit was raised in her family home overlooking Lake Maggiore, in the canton of Ticino.

Marie de Sales Chappuis

Venerable Marie de Sales Chappuis, was born Marie-Thérèse Chappuis (16 June 1793 in Soyhières, today in the Canton of Jura in Switzerland and at that time in the Département du Mont-Terrible in France – 6 October 1875 in Troyes, Aube, France) was a Roman Catholic nun and a spiritual leader in the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary.

Maurice Machenbaum

In 2000 he became Program Director for Latin America and the Caribbean for Terre des hommes Lausanne, Switzerland's largest independent child-focused NGO.

Max Arias-Schreiber Pezet

He studied at Colegio Sagrados Corazones Recoleta (Lima) and Institut Le Rosey (Switzerland).

Nikolaos Mavridis

He is also an active member of the Horasis think tank based in Switzerland, whose purpose is to "enact visions for a sustainable future" through new platforms for cooperation and knowledge-sharing, particularly between developed countries and emerging markets.

Oliver St John

He retired to his country house in Northamptonshire till 1662, when he left England and went to Basel, Switzerland and afterwards to Augsburg, Germany.

Operation Green

Operation Tannenbaum, the planned invasion of Switzerland, known earlier as Operation Green

Sewa Beats

Sewa Beats is an international company with its headquarters in Écublens, Switzerland, that delivers management learning through rhythm and music.

SRF Airspace monitoring and management system

From 1955 to 1966, a school complex in Dübendorf (the "Radar Doerfli" (Radar Village) on the training site Dürrbach Rüti bei Riggisberg), one on the top of Bütschelegg (above Bern-Belp) and the plants on height locations (mountain peaks) were formed for the first radar aerial surveillance system of Switzerland.

Statue of Sherlock Holmes, London

Doubleday had previously produced a statue of Holmes for the town of Meiringen in Switzerland, below the Reichenbach Falls from which the detective fell to his death in the story "The Final Problem".

Switzerland–Uruguay relations

Since 1947, Switzerland has a diplomatic representation in Montevideo.

Sydney Thompson Dobell

Next year he travelled through Switzerland with his wife; and after his return he formed friendships with Robert Browning, Philip Bailey, George MacDonald, Emanuel Deutsch, Lord Houghton, Ruskin, Holman Hunt, Mazzini, Tennyson and Carlyle.

Varese railway station

As from 2013, Varese railway station will become international, upon the opening of the new Varese–Arcisate (I)–Stabio (CH)–Mendrisio railway, which will branch off at Arcisate from the Varese-Porto Ceresio line, and then enter Switzerland at Stabio.

Vollenweider

Hans Vollenweider, criminal and last person to be sentenced to death and executed in Switzerland

Wafah Dufour

Her father, Yeslam bin Ladin (half brother of Osama bin Laden), is Saudi Arabian (father of Yemeni origin and mother of Iranian origin) and her mother, Carmen bin Ladin, is of Swiss father and Iranian mother from a noble family (mothers name: Mirdoth/Sheybani).

Yvonne Farrell

Farrell has taught at University College Dublin since 1976 and has been visiting professor at the Architecture Academy in Mendrisio, Switzerland, since 2008.