Switzerland is famous for its chocolate, clocks, and mountains but did you know that this quiet, isolated country actually has many jaw-dropping secrets? You can learn 50 interesting facts about Switzerland in this article.
1- The Alps are not that Swiss
Although the Alps, which constitute Europe’s largest mountain group, are identified with Switzerland, in fact, Switzerland constitutes only one-fifth (13.2%) of the Alps. Austria is the country with the largest part of the Alps with 28.7%, followed by Italy with 27.2% and France with 21.4%.
However, the Swiss Alps have a well-deserved reputation due to the fact that the highest mountains of the Alps are in Switzerland and their incredible scenery.
2- There are more than 7000 lakes in Switzerland
Swiss lakes may be the most beautiful lakes in the world. Look at these
And there are 7000 of them! These wild waters of Switzerland are usually crystal clear and clean enough to drink. The lake is considered to be contaminated only if you cannot see the bottom of the water.
3- Animals have rights in Switzerland
The Swiss are real animal lovers. Many laws protect animals. For example, some pet owners have to take courses on how to look after them. There’s almost no place you can’t go with your dogs. You can go to restaurants with them and your dog can dine with you in the restaurant.
If you want to have a social pet, such as guinea pig, budgerigar, or goldfish, you need to own at least 2 of them. If one of your guinea pigs dies, you have to buy a new one right away or rent him a mate until the other dies. You should take your horses and cows regularly to move around and have them run and play.
The subject of a referendum in 2010 was whether animals could also have a lawyer. But it was rejected by the majority of people.
4- Most of the Swiss scientists won Nobel prizes
We do not say “famous Swiss scientists” for nothing. There are many people with Nobel prizes graduating from Swiss universities, and most of these people are scientists. You can see the full list here.
5- World’s longest staircase is here
The longest staircase in the world with its 11,674 steps is located on the train road in Niesen mountain. The 3.4 km length of the staircase may not sound exaggerated to you. However, you should take into account that you will climb exactly 1,669 meters while climbing these steps 🙂
This staircase is not open to the public. The public run is organized once a year for people to enjoy the scenery and to sweat off.
6-The world’s longest funicular is located here
Fortunately, we are not likely to climb the stairs mentioned above. Or would we miss this opportunity?
Instead, you can go to the station and get on the Niesenbahn and easily reach the hill with a 30-minute journey. This is Europe’s longest funicular and has been operating since 1910.
7- Switzerland is ready to explode anytime
It may sound a bit paranoid, but all important entry points (tunnels, bridges, etc.) to Switzerland are mined against any foreign invasion. In fact, engineers who build Alpine tunnels and bridges also have to report on how these tunnels will be blown up as soon as possible.
Imagine that the tunnels and bridges that you pass through are full of explosives ready to explode at any moment! Because this is Switzerland, expect anything, any moment.
8- Switzerland has nuclear shelters that can accommodate the entire population
If a nuclear war breaks out someday, Switzerland may be the best place you want to be. The country is so well prepared for any nuclear threat situation that the entire Swiss population can fit into these shelters.
Each house has a shelter with an armored door, air filter, and ventilation on the basement floor. It is used as a warehouse in our building right now. I am sharing a photo from its entrance below.
9- They have shelters called country houses
You will see incredibly beautiful chalets amongst the mountains. But no one lives inside and it is full of ammunition. The Swiss army seems to be hiding these heavy weapons bunkers for tough times.
10- Although gun ownership is common, the crime rate is very low
The biggest reason for the widespread use of guns in Switzerland is that Swiss men have to take their rifles and pistols home and keep their weapons at home after completing their military service.
Military service ends, but friendship with a gun does not. You have to look after your gun like it’s a part of you. If Switzerland is attacked, you have to go out and shoot whatever comes in front of you with your old friend! The sport of shooting with rifles is very common as well. However, despite all this armament, Switzerland is one of the countries with the lowest gun deaths in the world.
11-There is an anti-Power Point political party in Switzerland
Although it is not one of the first things that come to mind when talking about interesting information about Switzerland, another interesting information is this anti-power point political party. This political party aims to reduce the use of Power-Point and other presentation programs.
They argue that presentations prepared with PowerPoint are boring and presentations made on the blackboard are 95% more effective. You can access the party’s website here.
12- Albert Einstein developed the famous E=MC2 formula here.
When our dear Albert Einstein quit his German citizenship in order to escape his military service, he came to Bern, the capital of Switzerland, where he developed the famous theory of relativity. It is a very interesting feeling to go to Bern and walk the roads that Einstein once walked.
13- Swiss national drink is milk
They even have a fizzy drink called Rivella, and the main ingredient of this drink is milk and whey. And it is the most consumed non-alcoholic beverage in the country after Coca Cola. The taste is as you can guess 🙁
14- 25% of the population is foreigners
Switzerland is a country that receives a significant amount of immigration. 80% of these migrations come from other European countries.
15- The country with the least obesity in Europe
If you want to stay in fit, Switzerland is one of the countries where you can make this dream come true. Switzerland is the European country with the least obese population at 17.5%.
16- One of the most expensive countries to live in the world
Especially the canton of Zurich. Zürich is the most populous canton in Switzerland with a population of around 400 thousand and has been chosen as the 3rd most expensive city in the world. For example; The average rent for a 3 bedroom apartment is 2,500 CHF. However, considering that the average monthly salary in the canton of Zurich is around CHF 10,000, I don’t think they complain much.
17- Swiss people consume too much alcohol
Could wine be the main reason why Swiss people live longer? According to a study conducted in 2018, Swiss people consume 36 litres of wine per person a year. Since they export only 2% of their wine, you have to visit Switzerland to taste Swiss wine.
Beer consumption is 56.5 litres per person per year. As a result, an average of 1600 people dies each year from alcohol-related causes. It is estimated that 3% of the population is alcoholic.
18- They have 4 national languages
The country has 4 official languages. German, French, Italian and Romansh. If you want to get information on the subject, you can take a look at my article here.
19- One of the countries with the lowest unemployment rate
The unemployment rate in Switzerland is only 2.7% in 2020! Of course, this low figure is due to its stable and prosperous economy.
The majority of employees in the country have a relatively high level of education. They are specialized in their fields, which essentially allows the country to provide high-level jobs at higher wages.
20- Highest salary and job security
As a result of economic stability, workers in Switzerland earn the highest average in the world, leaving countries like the USA behind. In addition, Switzerland has very high standards regarding job security.
21- There are 208 mountains above 3000 meters and have the highest peaks in Europe
Switzerland is indeed home to TWO HUNDRED EIGHT mountains above 3000 meters, and 48 of these mountains have a peak higher than 4000 meters!
22- Assisted suicide (euthanasia) is legal – Suicide Tourism
Under Swiss law, anyone who is sane and who genuinely volunteers to end their life can claim assisted voluntary death.
A doctor prepares the medicine that will kill you and gives it to you. But you have to drink that medicine yourself. If Doctor puts it in your mouth, it would be murder. Just for this reason, Zurich is flooded by suicide tourists every year. The cost of this job was around 10,000 CHF.
You can find detailed information here.
The meat here is 124% more expensive than meats in Europe! A kilo of meat is about 30 CHF. Of course, this price increases depending on the quality of the meat, the country of origin and the barn.
24- 4 of the 5 cities where coffee is the most expensive in the world are in Switzerland
When comparing coffee prices, Starbucks is taken as a basis, because of the fact that it is the most common coffee chain in the world.
If you check the table here, you can see that the price of a coffee is 1.21 pounds in Brazil, while the same coffee is 5.72 pounds in Zurich. This corresponds to an almost 400% price increase.
25- 7 people rule Switzerland
There is no president in Switzerland. Actually there is, but not there isn’t only one president. Switzerland is governed by 7 people elected from the country’s top-rated parties. One of these 7 people is elected every year to serve as president. Every year someone else is chosen. For detailed information, you can take a look at my article here.
26- LSD was first made by a Swiss scientist
Swiss scientist Albert Hofmann was doing tests for migraine treatment in Basel, Switzerland when he experienced his first bad trip in 1943, and he did not know what to expect when he accidentally sucked the LSD he had invented from his fingertips.
27- They cannot give their children any name they want
As you know, Switzerland is the country of rules. There are some rules about the names given to children as well because Switzerland loves rules!
Names that could harm the child’s well-being or offend a third person are prohibited. For example, you cannot name a boy a girl name and a girl a boy name. The names of the bad characters in the Bible are forbidden. As you cannot give your child famous brand names such as Chanel and Porsche, you cannot give your children city names such as Paris, Istanbul, London, etc.
The last name cannot be used as a first name, and you cannot give a made-up name to your child. So you cannot do things like combining the first syllable of your name with the last syllable of your wife’s name etc.
28- The longest tunnel in the world is the Gotthard Tunnel in Switzerland
The Gotthard tunnel is 57 km. It took 17 years to complete. Thanks to this tunnel, the journey time between Zurich and Lugano is shortened by 45 minutes.
29- The highest train station is here
The highest train station in Europe is the Jungfraujoch train station at an altitude of 3454 meters! This route may be Switzerland’s most beautiful route. It should be visited by everyone who travels to Switzerland.
30- One of the two square flags in the world
All flags in the world except the Vatican and Swiss flags are rectangular. These two flags are square.
31- Swiss people can request a change in the law.
The Swiss people, governed by direct democracy, have the right to refer unapproved laws to a referendum by collecting 50,000 signatures. For more information on the subject, you can check out my post here.
32- Switzerland has the world’s most famous inventions
Many products, from Velcro shoes to cellophane, from Swiss army knife to vegetable peeler, were invented by the Swiss. LSD was found by a Swiss scientist, as we mentioned above, and they are leaders in research on the use of LSD on mental illness and pain.
Apart from these, products such as Absent, muesli, and milk chocolate were invented by the Swiss.
33- The Swiss are the longest living people in the world
Swiss people are the longest living people in the world, after the Japanese, with an average lifespan of 85 years. Switzerland is also the country with the highest number of people over the age of 100 in Europe. This may be due to active lifestyles, clean air, and their health systems.
34- There are palm trees in Switzerland
I think this is a bit interesting for a country that is famous for its snowy mountains. In Ticino, located in the southern part of the Alps, you can see palm-lined lakes and even other tropical plant species.
35- Not a member of the European Union
Switzerland is one of the few countries that has not entered the European Union. Switzerland, which carries out a policy based on neutrality in international relations, has not been officially a member of the union, although it has adopted most of the European Union rules. However, Switzerland is in the Schengen Area, so it does not require an extra visa.
36- The happiest country in the world
Switzerland consistently ranks among the happiest countries in the world in global reports. Switzerland ranked first in the list of the best country to be born in as well.
Of course, it is undoubtedly one of the most livable countries in the world in matters such as living conditions, welfare, order, health system and human rights. Don’t want to be spoiled, but maybe I can note the social life here as a tiny minus. I will talk about social life a lot in the Life in Switzerland category.
37- Swiss climate is not just about snowy mountains
Although we think of high and snowy mountains when we think of Switzerland, in fact, many popular ski resorts would not have survived without artificial snow. Summers may be short, but when summer comes, temperatures can exceed 30-35 ° C.
Alpine mountains almost serve as a climate in this country. While North Switzerland is cooling due to Atlantic winds, southern Switzerland has a milder climate affected by Mediterranean winds.
38- Military service is mandatory
In Switzerland, military service is compulsory for every male individual over the age of 18. However, military service does not end in this country immediately. After 21 weeks of basic education, they continue to enlist until the age of 34, 3 weeks a year. During this 3-week military service, they receive a small amount of salary, and instead of holding guns, they can also perform public service.
A deputy from the Swiss People’s Party at the time claimed that a vegan soldier was making fun of the army, and then submitted a parliamentary decision not to enlist vegans. At the beginning of 2017, this decision was overturned. Currently, vegans can also join the military, but they have to pay for their own non-leather boots. Quite high, no? haha
39- Cannabis is legal in Switzerland, but it’s better if you don’t smoke because it makes you sleep
Speaking of being high, cannabis is legal in Switzerland. But it doesn’t make you high. Because there are many active ingredients in cannabis. The best known of these is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).
The reason marijuana is banned in most countries of the world is that this THC substance has a psychoactive effect. However, CBD is not psychoactive. CBD just helps people relax and relieve muscle pain.
In cannabis sold in Switzerland, this THC substance is reduced to less than 1% and CBD is left active. Therefore, the cannabis you buy from the market does not make you high. It only makes you sleepy and numbs your body. It is used so much that it is inevitable to smell cannabis from every corner while walking on the streets.
40- Sundays are protected by a long law
On Sundays, activities such as lawn mowing, hanging laundry, car washing or littering in recycling areas are prohibited in order not to disturb the peace of the public. In addition, you should not make any noise after 10 pm.
Examples of these are slamming the car door, flushing the toilet, drying hair, etc. In some areas, this rule stretches until midnight. In multinational and young populated cantons such as Zürich, these rules are much more flexible. In fact, I think the situation is partly related to whether your neighbours are Swiss or not. Swiss people are quite strict about the rules.
41- Almost 50% of marriages result in divorce
Swiss men marry at the age of 32 and women at the age of 30 and have their first child at the age of 30.4 (which makes them the youngest mothers in Europe). Divorce rates are about 43%. They are very fond of their freedom apparently.
42- It is one of the last countries where women received the right to vote and be elected and behind many European countries in terms of gender equality.
Women in Switzerland gained the right to vote and be elected only in February 1971, very recently. However, this does not mean that women are given rights in all of Switzerland.
Since each canton has the authority to make its own decisions, it was until 1990 that women were given the right to elect and be elected in the Appenzell canton of Switzerland. Unbelievable for a country that looks so modern, right? Besides, it’s not only about having the right to vote and be elected.
Unfortunately, salaries still vary by gender. Even if they have the same education, the same experience, the same age and work exactly in the same position, men are paid more than women even today.
43- Dog owners pay tax for their dogs in Switzerland
Annual taxes are determined by the size and weight of the dog, while taxation also varies from canton to canton. When you move, you have to register your dog with the municipality.
44- Swiss people are addicted to smoking
28.2% of the population is smoking in this country. But they still haven’t broken Turkey’s record in this regard. There is even an idiom as ”smoking like Turkish” in most languages.
45- The First Absent was made in Switzerland in the 18th century
It turns out that the homeland of our green fairy is Switzerland! French doctor Pierre Ordinaire combined the herbs and green anise he found in the field and wanted to use this mixture as a pain reliever. But instead of relieving the pain, he made them all alcoholics! No one is quite sure if this is the real story, but, there is a fact that Absent is the queen of all drinks. Otherwise, would Oscar Wilde talk like this about Absent?
“After the first glass of absinthe, you see things as you wish they were.
After the second you see them as they are not.
Finally you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world.
I mean disassociated. Take a top hat. You think you see it as it really is. But you don’t because you associate it with other things and ideas.
If you had never heard of one before, and suddenly saw it alone, you’d be frightened, or you’d laugh.
That is the effect absinthe has, and that is why it drives men mad.
Three nights I sat up all night drinking absinthe and thinking that I was singularly clear-headed and sane.
The waiter came in and began watering the sawdust. The most wonderful flowers, tulips, lilies and roses, sprang up and made a garden in the cafe.
‘Don’t you see them?’ I said to him. ‘Mais non, monsieur, il n’y a rien.’
46- The country that eats the most chocolate in the world
Switzerland, which produces the best quality chocolate in the world, is also the country that consumes the most chocolate. Switzerland has become the world’s largest chocolate consuming country with an average of 10.3 kg of chocolate consumption per person each year.
47- Many famous names in history are Swiss
Switzerland is the birthplace of many famous inventors and pioneers. Such as Tim Berners-Lee’s creation of the World Wide Web (www), architect Le Corbusier, Red Cross founder Jean Henri Dunant, Friedrich Miescher who discovered DNA, philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, psychologist Carl Jung.
Swiss people (except those living in detached houses) often use a communal laundry located in the basement.
A list of the laundry days is set by the management and posted on the door of the laundry room. You wash your clothes on the specified day and time, and you dry them in common drying rooms. These machines are not free of charge. Either a standard price is added to your monthly rent or every time you use the machine you have to put a coin in it.
49- There are referendums for cows in Switzerland
For example, a referendum was held in late 2018 to decide whether cows should be horned or hornless. A Swiss farmer, who opposed the dehorning of cows and goats, managed to collect 100,000 signatures after 9 years of struggle and brought the issue to a referendum.
75% of cows in Switzerland are dehorned. Now the newborns are born genetically polled. The Swiss farmer said, “We must respect them as they are. We must leave them with their horns. When you look at them, their heads are always up, as if they are proud. But they look sad when you cut their horns ”. But unfortunately, the Swiss rejected this case that was brought to the referendum.
50- A canton in Switzerland denies a Dutch woman’s request for citizenship because of her opinion about cowbells.
Dutch Nancy was 8 years old when she settled in Switzerland. She was able to speak fluent Swiss German and fulfil any requirement for citizenship. Except for one condition: She had the opposite view about the bells attached to the necks of the cows. She was making statements to remove the bells. The Cantonal authorities didn’t like it. As a result, they didn’t naturalize Nancy due to the fact that she rejected Swiss culture.
This is how the Swiss people are 🙂
Is there any other interesting information you know about Switzerland that is not on the list? Let’s meet in the comments 🙂
Why Swiss cows have cowbells? That you can better distinguish them from the locals.
I don’t like Switzerland; it has produced nothing but theologians and waiters.
– Oscar Wilde 1854 -1900