Tag Archive: Culture

Thousands go onion-crazy in Swiss capital

Bern’s traditional annual onion market, known as the Zibelemärit in Swiss German, got off to a busy start in the early hours of Monday morning despite bad weather conditions. Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend the festival in the Swiss capital. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The …

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Dorothee Elmiger wins Swiss Book Prize

Dorothee Elmiger has won this year's Swiss Book Prize for her novel Die Holländerinnen (The Dutch Women). +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The Swiss Book Prize is the third award Dorothee Elmiger has received for her novel Die Holländerinnen. She was honoured with the German Book Prize on her 40th …

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Fribourg and Geneva residents triumph at Fondue World Championship

Around 200 participants took part in the Fondue World Championship held in Tartegnin, canton Vaud, on Saturday. Swiss residents from Geneva and Fribourg took the top awards. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The competition was won by Benedikt Wüthrich from the Auboranges cheese dairy in canton Fribourg in the professional …

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New RTS TV and radio studios inaugurated at EPFL campus

The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) and its French-language service RTS have inaugurated a new TV and radio production site near Lausanne in western Switzerland. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new building, located on the campus of the Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), took place …

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Swiss Gruyère crowned world’s best cheese

A Swiss Gruyère AOP cheese was crowned the world's best cheese at the World Cheese Awards 2025, held this year in Bern, Switzerland. The prestigious international competition brought together more than 5,000 participants from 45 countries. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The 18-month-old award-winning Gruyère comes from the Vorderfultigen cheese …

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Swatch says ‘slanted eye’ ad was a ‘faux pas by a young team’

After a botched ad campaign in China, the Swatch Group says it is back on track – yet some fundamental questions remain to be answered. In August, Swatch chose a rather unlikely image as part of its ad campaign in China: an Asian model pulling at the corners of his eyes. It quickly became apparent … Continue reading »

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When cooperatives wanted to prevent a world war

The word “cooperative” is everywhere in Swiss daily life. What’s often forgotten is that cooperatives were once at the forefront of a worldwide movement that advocated for consumer rights, affordable rents – and world peace.

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Swiss Institute in New York appoints new director

German-born Stefanie Hessler, 35, will head the Swiss art space starting in May. Her appointment is part of several rearrangements in institutions run by the pharma billionaire Maja Hoffmann.

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What to do with abandoned stables? A thorny issue in Switzerland

Many people dream of owning a mountain home, especially in Switzerland, where the Alps are within easy reach of major towns and cities. But few come on the market and, when they do, they can be quite expensive.

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The discreet charm of antiquarian booksellers

Despite the demise of many antiquarian bookshops in Switzerland, the trade is alive and well in the Alpine country. Dealers in Geneva, Basel and Zurich give a glimpse into this exclusive business, where a gentleman’s code still rules.

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How Play Suisse made waves among the streamers

In a little over a year Play Suisse, the streaming service of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), has become a major player in the Swiss digital landscape, surpassing platforms like Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video. Critic Max Borg looks at the strengths and weaknesses of Play Suisse and its rivals.

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How the bubble house movement took hold in Switzerland

Swiss architects were swept up in the movement to build bubble houses out of concrete and plastic in the 1960s. While the bubble movement burst decades ago, many of the original structures are still standing to this day.

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A big festival for small screens: Visions du Réel goes virtual again

The pandemic looms over the Swiss documentary festival, but is far from being the main topic. Some films tackle the social effects of quarantine, such as Pacho Velez's "Searchers", which explores how social networks helped to compensate for the loneliness of isolation. Visions du Réel

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Covid-19: Can Swiss artists survive on current support measures?

The Covid-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the Swiss arts scene. Support measures have been introduced to “preserve cultural diversity” and some cantons have even launched monthly income support schemes for artists. But will these measures be enough?

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Pandemic hurts box office takings at Swiss cinemas

Ticket sales at Swiss cinemas plummeted by two-thirds last year as venues were forced to close their doors. Of the films that could be shown, Swiss movies made up a greater share of the total offering.

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Hear Swiss stories for the world on The Swiss Connection podcast

What’s it like to move back to – or away from – Switzerland during a pandemic? What does gold mined in Peru have to do with Switzerland? Did you know that “nostalgia” is a Swiss invention?

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Recognition for our report from the Swiss mountains

A longform report that we published last autumn has been shortlisted for the Swiss Press Award. The nomination is an honour for our team. Can people in Switzerland really live and work wherever they want on account of the digital revolution? Even in the mountains? A longform multimedia report by SWI swissinfo.ch has the answer.

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Emergency funding made available for artists and designers

People who work in the cultural sector in Switzerland can now apply for funds to cushion the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Swiss government last month adopted a package of measures totalling CHF280 million ($287 million).

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Businesses reach out to people at home

While most businesses have temporarily shut down, others are starting up or finding new ways to reach the public in their homes. Some Swiss farm shops, like Thierry Miauton'sexternal link in Oleyres, canton Fribourg, are delivering local produce to people’s doorsteps, so the clients don’t have to risk possible contact with virus-contaminated shoppers in supermarkets.

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Trust in online content takes a big hit

Internet users in Switzerland rate their computer skills as good, but trust in online news content has dropped significantly, according to a survey by the University of Zurich. An overwhelming majority (83%) of users stated they can easily distinguish between important and unimportant online activities.

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