Switzerland is known for many things. Swiss culture equally so. Conspiracy theories about lost Nazi gold will come and go, but there are still some interesting facts about Swiss culture that you probably didn’t know!
Switzerland is actually one of the oldest continuous states in all of Europe! Switzerland was founded in 1291 when several cantons refused to submit to the Holy Roman Emperor. Due to this, they broke away.
After many years, these cantons added new ones to it and expanded into the modern Switzerland we know today. Switzerland even became famous for its elite Swiss guards who even guard the Pope in Italy and the Vatican City!
These elites guards have also protected the monarchs of France and Spain, although these were more mercenary missions than ones of loyalty (Swiss guards are known for their undying loyalty for whoever they serve!)
10. Switzerland equals CH?
If you’ve ever been scrolling through the country abbreviations or domain extensions of various countries (why you would do that, we have no idea!), you’ve probably noticed that Switzerland abbreviates to CH.
This often tends to baffle foreigners, but any Swiss kid can tell you why:
It’s because Switzerland was founded on the converge of four major European languages, Switzerland is often called Confoederatio Helvetica. This means Helvetic Confederation in Latin.
This is often used to appease the speakers of all the languages and link back to the country’s celtic routes as the Helvetti tribe, who came into contact with the Romans.
This is certainly one of the most intriguing facts about Swiss culture, as you’d (probably) never have guessed the reason behind the name! Switzerland is also where you get the Helvetica font from too!
9. One of the most expensive countries to live in
It’s well known that Switzerland is really rich. Swiss people on average, are wealthier than Brits, Americans, French, German and more! The Swiss Franc is also on a 1-to-1 with the US Dollar which very few other currencies are!
As such, it is one of the most expensive countries to live in!
According to the Big Mac index (yes, seriously, that’s a thing. It measures the price of a Big Mac in different countries), the price of a Swiss Big Mac is $6.71, compared to $4.41 in the UK!
This isn’t necessarily one of the most interesting facts about Swiss culture, but rather one that shocks tourists. Things that are so cheap in their home country are suddenly double the price in Switzerland!
8. Long life expectancy
Due to Switzerland’s immense wealth and the wealth of its citizens, Swiss people live on average for 82.2 years, with that expected to rise to 85.2 in 2040!
Life expectancy in Switzerland has very rarely gone down, only really going down during major global conflicts (despite Swiss neutrality) and major disease outbreaks such as the Black Death and Spanish Flu.
During the last 50 years, life expectancy has only ever gone up, even at a much larger pace than other countries as well! Even despite many other European countries seeing dramatic influxes or exoduses of their citizens during the 1990’s!
This is probably one the best facts about Swiss culture, especially if you’re considering moving to Switzerland! You know that regardless of what the rest of the world is doing, you are almost guaranteed to live a long and prosperous life in Switzerland!
7. Neutral since 1847
Swiss banks are known for their safety. They are known for their safety due to their secrecy and due to Switzerland’s neutrality. Despite the rough terrain and the general idea that you don’t mess with the Swiss Guard, people still do.
Or at least, they did.
Because, the last war the Swiss participated in was the short Swiss civil war known as the Sonderbund, which was in 1847! Prior to that, the last conflict where the Swiss military actively deployed soldiers was the Napoleonic Wars!
The last foreign battle they fought in was the Battle of Waterloo in 1815!
This often shocks many foreigners, even those who know the extent of Swiss neutrality, simply due to the respect it has garnered. This is by far one of the best facts about Swiss culture as not Hitler, Stalin nor the Kaiser were foolish enough to invade Switzerland!
6. Every citizen is armed
Every male citizen is forced to join the military once he is over the age of 20.Women are also able to do this, although this is done through voluntary means rather than conscripted ones.
Once they leave the military however, they are able to keep their rifle, which is meant to be well maintained and used if or when the country is the country is attacked.
Shooting is a major sport in Switzerland with young and old alike taking part in it.
Children are often part of shooting clubs, which refine their skills in preparation for when they are conscripted to join the military.
However, Switzerland has one of the lowest crime rates, and an even lower crime rate with a deadly weapon (eg. a gun)!
This is probably one of the most important facts about Swiss culture, they teach their kids how to respect the value and the power of a firearm, not through movies like the Americans try to, but through good old fashioned discipline!
5. Four languages
As we mentioned during the part about the Switzerland CH abbreviation, Switzerland has four official languages. This means that all official documents in Switzerland need to be written in these four languages.
These languages are:
- French
- German
- Italian
- Romansh
Whilst very few people in Switzerland speak all four (although I’m sure some do), most are able to speak two out of the four. English is also becoming very popular with the younger generations, almost becoming the fifth language.
These four official languages are the four most spoken languages in the country, and, depending on where you go in Switzerland, you will hear one more than the other.
For example, in Zurich you will hear more German than you would in Geneva, where you’ll hear more French.
This is often one of the coolest facts about Swiss culture as most people haven’t heard of Romansch, even fewer know what it sounds like!
4. Swiss law prohibits owning ‘social’ pets unless you have two of them
As crazy as Swiss law is (more on that later), you’d probably never have thought that Swiss law would go as far to covering how many pets you can own!
But, it does!
Whilst it is an understandable law, it is quite shocking to many tourists nevertheless! Swiss law states that if you are going to have social animals as pets, you must therefore have two of them so that they don’t get lonely.
Whilst most domestic pets aren’t social animals, and therefore aren’t subject to these laws, many are placed to stop celebrities from mistreating these animals or using them for personal gain.
This is certainly one of the most understandable facts about Swiss culture, and many would support this if it were to brought to the Houses of Parliament or the House of Representatives.
3. Suicide tourists
No, I’m not talking about that one group of tourists who get drunk and run into the middle of the road. I am talking about how people visit Switzerland intentionally, with the aim of ending their life.
Whatever you want to call it, whether it’s Euthanasia, assisted suicide or whatever, it all has the same outcome: the death of the tourist. This is done thanks to Switzerland’s relatively liberal ideas about suicide.
Essentially, if you are of sound mind and have the ability to make it clear that you want to die without being coerced. You can do it.
This is unlike most other countries in the world who only allow it for certain medical reasons or have completely banned it.
This has made it so that every year, Switzerland receives thousands of tourists looking to that one thing. Die.
This is certainly one of the most morbid facts about Swiss culture, and especially their openness to this in the first place! It generally baffles most foreigners!
2. Foreign 25
Thanks to many of the facts above, Switzerland attracts many foreigners and many foreign businesses due to their stability, independence and somewhat special relationship with the EU.
Unlike most countries however, the Swiss population is made up of 25% foreigners. This means that the ageing Swiss population is increasingly being supported by a foreign-born, Swiss younger generation.
And unlike other countries who are wanting those foreigners to return back to their home countries, the Swiss are accepting them with open arms. They are even encouraging more to come to Switzerland!
This is probably one of the most surprising facts about Swiss culture due to the sheer number of foreigners when compared to native-born Swiss people!
1. Anti-powerpoint presentation party?!
Swiss politics, like the politics of any developed nation, is hectic to say the least. There is a comon saying among soldiers that politicians like to justify their existence through the use of powerpoint presentations.
In Switzerland, however, there is a political party devoted to getting rid of Microsoft powerpoint and any other type of powerpoint software.
They don’t just want to remove it from Swiss computers or force the reduction in its use. No, they want to make it illegal in all circumstances on Swiss territory!
For anyone who’s had to sit through an hour’s long powerpoint about anything, this may seem like one of the most agreeable facts about Swiss culture. And I’m sure that many would vote for this party if they were to become present in other countries too!
Got any more amazing facts about Swiss culture? Remember, if your business is looking to advertise to the Swiss market, our translation services are world class!