Saturday, 31 October 2009 05:20

In 1798 the armies of the French Revolution conquered Switzerland and imposed a new unified constitution.[18] This centralised the government of the country and effectively abolished the cantons and Mülhausen and Valtellina valley separated from Switzerland. The new regime, known as the Helvetic Republic, was highly unpopular. It had been imposed by a foreign invading army and destroyed centuries of tradition, making Switzerland nothing more than a French satellite state. The fierce French suppression of the Nidwalden Revolt in September of 1798 was an example of the oppressive presence of the French Army and the local population’s resistance to the occupation.  Read more... (250 words, 1 image, estimated 1:00 mins reading time)

Friday, 30 October 2009 09:51

Zermatt is a municipality in the district of Visp in the German-speaking section of the canton of Valais in Switzerland.

It is located at the northern base of the Matterhorn in the Pennine Alps, about 10 km (6 mi) from the border with Italy.

Zermatt has a permanent population of around 5,800 people,[1] although the actual population varies considerably through the seasons as tourists come and go. The village is situated at the end of Mattertal, a north-facing valley, at an altitude of 1,620 m (5,315 ft). The valley is a dead end; although the border with Italy is close, it cannot be crossed by road, as it traverses a glacier at an altitude of over 3,000 m (9,800 ft). Zermatt is the starting point of the Patrouille des Glaciers and the Haute Route.  Read more... (1190 words, 1 image, estimated 4:46 mins reading time)

Incoming search terms for the article:

• theodulgletscher crossing

Friday, 30 October 2009 03:40

A shade walk thought the forest.

(SNOWFactory.com / Thomas Dätwyler, Sequoia National Park, CA, USA)

Friday, 30 October 2009 03:32

26 nations registered for the competitions in Saas-Fee The countdown is running and this coming weekend 26 nations will be gathering in the glacier village to compete for the FIS Snowboard European Cup as well as the LGSnowboard FIS World Cup. As expected, once again there is an extremely large number of participants for a European Cup and a World Cup!  Read more... (547 words, 1 image, estimated 2:11 mins reading time)

Friday, 30 October 2009 12:14

The Old Swiss Confederacy was an alliance among the valley communities of the central Alps. The Confederacy facilitated management of common interests (free trade) and ensured peace on the important mountain trade routes. The Federal Charter of 1291 agreed between the rural communes of Uri, Schwyz, and Nidwalden is considered the confederacy’s founding document; even though similar alliances are likely to have existed decades earlier.  Read more... (363 words, 1 image, estimated 1:27 mins reading time)

Incoming search terms for the article:

• old swiss mountain guide company

Thursday, 29 October 2009 11:01

Experience Switzerland’s longest New Year’s eve in Interlaken and celebrate a superlative 3-day event at Interlaken. The party of parties begins on 31 December with a gala dinner, continues on 1 January with an electrifying open-air concert on the Höhematte with a variety of refreshment stands and a spectacular firework display, and ends on 2 January with the traditional “Harderpotschete” procession at which the evil spirits are driven out of the region.  Read more... (125 words, 1 image, estimated 30 secs reading time)

Incoming search terms for the article:

• dog sledding in interlaken
• dog sledding interlaken

Thursday, 29 October 2009 06:58

Verbier is a village located in southwestern Switzerland in the canton of Valais. It is one of the largest holiday resort and ski area in the Swiss Alps. Verbier is recognized as one of the premiere “off-piste” resorts worldwide and counts among Europe’s most famous resorts. Many top skiers have settled in the resort in order to take advantage of the steep slopes, varied conditions and vibrant nightlife.  Read more... (842 words, 1 image, estimated 3:22 mins reading time)

Incoming search terms for the article:

• le châble bagnes webcam

Thursday, 29 October 2009 12:10

The oldest traces of human existence in Switzerland date back about 150,000 years. The oldest known farming settlements in Switzerland, which were found at Gächlingen, have been dated to around 5300 BC.

The earliest known cultural tribes of the area were members of the Hallstatt and La Tène cultures, named after the archaeological site of La Tène on the north side of Lake Neuchâtel. La Tène culture developed and flourished during the late Iron Age from around 450 BC, possibly under some influence from the Greek and Etruscan civilisations. One of the most important tribal groups in the Swiss region was the Helvetii. In 58 BC, at the Battle of Bibracte, Julius Caesar’s armies defeated the Helvetii. In 15 BC, Tiberius I, who was destined to be the second Roman emperor and his brother, Drusus, conquered the Alps, integrating them into the Roman Empire. The area occupied by the Helvetii—the namesakes of the later Confoederatio Helvetica—first became part of Rome’s Gallia Belgica province and then of its Germania Superior province, while the eastern portion of modern Switzerland was integrated into the Roman province of Raetia.  Read more... (413 words, 1 image, estimated 1:39 mins reading time)

Wednesday, 28 October 2009 12:28

Switzerland has existed as a state in its present form since the adoption of the Swiss Federal Constitution in 1848. The precursors of modern Switzerland established a protective alliance at the end of the 13th century, forming a loose confederation of states which persisted for centuries.(Source: Wikipedia)

Tuesday, 27 October 2009 02:52

The 22 October, politicians, sponsors and special guests participated in the official opening of Bern’s BärenPark, the city’s new bear park.

The historic centre of Switzerland’s capital Bern, a UNESCO world heritage site, now features a bear park in which two bears live in an appropriate environment – a globally unique phenomenon.

Around 200 specially invited guests took part in the opening ceremony. Alexander Tschäppat, the Mayor of Bern, Ewald Isenbügel, Professor Emeritus of wild-life veterinary medicine, and Urs Berger, CEO of Swiss Mobiliar, the principal sponsor of the bear park, each spoke briefly to the assembled guests. “I am proud,” said Urs Berger, “that Swiss Mobiliar has been able to make a decisive contribution to this internationally unique project. No other capital city can boast anything like this bear park at its very centre.”  Read more... (345 words, 16 images, estimated 1:23 mins reading time)

Tuesday, 27 October 2009 12:24

The English name Switzerland is a compound containing Switzer, an obsolete term for the Swiss, in use during the 16th to 19th centuries. The English adjective Swiss is a loan from French Suisse, also in use since the 16th century. The name Switzer is from the Alemannic Schwiizer, in origin an inhabitant of Schwyz and its associated territory, one of the Waldstätten cantons which formed the nucleus of the Old Swiss Confederacy. The toponym itself is first attested in 972, as Old High German Suittes, ultimately perhaps related to suedan “to burn”, referring to the area of forest that was burned and cleared to build. The name was extended to the area dominated by the canton, and after the Swabian War of 1499 gradually came to be used pars pro toto for the entire Confederation.  Read more... (283 words, 1 image, estimated 1:08 mins reading time)

Incoming search terms for the article:

• estavayer-le-lac switzerland 2012 tornado

Sunday, 25 October 2009 11:52

Switzerland (German: die Schweiz French: la Suisse, Italian: Svizzera, Romansh: Svizra), officially the Swiss Confederation (Confoederatio Helvetica in Latin, hence its ISO country codes CH and CHE), is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Central Europe where it is bordered by Germany to the north, France to the west, Italy to the south, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east.  Read more... (345 words, 1 image, estimated 1:23 mins reading time)

Thursday, 8 October 2009 10:01

You can do a lot of Family friendly experience in Zermatt. Here you can find some exemples:  Read more... (274 words, 1 image, estimated 1:06 mins reading time)

Tuesday, 6 October 2009 02:10

Do you like the contrast between city and countryside?

Combine your visit to the UNESCO World Heritage site Bern with five exciting cycle tours. Each tour will give you the opportunity to enjoy the wonderful landscape of the Mittelland region for three to five hours. Past idyllic lakes and romantic castles, you will recharge your batteries so that you can then enjoy the benefits of the city of Bern with shopping, theater, cinema, restaurants and nightlife. Each of the five routes has Bern as its start and destination.  Read more... (117 words, 1 image, estimated 28 secs reading time)