Switzerland
located in the western and central europe.
Switzerland's food
Raclette- cheese that has been broiled until gooey and a bit crisp.
Chocolate- a food preparation in the form of a paste or solid block made from roasted and ground cacao seeds, typically sweetened.
Flag throwing
Flag twirling is one of the oldest national sports of Switzerland. Like wrestling or yodeling, this art is presented primarily at traditional festivals.
As if there was nothing easier in the world, the flag throwers whirl their fluttering flags through the air while radiating an admirable calmness and serenity. But the apparent effortlessness comes only after an intensive training: any hasty little movements destroy the art. It is indeed an art to master 99 different kinds of flag twirling as skillfully with the left as with the right hand: from body turns to flat tossing to high tossing. Flag throwing, usually accompanied by traditional alphorn blowing, is part of the customs displayed at folk festivals.
Switzerland's Holidays
Berchtold's Day
New Year's Day
Christmas day
Currency
Switzerland remains with the Swiss franc, usually indicated as CHF. While Switzerland is not part of the European Union and thus is not obliged to convert to the Euro, many prices are nonetheless indicated in euros so that visitors may compare prices.
Merchants may accept euros but are not obliged to do so. Change given back to the client will most likely be in Swiss francs.
The Swiss franc comes in the following denominations:
Currency Converter
Coins
5, 10, 20, 50 Cents and 1, 2, 5 Francs
Available coins
Bank notes
10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 1000 Francs
Available notes
Music
Due to a lack of detailed records, little is known about Swiss folk music prior to the 19th century. Some 16th-century lute tablatures have been reconstructed into authentic instrumental arrangements; however, the first major source of information comes from 19th-century collections of folk songs, and work done by musicologist Hanny Christen. One of the oldest varieties of folk music was the Swiss song Kühreihen, an agricultural Alpine song in the Lydian mode. Traditional instruments included alphorn, hammered dulcimer, fife, hurdy-gurdy, castanets, rebec, bagpipe, cittern and shawm.
Later in the 20th century, in the 1960s, rock and roll, or beat music, was popular, peaking in 1968 with the release of Les Sauterelles' "Heavenly Club". Swiss Rock popularity began in 1957, when the Hula Hawaiians incorporated rockabilly, setting the stage for the early 1960s boom. The Francophone section of Switzerland soon found itself dominated by French stars like Johnny Hallyday, and soon Swiss artists like Les Aiglons, Larry Greco and Les Faux-Frères became major artists.
Progressive music formed by the 1970s, when jazz, blues and other genres were combined with socially aware lyrics, outlandish solos and macho posturing. The first band of the progressive rock boom was supergroup Flame Dream, Krokodil, and The Shiver and Brainticket soon followed. Sinus Studio in Bern, and engineers Eric Merz and Peter McTaggart, became the center of innovation by the mid-1970s, however.
During the 1980s Switzerland produced a number of metal bands. A Swiss band, Celtic Frost, mostly known for their progression of style and Avant-garde take on extreme music started in the early 80's as Hellhammer and soon became a leading heavy metal band in Switzerland. They together with a few other bands laid the foundation of modern metal in Switzerland. Related to Celtic Frost, is the technical thrash metal trio Coroner who were roadies for Celtic Frost. The late 80's saw black metal band Samael being formed which converted into an industrial metal band.
Some Swiss musicians actually enjoy a worldwide reputation, with commercial success. Helvetic electronic music plays a great role (house and dance music particularly), because of some artists like DJ Antoine, Remady, Yves Larock, or Mike Candys. Some popular Swiss acts today are the Neue Deutsche Härte Swiss-German band Metallspürhunde, The Dandies, Paysage D'Hiver, Man-L and the Celtic Metal band Eluveitie.[citation needed] Thomas Gabriel Fischer recently split up Celtic Frost and formed a new group, Triptykon,[citation needed]playing a black/doom style similar to recent Celtic Frost material.[citation needed]
In 2010, Swiss mathcore band Knut released their 4th full-length album, Wonder, on Hydra Head Records.
One of the most visible groups to come out of Switzerland in recent history, Zürich's Tj Toðdler, began performing cover versions of popular recording artists in 2012, and have since begun composing their own pop music. Their music is deeply rooted in Swiss folk music culture, having released two live albums championing their homeland, 2013's The Music of Switzerland and The Sound of Zürich, both released in America on Family Recordings. Additionally, much of their artwork contains Swiss nationalist imagery.[2][3] In January 2015, their debut album The Young Men Smile was released by Husqvarna on CD and LP.
Government
The politics of Switzerland take place in the framework of a multi-party federal directorial democratic republic, whereby the Federal Council of Switzerland is the collective head of government and head of state.
Weather
Spring
Spring is a fantastic time to visit Zurich. The parks are filled with colourful flowers and the temperatures tend to be between 15°C and 20°C. Night-time temperatures remain cold and the wind often makes daytime temperatures feel much cooler.Rainfall increases the end of spring yet this period generally remains clear and sunny.
Summer
Summer in Zurich lasts approximately from June to September and offers the most enjoyable climate for outdoor pursuits. The average temperatures usually stand between 16°C and 30°C in Zurich in the summer. Surprisingly, as well as the sun summer tends to bring the most rain. Nevertheless, it is the best season for outdoor activities in Zurich.
Autumn
Autumn comes in early September and lasts till mid-October. It comes early in the mountains and offers a very comfortable climate for the tourists. Autumn months witness the highest rainfall of the year but downpours are usually short
Winter
The winter weather in Zurich is cold and snowy; the average maximum temperatures stand just above 0°C. The coldest month is January when the temperature ranges between -10°C and 5°C. Snow can occur at this time of the year, while the climate soon begins to warm up and reaches as high as 8°C or more by the time March arrives
Climate
Attractions
The Matterhorn
The Matterhorn is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the border between Switzerland and Italy. It is a huge pyramidal peak in the Monte Rosa area of the Pennine Alps, whose summit is 4,478 metres high, ... Wikipedia
Elevation: 14,692′
First ascent: July 14, 1865
Prominence: 3,412′
Parent peak: Weisshorn
First ascenders: Edward Whymper, Charles Hudson, More
Mountain range: Alps, Pennine Alps
Swiss national park
Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva (Lac Léman in French) is a crescent-shaped lake and holiday destination between eastern France and western Switzerland. Geneva, the Swiss city at its southern tip, is a diplomatic hub with luxury shopping and a cobbled old town. The chic Swiss Riviera stretches along the north shore past Lausanne, a medieval-era port with an Olympics museum and Gothic cathedral.
Surface elevation: 1,220′
Area: 224 mi²
Length: 45.36 miles
Basin countries: Switzerland, France
Islands: Château de Chillon, Île Rousseau, Île de la Harpe, Île de Peilz, Île de Choisi, Île de Salagnon
Cities: Geneva, Lausanne, Montreux, Évian-les-Bains, Thonon-les-Bains, Vevey, Le Bouveret, Saint-Gingolph