One of the underlying ambitions of my research is to simply find out why certain design is in a certain way, it's obvioust society plays a part into design but it's interesting to look into simply how and why certain cultural and societal, political factors played into the beginnings and development of the Swiss style.

How did certain elements of Swiss culture help to lay the foundations? This is something you never really look into when you talk about existing reputations and almost stereotypes of diferent countries in terms of lifestyle + industry.

Notes + Analysis
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3 major languages in Switzerland - German, French and Italian

Diversity and 3 dominant languages - generally quite rare

Generally environmentally friendly and Swiss people appreciate vast amount of nature

Hugely reliable and widely renowned train system - reliability - Where did this reliability stem from, what makes them different to us?

70% of Swiss speak German - This can explain the huge amount of German immigrants post WWII - many of which were in the creative scene

Swiss being a sort of second home for rekindling the Bauhaus arts and Crafts movement - Ernst Keller

Even Swiss cuisine apparently is all about precision and timing - where does this fascination with precision and accuracy come from?!

Around 60% of Switzerland is the Alps. A lot of tourists. A lot of tourists would have been prevalent even in the 50s. Not really too long ago, this wealth of local nationalities and incoming nationalities could play into the objectivity and functional design

THE NEED FOR SEMIOTICALLY SUCCESSFUL DESIGN

Especially legibility and readability and semiotics - a huge part of Swiss modernism

Swiss seem very much into environmental cleanliness - no/little pollution - Where did this stem from? Is it still the same?

This battle against environmental pollution also plays into the concept of fighting visual pollution - As Vignelli -a Swiss design advocate often says

Swiss Confederation formed 1921. A sort of birthdate for modern Switzerland. A merging of seperate colonies and regions from previous invasion by Germany etc

August 1st still a national holiday in Switzerland

In 1515, the confederation lost a battle against a combined force of the French and Venetians. This setback resulted into a redefinition of the objectives: the confederation no longer aimed at expansion, and it declared itself to be a neutral state. It was laid down in a 'perpetual' treaty with the French, which is still the basis of Swiss policy today. Experience of war and battle, leading to Swiss becoming a neutral state, a culture and overall image which I feel still exists.

Neutrality playing into Switzerland being a sort of 'haven' - high and relaxed levels of immigration

Treaty of Aarau, after 1712 began to stop bickering between Protestants and Catholics - push towards spreading freedom and religion

Swiss time. Famous industry.

Industrialisation of Switzerland began between 1700 and 1800 in the North and Eastern parts

Clock and watch making industries flourished in the west

** At one point, and maybe still Switzerland was the most highly industrialised country in Europe

Napoleon and the French invaded, mainly after the Alps in 1798. Didn't manage it - Swiss as a neutral state was a pattern almost broken

1845 - severe economical crisis

Constitution in 1848 transformed Switzerland from loose confederation to a unitary federal state. Making Switzerland the oldest federal democracy in the word after the United States

Switzerland began making international railroads in the 1800's to make it easy for neighbouring countries to import cheap grain from other countries than switzerland.

Railway development had major expansion in order to be able to export goods quickly and to help agricultural, chemical and machine industry. Are they ahead of other countries here, making their transport system so well renowned?

Switzerland maintained its neutrality throughout the first World War, the army was mobilized. food prices doubled.

--- Swiss industry shifted from production to services - still important prevalent today

Maintained neutrality through the second World War. Nazi's were intimidating and unhappy with the Swiss for their cultural diversity going against their racist and fascism philosophies

It was not until 1971 that the Swiss allowed women to vote. Quite late! Although thriving in political, environmental and industrial areas maybe they were lagging behind a bit in terms of gender equality - all the celebrated Swiss designers are male too

So strongly neutral, refused to join the UN in 1986. Ended up established European UN headquarters in Geneva

Swiss still holds onto its Swiss franc while the rest of Europe is using a Euro. Very proud of their heritage and a bit sort of elitist and very very neutral, possibly as a result of previous experiences of war and arguing.

..do these attitudes show through in the design?

Switzerland today has 26 cantons - similar to counties. From as little a number as 8 hundreds of years ago.

*Swiss industry focuses little on mass-production and more high-quality technology

This time 55% of the voters said yes to the UN. Switzerland joined UN in 2002. What factors played into the newfound acceptance of joining UN. More multi-culturalism, less elitist and neutral? Globalisation.

Swiss Mentality
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Swiss mentality closely resembles Western mentality with strong foundations in liberalism, freedom and tolerance, secularisation

Swiss among one of the first nations to adopt a democratic constitution and adapt it to everyday, modern life.

** Swiss like "smallness"

Widespread resentment towards anything and anybody boasting with greatness.

So much so that the Swiss / German phrase "li" is added to the end of nouns. "li" means little. Muesli. Guetzli.

The Swiss share this love of compact and contained features with the Germans, although they say "le"

^^ These cultural underlying themes can relate to the Swiss style of design, contained within a grid. No real ownership or expression, even boasting of style.

"Small is beautiful,"

Huge emphasis on perfection , precision and punctuality. Although this can sometimes convert into more negative traits such as impatience and pedantry. Where did these traits come from though?! This kind of tradition doesn't just come from nowhere, somebody has to start it and set the precedent?

Living in the midst of a vulnerable ecosystem and widespread tourism, the Swiss have had to learn to co-operate with nature instead of destroying or exploiting it.

The lack of raw materials and heavily dense population led to early industrialisation.

Resultingly always a fine balance between nature and technology

Environmentally conscious > Sustainable design

No environmental pollution > No visual pollution

Population of 7.5 million (2005) has almost tripled since 1880. Population risen by 60% since end of WWII. Huge amount of immigration

Once a poor country sending mercenary soldiers to the service of foreign kings and more than 100,000 emigrants to the Americas during the 19th century, Switzerland has become an immigration country since and foreigners make up now more than 20% of the Swiss population.

Swiss architecture - world famous. Key proponents throughout history _
-
Karl Moser
Le Corbusier - huge impact on the 'international style' of architecture of early 20th century
Theo Hotz

Zurich Group - the name given to designers born from around 1910 to 1930 who played a pivotal role in 'second period of modern design after WWII'

Le Corbusier - one of the key symbols of modernity and also could quite easily have influenced the Swiss style of graphic design, later becoming the International Style with Neue Grafik

Original Articles
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Culture and language in Switzerland

This chapter provides information about the Swiss people, the four languages that are spoken and national holidays.

Are you planning to travel by train or mountain lifts? Be sure to read all about the Swiss Pass.

A clean country

Picture: PicSwiss.

The Swiss are proud of the beauty of their country. There is a lot of untouched nature and in general people are careful with it and set great store by protecting the environment. As a result, Switzerland is far advanced in recycling waste material. Chemicals, paper, carton, glass, plastic, cans, textile, oil and cooking fat are all collected separately. The way this is done differs per town. In many cases, containers to hand in these materials are available at a central point like the railway station or the post office. Such a location is often called an 'Abfall-Sammelstelle' or 'Wertstoff-Sammelstelle'. The remaining materials should be put in special bags for the local waste processing firm to collect it. Due to an additional tax ('Sackgebühr'), these bags are pretty expensive. If you just need a couple of bags while staying in a vacation rental, your renter will generally be able to provide some. These bags can often not be found in the shopping section of the supermarket, but only at the checkout or the supermarket kiosk. It is common practice to stuff in as much waste matter as possible and then place it on the roadsite on the designated day. In many cases, there is a nearby container as well to dispose of these bags.

For most tourists, these measures are relatively drastic compared to the situation at home. However, you will get used to it quickly and the advantages are clear: Switzerland is a very clean country. You will not find a lot of street litter along your way. Road traffic is also influenced by the special attention for the environment: the Swiss are mainly trying to limit the amount of cargo transportation by offering alternatives like railway transportation and putting trucks on trains. One way to help Switzerland to remain as clean as it is, is to travel by the excellent train system instead of car when possible. A Swiss Pass or other Swiss rail pass make it easy to do so.

Languages in Switzerland

No less than four languages are spoken in Switzerland: German, French, Italian and Rhaeto-Romanic. Swiss people working in tourism usually speak English as well. The great number of languages spoken in this relatively small country can be explained when looking at the history of Switzerland.

Language	Percentage of the population
German	70 %
French	19 %
Italian	8 %
Rhaeto-Romanic	1 %
Other languages	2 %

The languages spoken in Switzerland and the percentage of the population that speaks these languages.

An overview of the regions where German, French, Italian and Rhaeto-Romanic are spoken.

German spoken in Switzerland in also being called 'Schwitzerdütsch'. It sounds totally different than 'standard' German. This language has its own words and a different pronunciation. Some examples of typical Swiss words are grüezi (hello), grüezi miteinand (hello alltogether) and Buttergipfel (croissant). And what about Chuchichäschtli (kitchen cabinet)?

Swiss national holidays

An overview of the most important Swiss holidays is displayed below. Note that in some cases an holiday is not celebrated in specific cantons, but there are also some holidays that are not listed here because they are celebrated in a limited number of cantons only.

Date	Holiday	Remarks
January 1	New Year's Day
January 2	Berchtolds Day
varies...	Good Friday
varies...	Eastern and Eastern Monday
May 1	Labors' Day
varies...	Ascension Day
varies...	Whit Sunday and Monday
April	Corpus Christi Day	Celebrated in Catholic regions only
August 1	National holiday	Memorial day for the foundation of the Swiss federation in 1291.
November 1	All Saints' Day
December 25 & 26	Christmas
December 31	New Year's Eve

An overview of the most important Swiss national holidays.

Swiss cuisine

Precision and accurate preparation characterize Swiss cooking. Fresh products and herbs are used as much as possible. These products often originate from Switzerland. Swiss cuisine today is mainly based on traditional recipes. It is hard to name typical national dishes since the majority of Swiss recipes is formed by the numerous regional specialities. Cheese is used a lot in all sorts of different recipes like fondues and raclette, soups, soufflés, salads and even sweet dishes. Besides cheese, butter and cream are used as well, which makes Swiss dishes not the most low calorie ones available. These dishes were originally prepared for farm workers, in order to offer them a nutritious meal.

Switzerland is known for its famous national dish called rösti: grated potato fried in a pancake. It can be found in many different regional varieties. Other 'typical Swiss' dishes are mostly regional specialities.

When going out for dinner, you might notice that there are also lots of Italian dishes like pastas and pizzas. It is customary to have a salad as the first course. Little or no vegetables are served with the main course.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Swiss People, Mentality and Demography

Mentality
Immigration
Demography

Statements about social phenomena are always more than a bit risky: even if based on polls or other statistical data there is much more room (and need) to interpretation than with basic geographical facts or economic figures. Talking about the mentality of any group of human beings is what the Swiss would call hiking the ridge and prone to end up in prejudice.

But while silence may be golden, it won't help you to understand the Swiss - whether you intend to spend your holidays in Switzerland, to study at a Swiss university, to do business with Swiss companies or to immigrate.

Swiss Mentality

Switzerland is deeply rooted in western European culture

If your own background is non-European and you did not have the opportunity to follow grim political debates whether Switzerland should join the European Union or not, you might think this is trivial. Seen from a global perspective, minor differences and subtleties will disappear: Swiss mentality is basically (western) European mentality, based on concepts of freedom, liberalism, pluralism, tolerance and last but not least secularization (which marks a common European difference compared to the U.S.A.).

All efforts by some right-wing Swiss patriots to mark a fundamental difference between Switzerland and Europe must be put into this perspective. Swiss philosophers, politicians and scientists have made major contributions to the common European heritage and Switzerland was among the first nations on the continent to adopt a modern democratic constitution and implement it in real everyday life. This being said, we might try to find some subtle Swiss specifics.

The Swiss like smallness

Most Swiss would agree that small is beautiful and there is a widespread reservation if not resentment towards anything and anybody boasting with greatness. The Swiss love for smallness is perfectly expressed in the Swiss German ending -li added frequently to nouns (as in Guetzli [cookies], Müesli [the Swiss variant to granola cereals] or the famousChuchichäschtli [cupboard]). -li is derived from an old German equivalent to the English word little. The German speaking Swiss (74% of the total population) share their fondness for -li with southern Germany (there the ending is -le). Though this would suggest that liking smallness is a common Alamannic heritage, even most French and Italian speaking Swiss would probably agree that small is beautiful, especially if it implies that the German speaking majority in Switzerland does not become too dominating ...

Hedgehog mentality

Confronted with danger, a hedgehog will convolve and show its pricks. The hedgehog metaphor became popular before and during World War II when little Switzerland was surrounded by Nazi Germany (including Austria), fascist Italy and Vichy France ruled by a regime depending on Hitler. The hedgehog syndrome has been perpetuated during the Cold War.

There is a significant difference, however, between the German and Italian speaking parts of Switzerland vs. the French speaking part, rooted in the fact that both Hitler and Mussolini claimed that all German and Italian speaking regions should be incorporated into Germany respectively Italy. The German and Italian speaking Swiss population was heavily exposed to these claims and to the corresponding propaganda while the French speaking Swiss population was somewhat screened off behind a language bareer and France did not make any similar claims. Up to the present there is a significant difference of attitude concerning foreign politics between the language regions.

That's why the German and Italian speaking parts of the country stick to their dialects in all areas of public life (including politics and science), while the French speaking minority seems to emphasize "francophonie" to mark their cultural autonomy against the German speaking majority in Switzerland.

Perfectionism, Precision and Punctuality

Precision and punctuality are quite highly estimated throughout western Europe, but there is little doubt that the Swiss are model students in these disciplines. Perfectionism as the major ingredient to celebrated Swiss quality may convert into impatience or pedantry sometimes, however.

Thriftiness

Switzerland used to have one of the highest savings rates some decades ago and every child got acquainted quite early to the piggybank. Appeals to cut public spending are still relatively popular while it seems that on an individual level attitudes towards spending and saving money are converging to European average values.

The beautiful Swiss machine

Some 30 years ago former Swiss Radio International entitled a country profile with these words still valid today. Living in a vulnerable ecosystem, and tourism being a major source of income, the Swiss have been forced to learn to cooperate with nature rather than fighting it or exploiting it ruthlessly. Nevertheless the lack of raw materials and the high population density have led to an early industrialization. The result is a habit to seek the fragile balance between nature and technology: While bringing latest high tech equipment to the most distant backcountry village is a widely accepted strategy of regional politics in Switzerland, the preservation of awesome natural monuments is rated equally important.

The Swiss may not be more ecology-minded than other people from a "moral" point of view and in fact as individuals they often decide in favour of convenience rather than sustainability but politcally they are certainly quite environmentally conscious taking into account mid- and long-term cost of large-scale investments. Though tax paying is not more popular in Switzerland than in any other country, the Swiss electorate is willing to invest large amounts of public money into railroad infrastructure aiming to reduce road haulage and metropolitan commuter traffic by car.

Participative (direct) democracy

The Swiss have elaborate mechanisms of finding a compromise in every issue instead of taking majority decisions. The Swiss system of direct democracy with frequent referendums is quite exotic when compared in detail with other European systems of parliamentary democracy. Though often criticized as being slow and inefficient by foreign scholars of political science, no political party in Switzerland really wants to change it - neither conservatives nor social democrats and ecologists and even the liberals are foxy enough to realize that long-term political stability and broad acceptance of laws are better for the economy than frequent change of government. Whether the Swiss have a more distinctive need for harmony than other European nations or whether they simply stick to a system that has proved to guarantee stability for decades is difficult to say. One by-product of direct democracy is a high acceptance of decisions taken.

Federalism and subsidiarity

Taking decisions at the lowest possible level is deeply rooted in Swiss tradition and all efforts taken to change this in any particular field have been fruitless as long as the situation has not become obviously inopportune or even intolerable. This is definitively a major difference compared to most European countries. While finding out who is competent for a decision might resemble a walk through a jungle of paragraphs for foreigners, the Swiss authorities know quite well what their competences and duties are and act correspondingly.

Swiss federalism does, however, not mean that everything is decided on the local level and things don't remain forever as they are. The Swiss federal constitution consists of three major parts - fundamental rights of the individuals, competences and duties of the federal and cantonal authorities and organization of the federal authorities. For the last 150 years the basic principles have remained untouched, but there is at least one minor change to the constitution per year - mostly concerning the responsibilities of the national and cantonal authorities.

Changes to the Swiss constitution must be approved in a referendum and sometimes proposals are rejected, but generally the electorate is willing to accept constitutional changes when administration and parliament are able to present good reasons. Stability as the Swiss practise it turns out to be more flexible than one might suppose at first sight.

Multilinguism and multiculturalism

Multilinguism can't be mentioned without addressing a common misunderstanding: The Swiss are not born as natural language talents nor does everybody speak three or more languages fluently. The key (and the limitation, when it comes to modern multiculturalism caused by migration!) is federalism: let the regions have as much autonomy as possible. This helps a lot with the four native languages/cultures because they do have their well defined regions within the country, but federalism does not help with immigrant cultures as the immigrants - coming from a dozen of quite different cultures - settle all over the country.

Humanitarian tradition

Keywords like Red Cross, Human rights, asylum and "good services" (substitute diplomatic representation of nations being at odds with each other, for example the USA and Iran) refer to a century old tradition and reputation of Switzerland. While a part of the population is quite proud of this tradition and willing to pay (in terms of money as well as immaterial efforts), others try to undermine it without tearing down the façade all too obviously.

A particular field of debate is asylum politics. Some people cultivate an idealized view on Switzerland's asylum tradition and forget that granting asylum to Huguenots (17th century), liberals (19th century), German/Austrian antifascists (1930's), Hungarians (1956) and Czechs (1968) was strenghtening the position of the majority in Switzerland (or at least in some regions), so it was not really as unselfish as one might suspect. On the other side Jews threatened by Nazi persecution (1930's and 1940's) and more recent groups of refugees did not represent majority views have not experienced the same warm welcome.

Emigration and Immigration

Reversing Trends: from Emigration to Immigration

Switzerland's population, amounting to 7,451,000 (2005) has almost tripled since 1880. Since the end of World War II the total population has risen by 60%, while the number of foreign residents has increased by a factor of more than five in the same period (despite naturalizations). Once a poor country sending mercenary soldiers to the service of foreign kings and more than 100,000 emigrants to the Americas during the 19th century, Switzerland has become an immigration country since and foreigners make up now more than 20% of the Swiss population.

Cosmopolitanism vs. xenophobia

Needless to say that this development could not get unnoticed by the native population. While a strong group of (predominantly) liberal urban intellectuals sees immigration as an enrichment and multiculturalism as a chance to cure what they regard as Swiss provincialism, others (predominantly) conservative rural people see Switzerland's identity in danger and demand for restrictions to immigration.

The conflict cosmopolitanism vs. xenophobia has been the dominant political theme in Switzerland for the last 40 years, dividing the country and affecting almost all other issues in some way. The debate has been verbose, heated and sometimes turned quite nasty, but some fundamental questions have hardly ever been touched.

Cultural Identity

One of the undebated questions is cultural identity. Every nation claims a right to maintain its own culture, especially those countries the immigrants to Switzerland come from. What is ignored by cosmopolitans is the fact that you need a "minimal critical mass" to keep a culture alive. And that's where Switzerland's smallness (only 41,000 km² area and 7,100,000 population with four native sub-cultures) comes in. If there is no "vehicle" to "transport" a specific Swiss culture different from the big neighbours (Germany, France, Italy), an identifiable Swiss culture (and with it the Swiss nation) will simply cease to exist.

On the other hand some conservatives pretend that what they claim to be their cultural identity is a century-old tradition and should remain basically unchanged and untouched forever. They forget or repress the historical fact that most elements of traditional Swiss folklore culture are either common European heritage or have been imported from other parts Europe or even other continents. Every era in Switzerland's history had its own processes of incorporating and assimilating foreign elements of culture.

Unlike many other issues that have been resolved by a well-accepted compromise after some period of intense political debate the discussion on immigration, integration of immigrants and further development of Switzerland's culture seems to be stuck in a sort of "trench warfare".

Pluralism, Tolerance and Limitations

When European philophers defined the principle of tolerance 250 years ago, this was a cultural revolution - and it took Europe 200 years to accept this new principle. Switzerland was among the first European countries that tried to find a way of putting this abstract principle into practice - which was not easy. A major point in implementing tolerance was making sure that religions (institutions) have no right to force their view of life upon any individual.

Today, Europe is experiencing a culture clash between native Europeans and immigrants from non-European countries and one of the major issues is the very concept of tolerance itself (and can't be settled just by appealing to tolerance, therefore): While immigrants claim to have freedom of religion for themselves, based on European guarantees of tolerance, a strong group among them is abusing tolerance granted to them to try to enforce their cultural / religious rules among members of their families. If this takes the form of violence at home or even so-called "honor-killings", religious freedom collides with even more fundamental human rights and that's where European tolerance ends in practice, based on a hierarchy of human rights that puts physical inviolability of the individual person on top of all abstract values.

Most European natives still know that implementing a liberal society with far reaching guarantees of human rights has cost great efforts and they are not willing to abandon again what has been reached and built up over centuries in the name of some "global tolerance". As long as this basic problem is not really addressed, uneasyness and fears among the native population tend to lead to a general xenophobia.

Practical Issues Related to Immigration

The mere overall statistical figures giving a 20% quota of immigrants do not reflect, however, that in some districts of major cities like Zurich, Geneva, Basel and Lucerne native Swiss people have become a rare species and in some schools only two or three children per class do have Swiss nationality while in smaller villages the ratio is inverse. Some classes have become new Babylons with up to a dozen different mother tongues and very few children having a clear inner feeling for the rules of the language that is being used for all public communication (administration, business, radio, television and newspapers - unless imported from the countries of origin). Regardless of political choices - multicultural or nationalist - this does pose some challenges to teachers and demands for extra efforts.

Demography

Demography: age pyramid of Switzerland's population

Another tendency shared with all other western European countries is ageing. In 2005 the excess of births over deaths has sunken to only 11,779. The effect is aggravated by a still increasing life expectancy. Today, Switzerland has more than twice as many inhabitants of age 65 and four times as many over age 80 than back in 1950. Politicians are alarmed about the workers-to-retirees ratio: fewer and fewer workers will have to support more and more pensioners.

----------------------------------------

Transportation in Switzerland

Pick a category below or scroll down to read everything:

Your trip to Switzerland
Travelling in Switzerland
Public transport
Travelling by train
Season tickets for public transportation
Traffic regulations
Driving in the mountains

Your trip to Switzerland

The airport of Zürich.

Picture: W. Loosli, Unique.

Late arrival or early departure? We have selected the best .

If you come a long way you might want to fly to Switzerland. The main international airport is Zürich. There is a train station so that you can easily reach your final destination. Zürich airport offers through trains to many Swiss town and some towns abroad. Other destinations require changing trains, often at nearby Zürich HB (Haubtbahnhof, central station). It can be convenient to spend the night after arrival or prior to departure close to the airport. There are comfortable hotels available near the airports of Zürich, Geneva and Basel. The hotels can be reached quickly, and in many cases, for free.

Travel in comfort with a .

You can consider a train journey if you travel within Europe. France, Italy, Austria, Germany, The Netherlands and Belgium offer through trains to Switzerland. Many trains have a restaurant on board and there are night trains on some routes so that you can sleep at night and arrive early in the morning. It is recommended to book seats in advance. If you are reluctant to carrying your luggage on and off trains, there is often a possibility to have your suitcases sent to your holiday address or the railway station at your destination. Please ask your railway company for details.

You can also travel by car. The Bernese Oberland can be reached easily by excellent expressways from the north, and from the south by using the car train across the Lötschberg tunnel between Goppenstein and Kandersteg. Wallis can be reached most easily via Montreux and Martigny, and from the north by using the aforementioned car train service. Graubünden can best be approached from the north (Chur, Thusis) or the south west (Bellinzona). You should take into account that many other destinations in Graubünden require using smaller roads during the last part of your journey. That applies to some destinations in the Bernese Oberland and eastern Wallis as well.

Travelling in Switzerland

The Sustenpass.

Although Switzerland is a small country, travelling times are often longer than expected. Taking the shortest way is not always an option in mountainous regions. Particularly in the south, where the highest mountains are situated, you will often be dependant on tunnels and passes. In winter time, drivers should take into account that some passes are closed. Car trains can sometimes be used instead. In other cases, you will have to make a detour through a road which is still passable. Some car train services are available outside the winter season as well. A car train makes your trip more expensive but can be a time saver and will spare you from crossing a difficult pass. This form of transport is offered more and more, especially for freight traffic. The Swiss tend to choose for rail transportation instead of road transportation more often when building or improving major transit routes. Crossing a pass is a great experience. Often there is a magnificent view and the landscape above the timberline is rough and impressive. It is advisable to get some information about the quality of the road in advance. Many passes can easily be crossed in summer. Others are a bit more difficult due to small roads, narrow curves and steep slopes. For this reason, some passes are not accessible for home trailers. Switzerland has excellent expressways, but there are quite some areas without any expressways at all. This goes for many parts of Graubünden (among others). Gas stations offer diesel and unleaded fuel ("Bleifrei 95" and "Bleifrei 98"). LPG is only available from 57 gas stations (as of February 2005). In general, fuel is cheaper at gas stations that are not located along an expressway. Fuel is about CHF 0.40/liter cheaper in the tax-free enclave of Samnaun in Graubünden.

Public transport

A postcar.

Picture: PicSwiss.

Swiss public transport is of high quality. This applies to both the public service vehicles and the punctuality of the time table. Lots of places can be reached through a network of trains, busses, ships and gondolas. This network is also referred to as the 'Swiss Travel System', which can be used if you posses a Swiss Pass or other Swiss rail pass. Major cities are connected by InterCity trains which usually run once per hour. Busy connections often provide at least two trains per hour. Busses play an important role as well. Bus services are often provided by the Swiss post services 'Die Post'. The name 'postcar' originates from a long time ago. Nowadays, these busses are mainly carrying passengers, although small villages still have their post delivered by postcars. Generally spoken, transportation to small villages starts early in the morning and ends early in the evening. These busses or trains usually run once an hour, but this can be less as well. It is recommended to take that into account when planning your trips. The Swiss timetable helps you planning.

For any questions or suggestions, please feel free to join our forum about public transportation in Switzerland.

The major railways.

Public transportation is a safe and comfortable way to explore Switzerland. However, you will have to plan your trips a bit because the timetable can be rather limited sometimes. Not all, but many places can be reached using public transport.

Travelling by train

Share your thoughts! Join our .

Train enthusiasts will definitely love Switzerland. In addition to the national railway company, there is a great number of regional companies (refer to Links). The average passenger usually doesn't notice this, since tickets are mostly valid for all companies. But if you pay special attention to this you will find a great variety of locomotives and other rolling stock. Most of the rolling stock is driven by an electric motor.

The new Gotthard tunnel under construction.

Picture: AlpTransit.

Some tourist railroads use steam locomotives. A lot of special railway techniques can be found: in addition to standard gauge, narrow gauge is frequently used because it allows narrow curves which often are necessary in mountainous areas. There are a lot of cog railways, allowing trains to cross terrain which would otherwise be inaccessible. Spiral loops are an alternative for cog railways: by making the route between two points longer, the gradient is less severe than if a direct track is used. A combination of both techniques is sometimes necessary to gain enough height. The Rhätische Bahn (Rhaetical Railways) in Graubünden is an example of a railway company that did not choose for cog railways and therefore many spiral loops can be found in that region. Long railway tunnels are a masterly example of railway engineering as well, although they are not that exciting for passengers. Tunnels make cog railways and spiral loops unnecessary and the travelling time decreases excessively. A new Lötschberg tunnel between Frutigen (Bernese Oberland) and Raron (Wallis) has been opened in 2007. This 34 km (21 miles) long tunnel shortened travelling time between Northern and Southern Europe by 30 minutes. Regional trains will continue to use the old Lötschberg tunnel between Kandersteg (Bernese Oberland) and Goppenstein (Wallis). Work is also being done on a new 57 km (35 miles) long Gotthard tunnel, which should relieve the old 19 km (12 miles) long tunnel in 2015. Both tunnels are mainly meant for international passenger trains and freight trains, resulting in less freight traffic on the road. Mountainous areas are also home to lots of impressive bridges. Some examples are the stone built Landwasser viaduct near Filisur in Graubünden and the steel Bietschtal viaduct near Raron in Wallis.

As mentioned before, rolling stock can be found in lots of variants. That does not only apply to the locomotives belonging to the many different railway companies; sometimes they are printed with advertisement, resulting in an even more varied picture. There are many different train sets and coaches as well. Some companies own panoramic coaches, with wide high windows and often a ceiling which is largely made of glass as well. You don't have to miss out on anything when travelling in one of these coaches.

The fast Cisalpino is crossing the Bietschtal viaduct.

Picture: IGE-Bahntouristik.

The Swiss and the Italian joined forces in order to develop the Cisalpino train set, which is designed for speeds up to 200 km/h (124 mph). Its tilting system allows the train to cross curves at a higher speed than before. Switzerland does not have its own high speed railway lines, but it is assured from fast connections with its neighboring countries; a number of foreign high speed trains, like the French TGV and the German ICE, visit Switzerland on a daily basis. The Swiss use double deck coaches on busy routes. Some experiments have been made with McDonald's restaurants and supermarkets on board of InterCity trains. A restaurant is more or less a standard facility on the main InterCity connections and international trains.

Economical travelling across Switzerland is possible using a .

Since the Swiss feel that environmental protection is very important, cargo transportation by train occupies an important place in order to limit the amount of road traffic. Long freight trains can be spotted on the Lötschberg route (Bern - Spiez - Brig) and the Gotthard route (Altdorf - Bellinzona - Chiasso). Trains are playing a relatively important role in Swiss society. A railway company not only provides transportation, but often offers tourist services as well, like (educational) hikes and other day trips. Some Swiss villages can only be reached by train during winter or even during the whole year. The smallest railway stations are generally in use as a 'Halt auf Verlangen' (request stop). This means that the train will only stop in case a passenger on the platform or in the train has pushed a button. The timetable shows to which stations this applies.

If you would like to capture some of these activities on video or photo, a little preparation is necessary. Taking pictures along the track can be difficult in mountainous areas because many locations can simply not be reached. Trees and tunnels are often blocking the view on the train. Nonetheless, there are many locations which are suitable for this hobby. For example, the aforementioned Landwasser viaduct and the Bietschtal viaduct can easily be photographed during a hike (unfortunately the number of trains on the latter has decreased due to the availability of a quicker route through the new Lötschberg tunnel). The many possibilities for beautiful train trips and photography draw many train enthusiasts to Switzerland each year.

Season tickets for public transportation

An overview of .

It is advisable to inquire about the several tickets for public transport in advance. Buying separate tickets for each trip is rather costly. A season ticket can save you a lot of money, and it will also spare you from going to the ticket office for each trip. Which ticket is most suitable for you depends on the distances you plan to travel, the number of trips and the region you would like to explore. Please take into account that you are sometimes obliged to pay a surcharge or book seats for services such as high speed trains, even if you have a ticket for 'unlimited traveling' such as a Swiss Pass.

If you want to travel across multiple countries, there are European rail passes such as Interrail (for European citizens) and Eurail (for non-European citizens).

Share your thoughts and ask your questions in our .

If you choose for a season ticket which is valid in the entire country, and if you are also travelling to Switzerland by train, it can be attractive to order a return ticket to the Swiss border, instead of a ticket to your final destination. The trip from the border to your destination can be made by using your season ticket. For example: if you travel from Germany you can order a return ticket to Basel Bad Bf, the border station in Basel, Switzerland. You can start using your season ticket here.

Pass search

Traffic regulations

A list of some important Swiss traffic regulations can be found below:

Car and motor drivers are obliged to pay road tax by purchasing a Swiss motorway vignette if they plan to use expressways, which is inevitable if you want to keep travelling times limited.
In order to rent a car, a valid driver's license held for at least one year is required. The minimum rental age is 20 to 25 years, depending on the rental company.
It is obligatory to switch the dimmer lights on, also during the day and in well-lit tunnels.
All traffic coming from the right has priority, so cyclists as well.
Traffic on rotary intersections has priority.
Police cars, ambulances, fire engines, trams and buses always have priority.
All passengers have to wear a seat belt.
Approved child seats are compulsory for children up to the age of 12 and measuring less than 150cm. An exception applies until 31 December 2012 for seats equipped with a two-point safety belt. Seats must be conform to ECE Regulation R44.03 or R44.04. Do not use a rearfacing child's seat in the right front if the vehicle is equipped with a passenger side air bag. Children under 12 may not sit in the front seat, unless they have proper child restraints.
Motorcyclists and their passengers are compelled to wear helmets.
The driver of a motor vehicle must be at least 18 years old. Drivers must be able to show their driver's license, car registration papers and insurance details.
You are not allowed to drive from a blood alcohol level of 0.5 g/l.
Radar detection systems are not allowed.
Sometimes you have to turn off your engine while waiting for a red traffic light. This is indicated by signs along the road. Even if not mandatory, it will be appreciated if you turn off the engine while you have to wait for a longer period of time, e.g. for a railroad crossing.
A warning triangle must be at hand (so it may not be carried in the trunk).
Drivers wearing spectacles or lenses, must have an extra pair of spectacles in their car.
A first aid kit and a fire extinguisher are not compelled, but of course it is advisable to have them.
The vehicle must have a country indication on it.
Only hands-free calling is allowed, but it is adviced against.
Navigation equipment warning for speed measurement devices, traffic light cameras, etc., is prohibited. POI (Points Of Interest) of such locations may not be installed on your device.
Snow chains are not necessary in summer. It is useful to have them at hand in winter, but it is not compelled. However, you are not allowed to obstruct traffic because you failed to prepare your vehicle for the local weather conditions. Signs indicate when snow chains are compelled for a specific road. In that case, the chains must be attached to at least two driven wheels.
Spiked tires are only permitted on Swiss cars and from late October to April. The speed limit with spiked tires is 80 km/h (50 mph) and that must be indicated on the car. Spiked tires are not allowed on most expressways and highways during the whole year.

	Car or motor	Car with trailer
In built-up areas	50 km/h, 31 mph	50 km/h, 31 mph
Outside built-up areas	80 km/h, 50 mph	80 km/h, 50 mph
Highways	100 km/h, 62 mph	80 km/h, 50 mph
Expressways	120 km/h, 75 mph	80 km/h, 50 mph Motor homes > 3.500 kg: 100 km/h, 62 mph

An overview of the speed limits.

Traffic fines are generally heavy. Foreigners may be expected to pay (part of) the fine on the spot.

Driving in the mountains

Driving in the mountains requires an adjusted driving style. Mountain roads are sometimes narrow, have a lot of sharp curves and may pass along deep ravines. A crash barrier or fence, if present, is not always designed to actually stop a vehicle. You have to share the road with cyclists, sometimes with pedestrians and even with cows that graze on the meadows in summer. So, concentrated driving matters greatly.

A hairpin bend between Schattenhalb and Rosenlaui near Meiringen.

It is important to utilize the hauling capacity of the engine as best as possible when ascending. This means that you do not change gears as quickly as on flat roads, in order to keep a high engine speed (3000 - 4000 revolutions/min). The speed of the vehicle should be relatively low for safety reasons. Assuming a 5-gear car, it is usually sufficient to use gear 1 to 3 only. You also use a low gear and a high engine speed when descending. You can often use the same gear that proved to be useful during the ascent. The deceleration will be done by the engine this way. It saves the brakes, that can get too warm if you use them continuously. When you continue to gain speed, pick a lower gear or occasionally gently use the breaks. The accelerator pedal will not be necessary during most of the descent. It is bad for a car to pull in the clutch in order to gain speed. Do certainly not drive down with the transmission in neutral. In most cars with automatic transmission, you can just use the regular D-position. On slight grades, it may be necessary to pick a low gear to prevent the car from changing gears too frequently. In such cases, use position 1 or 2 or the mountain gear if available.

Your view can be blocked heavily in curves with rock walls or trees along the road, so you need to adjust your speed there. Sometimes there is a mirror to improve the view. You can sound the horn to warn oncoming traffic, but only do that when it is really necessary and do not do it in built-up areas. You need to decelerate before the curve, not when you are already in the curve. Once in the curve, you may step on the gas to improve traction. Beware to you keep on your own (right) lane, especially in outside curves. Many people tend to steer towards the inside of the curve.

The engine can run hot if you are ascending while using a gear that is too high. Every car has a thermometer to monitor the engine's temperature. Change to a lower gear and therefore a higher engine speed if the temperature keeps rising. Turning off the airconditioning to save power might help as well. You may even turn on the heating to withdraw energy from the engine. If all attempts fail you need to pull over before the temperature gets too high, so that the engine can cool down. The brakes can run hot if you are using them too much, e.g. because the engine does not decelerate. Not all cars have a signal for this problem, but you can manually feel if the wheels are warm. Hot brakes get worse rapidly and may fail completely! An unpleasant smell might be an indication for hot brakes. In that case you need to pull over immediately to check it. Quick action is necessary if you notice that your brakes fail while you are driving. Try to decelerate by pulling and releasing the brakes repeatedly, or try one more pull with hard pedal pressure. Only use the handbrake if the road is not slippery, otherwise you will lose control of the vehicle completely. If necessary, change to gear 1 or 2 without shifting to neutral, hopefully causing the engine to decelerate. You can also turn into an ascending side-road or meadow to decelerate, or scrape the car at a small angle to a (rock) wall along the road.

Ascending traffic has priority over descending traffic, because descending vehicles can start more easily after coming to a full stop. So, on narrow roads, descending traffic has to clear space for ascending traffic. A postcar always has priority, even if it is descending while you are ascending. When curves are ahead, the bus usually announces its presence with its characteristic horn. Stop well before the curve because a bus in a narrow curve needs all the space that is available. Keep plenty of clear space when overtaking ascending cyclists, and use your direction indicator. Overtaking descending cyclists is usually not necessary since they are at least as fast as cars. Keep at a safe distance though. Drivers of slow vehicles may help you with a short signal with their right indicator to show you that you can overtake safely. You can do that yourself as well if faster drivers are following you. Beware of obstructions such as cows or rubble. You can warn following traffic by switching on the emergency signals. Do not pull over on places with rubble on the road, because the risk of more rubble coming down is greater there. Mountain roads sometimes have unlighted tunnels. Check if the lights are switched on (this is compelled anyway, also during the day), take off your sunglasses and adjust your speed. Tunnels are often cold and moist so water may drop down.

You can do a number of things to prevent that your car starts moving out of its own when parked on a slope. You definitely need to use the handbrake and shift the transmission to first gear. When the slope is very steep you may put a stone behind the wheels and turn the steering wheel so that the car can not roll very far.

----------------------

The history of Switzerland

Pick a category below or scroll down to read everything:

The development of Switzerland
Switzerland today

The development of Switzerland

As far as we know, Neanderthal Men were the first inhabitants of the region that we now call Switzerland. That was between 20,000 and 4,000 BC. Tools of them have been found in the canton of Neuchâtel, in the west of Switzerland. Later trails were cut through the mountains and trade slowly developed. Celtic groups left Southern Germany for current Switzerland in the 1st century BC. This tribe is known as the Helvetii. Eventually, they came up against the Romans. They were pushed back into Switzerland by Caesar's army in 58 BC. The Romans founded their province of Helvetia in current Switzerland in 15 BC.

The Roman amphitheater in Avenches.

Picture: PicSwiss.

The Celtic population became assimilated into Roman civilization during the first two centuries of our era. Peace and prosperity reigned. The first passes were opened, such as the Julier-, Splügen- and Oberalp pass. Several cities were founded as well, such as Augst (near Basel) and the capital of that time, Avenches (near the lake 'Lac de Morat' between Bern and Lausanne).

The peaceful period ended with the invasion of the Roman Empire by German Alemannians in 260. The Alps became temporary border provinces under military occupation. The Romans finally had to evacuate their Alpine territories around the year 400. The Alemannians did not manage to conquer Rhaetia (the current canton of Graubünden). The Rhaetian Romans who lived here had been settled in parts of current Austria as well, and offered great resistance against the Alemannians. They managed to keep their territory and lived autonomously for a long time. At this point the language Rhaeto-Romanic came into existence, which still is spoken in Graubünden. The Alemannians occupied the West, where Christian Burgundians finally settled. The Burgundians adopted the language Latin from the Romans. In the South a similar process took place.

The four languages that are currently spoken in Switzerland came into existence around this time. The invasion of the Alemannians caused the North to become completely German-speaking around the year 900. In the West, vulgar Latin evolved into a French dialect. The South stuck to Latin which gradually developed into Italian. The separated Graubünden stuck to its Rhaeto-Romanic.

The Franks occupied the Burgundian territory in 534, which resulted in several Frankish families ruling this region successively. The region finally became a part of a large empire that was divided into East Francia (Germany), West Francia (France) and Middle Francia (the bigger part of current Switzerland) by means of the Treaty of Verdun in 843. Eventually, the rulers of East and West Francia came in charge of Middle Francia. The kingdom of Burgundy came into being in the late 9^th century. West Switzerland and the French department of Savoie belonged to it. The German empire conquered the area in 1032. But its power declined, while that of the duke of Savoie increased. A number of dynasties slowly gained power in the North and East. The Austrian Habsburg family eventually ruled over parts of this area, which resulted into a lot of resistance. When the emperor of Habsburg died, some regions took their chance and met to enter into a permanent alliance in order to become independent; the cantons of Schwyz, Unterwalden and Uri formed the Swiss Confederation on August 1, 1291. This event turned out to be the birth certificate of current Switzerland, and August 1 is still a national holiday to be celebrated annually.

The cantons of Luzern, Zürich, Glarus, Zug and Bern acceded to the confederation between 1332 and 1353, so that the end result was a confederation of 8 cantons. The confederation endured attacks from Savoie and Burgundy, which flourished again. The successful confederation developed a tendency to expansion. It succeeded in ruling over Milan and the current canton of Ticino in 1513 and had entered into an alliance with Geneva and Graubünden.

In 1515, the confederation lost a battle against a combined force of the French and Venetians. This setback resulted into a redefinition of the objectives: the confederation no longer aimed at expansion, and it declared itself to be a neutral state. It was laid down in a 'perpetual' treaty with the French, which is still the basis of Swiss policy today.

The Swiss Reformation was launched in Zürich. The Catholics started their resistance in 1550. Catholic and Protestant cantons were at one another's throats for many years to come. When the Catholics were first defeated in 1712, the Treaty of Aarau resulted into freedom of religion and spreading power between the Catholic and Protestant cantons.

The industrialization began between 1700 and 1800. The textile industry flourished in the northern and eastern parts of the country, while the watch- and clock-making industry developed in the west. It made Switzerland the most highly industrialized country on the European continent. Scientists such as Albrecht von Haller made significant contributions to science. He was a doctor, poet and professor of anatomy, surgery and botany. Daniel Bernoulli and Leonhard Euler invented the dynamics laws for fluids and developed the first method to measure blood pressure.

Switzerland's neutrality remained intact until 12 January 1798, when the French army, commanded by Napoleon, invaded the Swiss Jura in the west. France was mainly interested in the Alpine passes, since they were of strategic importance for a direct route from Paris to Milan. However, the Swiss were not easy to negotiate with, and the Frenchmen decided to withdraw their troops in 1803. Six new cantons were added to the confederation and three others followed in 1815. The cantons received the advantage of a great extent of independence, which was laid down in a treaty.

Unfortunately, the treaty resulted in a lack of clarity, which was even strengthened by the many different languages and religions. A severe economical crisis started in 1845 followed by a potato blight which struck all of Europe. Another war broke out in 1847, which ended in a victory for the protestant general Dufour. The constitution of 1848 transformed Switzerland from a loose confederation into a unitary federal state. It is the oldest federal democracy in the world after the United States. The new constitution guaranteed freedom of domicile, freedom of religion; internal trade barriers were lifted. The precursor of the famous Swiss postcar, the horse post coach, started its services in 1849.

The democrats gained power in 1869. From now on, the government was elected directly by the people and all parliamentary bills had to be submitted to popular vote.

The construction of international railroads made it easy for neighboring countries to import cheap grain from other countries than Switzerland. This resulted in a difficult situation for the Swiss agricultural sector. The farmers managed to compensate the losses by joining together to form agricultural co-operatives and exporting dairy products like chocolate, condensed milk and cheese. The chemical industry and the machine-building industry developed and complemented the textile industry and watch- and clock-making industry. Railway building was a significant factor in this expansion in order to be able to export products quickly. The amount of track was more than doubled between 1865 and 1885, and the major achievement was the opening of the Gotthard tunnel in 1880. The horse post coaches were replaced by postcars from 1906.

Switzerland maintained its neutrality during the First World War between 1914 and 1918, although there were differing opinions among Swiss communities. The civilian army was mobilized which affected wages, while food prices doubled. This period shows a shift away from production towards services, which is still an important sector in Switzerland.

Switzerland also did not get involved in the Second World War between 1939 and 1945. Germany made clear that it did not appreciate a country with such a cultural diversity, as it did not fit their racist philosophy and propaganda. Certain Swiss politicians inclined towards a policy of conciliation with the Nazis. Censors tried to suppress journalistic resistance against the Nazis, and the granting of asylum to refugees was severely limited at the German's behest. Switzerland emphasized its ability to defend itself in order to prevent being attacked, and mobilized everyone eligible for militairy service. With a lot of difficulty Switzerland managed to maintain its neutrality again.

The Swiss government is established in the Bundeshaus in Bern.

Picture: PicSwiss.

In many respects, thriving switzerland can serve as an example to other countries. There are far-reaching measurements in order to protect the environment and living conditions, the services sector is of excellent quality, there is modern industry, a good network of transportation and the population has a great deal of influence on political decisions such as the construction of major infrastructural projects. However, in other areas, choices that have been made in surrounding countries are adopted by the Swiss rather late: it was not until 1971 that the Swiss choose to entitle woman to vote. The choice to be neutral and independant that had been made 500 years earlier resulted in a large majority of the population that voted against joining in the UN (United Nations) in 1986. Switzerland did accept to actively join some special agencies and UN-programs. One of the results was the establishment of the European UN headquarters in Geneva. A small majority of the population decided in 1992 not to participate in the EEA (European Economic Area) either, which has been confirmed by 77% of the population in March 2001. In 1960, Switzerland did join other countries that did not strive for a centralized European administration by participating in the EFTA (European Free Trade Assocation) with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Switzerland does not share the opinion of many other countries to have a single European currency. For the time being, the country holds on to its Swiss franc while surrounding countries are using the euro.

An indication of .

Switzerland today

Switzerland currently has 26 cantons: Aargau, Ausser-Rhoden, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Fribourg, Genève, Glarus, Graubünden, Inner-Rhoden, Jura, Luzern, Neuchâtel, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Sankt Gallen, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, Thurgau, Ticino, Uri, Wallis, Vaud, Zug and Zürich. All cantons together count as many as 2880 local authorities (reference date January 1, 2001). The number decreases as more authorities merge with each other. The capital city is Bern in the canton of the same name.

The Swiss cantons. The cantons of Bern, Wallis and Graubünden are the main points for attention on this website.

The industry mainly focuses on high-quality technology and little on mass production. Important sectors are microtechnology, biotechnology and pharmacy. Provision of services is a major source of income as well. The bank and insurance sector is an important part of it, as well as the tourist industry. Contributions to science are not limited to the 18^th century. A recent example is Kurt Wüthrich in December 2002, who was the 21^th employee of the ETH (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich) to win a Nobel prize. This sports trainer and scientist developed a method to analyze molecules which makes it possible to study prion protein, the cause of BSE (mad cow disease). Switzerland is also a major transit country for both passengers and freight between Northern and Southern Europe. The unemployment rate is low (2% of the labour force in 2000).

Member of the United Nations after all.

Picture: Keystone.

Swiss neutrality is subject of discussion once again. A bilateral agreement between Switzerland and the EU (European Union) entered into force on January 1, 2002. By that, many trading barriers between the involved countries were cleared. In March 2002, the Swiss people again got the chance to express their opinion on participating in the UN (United Nations). This time, 55% of the voters followed the advice of president Kaspar Villiger to vote for the membership. The UN welcomed her 190^th member on 11 September 2002, and added the Swiss flag to the flags in front of the headquarters of the UN in New York. President Villiger emphasized that Switzerland joins the UN as a neutral country, always in accordance with the wishes of the Swiss people but in the interest of global solidarity as well. "We are not an island on this planet", the president said. Further improvement of international collaboration is in sight since June 5, 2005, when 55% of the Swiss voters agreed to participate to the Schengen treaty. It allows Switzerland to simplify border checks as surrounding countries are Schengen members already, and checks on the external borders of Schengen are very strict. Switzerland will get access to the Schengen database, containing data about passenger travel and transportation of goods within the participating countries. Police and justice will be able to cooperate with their collegues in neighbouring countries in a better way. It will be easier to track down internationally operating criminals in Switzerland. Domestic safety will also benefit from this. Active participation to Schengen will probably start in 2008.

Sources

http://www.myswissalps.com/switzerland/switzerland-language.asp?lang=EN

http://official-swiss-national-languages.all-about-switzerland.info/swiss-people-mentality.html

http://www.myswissalps.com/switzerland/switzerland-transportation.asp?lang=EN

Friday 13 September 2013

Swiss Culture - Overview + Introduction