What famous people live in Switzerland. Switzerland is proud of this. Favorite dishes of the Swiss
The Internet often hosts themes "Country through the eyes of a Russian", "Curious facts about the country", etc. I have accumulated a certain amount of material on different countries, I will collect it in a bunch and show you as much as possible. It may be useful to some, but for many it will be just interesting.
So, the first country is Switzerland.
1. In Switzerland, one of the 7 members of the federal council is appointed in turn to the presidency. In 2011, this post is held by a woman, Mechel Calmy Rey (before that, there was also a woman). Theoretically, each minister can be president many times, there were also cases when it was not possible to become president. Appointments take place every year.
2. There are no million-plus cities in Switzerland, not even half a million.
3. Switzerland is home to one of the tallest concrete dams in the world, the Grand Dixence.
4. In Switzerland, the system of elections (or rather referendums) allows for a referendum every Sunday. In practice, this happens less often - several times a year, and without much excitement.
5. One such referendum prohibited the construction of new minarets.
6. In total, there are 6 minarets in the country, but they do not fulfill their main function (gathering for prayer) because of the law on silence. Switzerland bans construction of mosques
7. Coins in denominations from 5 centimes to 5 francs, banknotes - from 10 to 1000 francs. There are 100 centimes (FR) or rapen (German) in the franc, 1 franc is approximately 0.8 euros or 1 US dollar.
8. Switzerland is the only confederation in the world.
9. Switzerland has 4 official languages. The rarest, Romansh, is owned by 0.7% of the country's population.
10. In Switzerland, school starts at the age of 4, 4 days a day (Wednesday-day off).
11. In Switzerland, shops close at 7 pm and are closed on Sundays. Exceptions: Thursday open until 9, and small shops open as they please.
12. Switzerland has no access to either the sea or the ocean, which did not prevent it from once winning the Cup of America ocean regatta.
13. In the past few years, banking secrecy has been shaken. Swiss banks have been pressured to release some customer data to US and German authorities.
14. In Switzerland, alcohol is not sold in shops after 9 pm.
15. In Switzerland, only one city has a metro (Lausanne) and it is ground-based and without a driver.
16. They serve in the Swiss army almost all their lives, regularly going through weekly training sessions (about a year in total). The employer pays the regular salary during the training camp.
17. You can officially get rid of the army if you give 3% of all money earned before the age of 30 to the budget.
18. You can keep weapons after service, and the state encourages this. It is not uncommon to meet people with an overweight machine even in public transport.
19. Only citizens can have weapons and serve in law enforcement agencies.
20. Citizenship can be obtained after 12 years of residence in the country.
21. Switzerland consists of 26 cantons (territorial unit), the canton consists of communes.
22. Accordingly, laws (and taxes) are communal, cantonal and federal levels.
23. Switzerland began with 4 cantons, one of which (Schwyz) gave the country its name. As a result of the accession of various states to the confederation, the number increased to 25 (Geneva was the last to join). And in 1979, one canton split into two as a result of a referendum.
24. Inflation in Switzerland does not exceed 1% per year.
25. In Switzerland, half of the electricity is generated by hydroelectric power plants.
26. Switzerland has the longest tunnel in the world - the Gotthard base tunnel, 57 km. However, commissioning is scheduled for 2017. Among those built there is Saint-Gothard, which ranks 3rd in the world among automobiles - 17 km. Unlike the famous Mont Blanc tunnel (which is also shorter), the Swiss one is free (more precisely, it is included in the annual fee for using the entire autobahn system of the country). In the meantime, there is such a tunnel - Lötschberg. Its length is 34700 meters.
27. In Switzerland, education is free, including for foreigners. Private schools cost from 25 thousand francs a year.
28. Medicine is paid, insurance is mandatory.
29. Geneva airport is located in Switzerland, but there is a road leading to France, bypassing the land border (formally, the border passes at the airport).
30. And in Basel (Mulhouse), on the contrary, there is an airport in France and a road has been laid to Switzerland, which is considered the territory of Switzerland.
31. In the film GoldenEye, James Bond jumps from the 4th highest dam in Switzerland (Verzasca or Contra), where the highest banjo jumping point in the world is located.
32. In Switzerland, there is the highest railway station in Europe - Jungfraujoch.
33. According to the Legatum Prosperity Index, Switzerland has been ranked first in the world in terms of management quality for the last 3 years.
34. Suvorov made his passage through the Alps through the territory of Switzerland.
35. Switzerland has a huge number of headquarters of international organizations, such as the UN, Red Cross, WHO, WTO, CERN, etc. Sports: FIFA, FIBA, IOC, commercial ones are also pulling up: Nestle, Philip-Morris, Novartis, etc. d.
36. As part of the state program, drug addicts are given a dose, food and a place to sleep for free. It is believed that this is cheaper than counteracting wrongdoing on their part.
37. The most famous Swiss athlete is tennis player Roger Federer, the former number one in the world, and even now he is in the top players.
38. Christmas trees In Switzerland, you can throw away only 1 day a year - at the very beginning of January.
39. Small offerings to officials are actually legalized - for any certificate you need to pay at least 25 francs, they do it quickly.
40. To cut down a tree, you need to get permission from the authorities, even if you planted it yourself on your own land.
41. Swiss wine is almost unknown in the world, as everyone drinks it inside the country.
42. Swiss fondue and raclette dishes are very easy to prepare and are prepared literally on the table in the presence of guests.
43. In the Swiss city of Zermatt, petrol and diesel cars are completely banned, only electric cars are allowed.
44. For an address In Switzerland, not houses are numbered, but entrances (front doors). There are no apartment numbers - instead of them there are nameplates.
45. There are no homeless dogs and cats on the streets.
46. At some point in time, every new house had to have a bomb shelter, then the obligation was replaced by the payment of a tax, then this law was completely canceled, but the bomb shelters remained.
47. Apartment buildings usually have an equipped laundry room in the basement. Access to it is strictly on schedule for residents of the house.
48. Any company in Switzerland must have a Swiss director. There is even such a profession as a nominal hired director. Holders of Swiss passports can earn decent money doing nothing, but simply being a director in several companies.
49. In Switzerland, the world's first zero-star hotel opened in an anti-nuclear bunker.
50. Rapidshare's file hosting servers are located in an underground nuclear bunker in Switzerland.
51. The country is so conveniently located that you can go to fill the refrigerator in Germany, dine on marine reptiles in Paris or for a sale in Milan.
52. Owls have a hard time because all institutions and shops close and open early.
53. 4 official languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh. So far I have only seen Romansh on TV, they are given an hour a day for broadcasts. Many Swiss speak two or three foreign languages.
54. At present, a quarter of the country's population consists of foreigners, in the canton of Zurich every third foreigner, and in Geneva already read every second. And in 1940, there were only 5% of those who came in large numbers. In total, 8 million people live permanently in the country.
55. The most numerous nations (thousand people): Italians (287), Germans (263), Portuguese (213), Serbs (122), French (96). Russians 12, Ukrainians 5, Belarusians 1, which in total is comparable to the number of East Asians (18).
56. At the same time, the country is still one of the most difficult in Europe for the average non-European to obtain a residence permit and citizenship. 10 years you need to sit on type B, renewing it every year for 100 CHF, then finally give C (perpetual), and after 12 years you have the right to start the naturalization procedure. There are exceptions, but this is generally the case.
57. Russians here are divided mainly into three groups: “marriage with the country”, self-employed workers and the rich. They don't like each other and don't interact much.
58. “I flew to Zurich and thought: how many foreigners! Then it turned out that they were just speaking Swiss German.” Dialects of German are a challenge for foreigners living in the German part. But if desired, the dialect learns. The method is simple: (1) listen a lot, (2) figure it out from a book with basic principles, (3) try to speak, despite the fact that at first, of course, hearing yourself is very funny.
59. It is important at least to learn to understand the dialect. Yes, the polite Swiss will speak standard German to you, but you need to see the joy on their faces when you tell them that you understand the dialect. According to them, ordinary German is the same as a foreign language for them.
60. But even with a dialect, the way to the heart of a Swiss is not easy to find. Most of them have few friends, and even those from school.
61. Once in one article, Switzerland was called the "ashtray of Europe." There are indeed many smokers here, despite the ban on indoor smoking and the ever-increasing prices of cigarettes. Now a pack costs about 7.5 CHF.
62. The Swiss are lovers of herbs, and she is picky here.
63. The country has an ideal public transport system: you can get to any locality without a car. At the same time, you can calculate your path with an accuracy of up to a minute, and in 95% of cases it will be so. This saves a lot of time. The train must have a toilet and a place / car for bicycles.
64. The transport network in cities is very dense, for example, in the city of Zurich with a population of 400,000 as many as 15 tram routes, 2 new ones have been introduced over the past 4 years.
65. The country has 3 international airports: Zurich, Geneva and Basel/Mühlhausen (24, 13 and 5 million passengers in 2011), as well as 11 regional ones. The passenger flow of the Zurich airport is comparable to the flow to Domodedovo or Sheremetyevo, despite the fact that the population of the whole country is half the population of the Moscow agglomeration. At the airport, among other things, there are many shops (with extended opening hours) and completely regular prices. The journey from the center of Zurich to the airport takes 6 minutes by train. This creates certain inconveniences for people living in the neighborhood: at exactly 6 in the morning, planes begin to buzz over the houses with a frequency of one or two minutes.
66. There is a whole waste disposal system. (1) Rubbish may only be disposed of in special chargeable bags. (2) You can save on this if you sort your garbage: paper, cardboard, garden waste, compost, glass, metal, plastic bottles, batteries, light bulbs... There are different collection containers and collection schedules for everything. You can also give away old clothes and shoes every three months.
67. For almost all services, whether it be a doctor or a repairman, the Internet or a cell phone, payment occurs after the service is rendered and through an invoice sent to your postal address. Some accounts can be switched to automatic mode by linking them to a bank account. Even online purchases can often be paid not with a credit card, but after receiving the goods. Of course, the Swiss post also works like a Swiss watch: the ordered electrical appliance can be sent to you in a day and sometimes even with free shipping. There are difficulties with orders from Europe: the post office charges a decent customs fee.
68. By the age of 30, an ordinary working Swiss without a higher education can afford to take out a mortgage. Another thing is that there is an opinion that having your own house is quite expensive, responsibly, ties you to a certain place and is comparable in terms of expenses to renting the same house, about which you will absolutely not have a headache.
69. It is popular to play sports here and almost every Swiss is semi-professional in some area and is a member of a sports association.
70. There is a private air ambulance, REGA, founded in 1952. 60% of funding comes from voluntary donations. There are almost 11 thousand helicopters in the park.
71. Switzerland is a mountainous country, on the territory there are about 50 four-thousander peaks. Mountains occupy almost 70% of the entire territory. At the same time, wonderful roads have been laid in the mountains and tunnels have been drilled. The longest road tunnel - Gotthard, the third longest in the world, is 17 kilometers. Often there are harsh mountain fogs on one side of it, and the bright Italian sun on the other.
72. Two important concepts in Swiss society are Dankbarkeit (gratitude) and Respekt (respect). The first one is simpler: if you took something that was done for you for granted, then most likely you did not thank you very much. For Russians with a categorical imperative in grammar, it can be difficult to adjust the degree of gratitude at first. Respekt means the fulfillment of certain social norms, which a foreigner, at first, naturally does not know. For example, it's disrespectful if you're visiting and in a hurry to just say goodbye and leave. Saying goodbye should begin at least 15 minutes before the intended departure. It is disrespectful to bring up certain topics in a conversation. It can even be disrespectful to spontaneously put horns on a photograph.
73. The Swiss joke quite caustically, sparing neither relatives nor friends.
74. There is rarely a washing machine in apartments: it is expensive to connect it. Therefore, the washing room is equipped in the basement. If the apartment is cheaper, everyone is washed in a common machine, more expensive - the machine can be individual. There is a plan for laundry, which, depending on the neighbors, has to be signed up a month in advance. Also, sometimes you need to write threatening warnings to those who do not take out their underwear on time and climb out of the plan, it happens that you just throw wet soapy things into the basket.
75. Products in stores are mostly expensive, especially meat, fish and fruits. German Lidl and Aldi represent the lowest price category, followed by Denner, Migros and Coop. Moreover, the price-quality ratio is not required to be fulfilled, you need to know where it is better to buy.
76. It is mandatory for everyone to have health insurance, which costs about 250 CHF per month. A visit to a specialist with an examination on devices and analyzes will cost from 300 to 500 CHF, an appointment is usually a couple of months, if not something critical. The insurance covers almost everything, except for the dentist, a filling will cost 500 CHF.
And for all diseases here are Aspirin, Neocitran and sucking tablets for throat and cough.
77. There are about 10 universities in the country, where studying is quite cheap, per year for a foreigner an average of 2000 CHF for a bachelor's or master's degree. True, they are going to increase the fee for undergraduate studies, believing that Swiss education is indecently cheap. The auditoriums are well equipped: a computer with the Internet and a projector almost everywhere. And of course, many laboratories for science students, huge libraries (mostly free and with free access for everyone).
78. In summer, the most popular pastime here is roasting meat in nature or in the garden. In almost every forest you can find a specially equipped place for fires and tables. A cloud of all kinds of discounts on marinated meat is offered. In winter, everyone goes to the mountains, respectively, to ski, board or sled. In the last couple of years, winters have been abnormally warm, snow on the two-thousanders falls poorly.
79. Most of the days off in the year are church holidays.
80. The motto of Switzerland is very musketeer: “One for all, and all for one!”.
81. The country is known for its notorious neutrality, which is not at all explained by love for the world, but by the fact that for this small country, bordering on such military-active countries as France, Germany, Italy and Austria, there was simply no other way out. Neutrality consists in non-intervention in any armed conflicts. Neutrality does not leave Switzerland a chance to win Eurovision.
82. At the same time, Switzerland has an army that functions according to the principle “Switzerland has no army, Switzerland is an army!”. Every male Swiss is obliged to repay a debt: military service, alternative service or money. At the same time, if you leave to serve, the work will be kept for you, and as a reward they will also give you a personal machine gun home.
83. There are almost no minerals in the country, the villagers raise livestock, plant grain, potatoes, carrots and corn, grow fruits in some places and make wine. In stores, everything grown, harvested and slaughtered in Switzerland stands out and costs more.
84. Despite the popular belief that Switzerland lives off its banks, this is not the case: the percentage of high-tech products in GDP is at the level of Germany and higher than that of Japan. However, 70% of the population is employed in the service sector: trade, healthcare, education, finance and insurance.
85. There is little tasty and healthy food in traditional Swiss cuisine: they eat mostly cheese dishes, various sausages and potatoes. The ones that everyone hears are Fondue (melted cheese in a pot mixed with wine, bread is dipped in it), Raklett (melted cheese on a spatula with jacket potatoes, pickles and fried pieces of meat), Rösti (a type of fried potato), Älplermagronen (fried mixture of pasta, potatoes, cheese, cream and onions with various additives), Sausisson (healthy sausage with lots of fatty meat inside, served with red cabbage with chestnuts). They also like to eat asparagus.
86. Elections and other voting take place by mail: an envelope with ballots and information is sent, it must be filled out and sent back before the appointed time. At the same time, political agitation can be very cruel: when they voted for some law on the entry of foreigners, Switzerland was portrayed as trampled down by the black feet of those who came in large numbers.
87. There are many bureaucratic institutions, you need to know where to get which certificate. It helps that they work quite quickly and smoothly, for example, changing a residence permit takes a maximum of a couple of hours: sign the form with the secretary at work and call in the Kreisbüro district office to give the form and pay the fee. A new permit will be sent by registered mail within two weeks.
88. Cities organically coexist with nature: 10 minutes from the center there can be a pasture with cows, rivers are full of bread-hungry ducks, a fat swan walks on the bridge in the center on Sunday morning, and herons fly over the houses. Perhaps the most unpleasant animal here is the forest cockroach, it looks exactly like an ordinary red cockroach, but it is not afraid of the light and flies with might and main.
89. A popular tradition is a carnival procession, in different cities at different times. Everyone makes masks and costumes for themselves and passes through the center, dancing, scaring the kids and playing musical instruments.
90. When you first come to Switzerland from Russia, it seems that everything is so small, small.
91. Dadaism was founded in the Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich, which is why the picture gallery flaunts one of the most amazing paintings by Max Ernst. Also, the artist Giger, who came up with the screen image of Aliens, is Swiss, and there is his museum in Gruyère.
92. The Swiss are masters of building cable cars and high mountain trains. A gear train traveling at an incline of 48 degrees to a height of 2000 meters is located on Mount Pilatus in the canton of Obwalden.
93. The country actively supports scientific research in the fields of nanotechnology, informatics, space and climate. Also recently, the Higgs boson may have been discovered at the Large Hadron Collider. It is not difficult to get a postgraduate position with a good Russian education and decent English. Here, they still believe that the Russians are very smart and strong in technical disciplines.
94. In general, the level of understanding of mathematical disciplines by students is not high. At the exams in mathematics and statistics (the subject was taken voluntarily) in the magistracy, they write such things that a first-year bachelor in Russia will be ashamed. The reason, it seems to me, is that students choose their own curriculum and many important areas remain very chaotically mastered. The best knowledge is shown, as a rule, by the Chinese.
95. It is customary for people to help each other. Someone will definitely help to bring and take out the stroller on the bus (it’s not a shame to ask about it directly), load heavy suitcases, hang the bike on a hook on the ceiling in the train. There are many low-floor buses and trams for the disabled, and if anything happens, the driver will come out and help.
96. The Swiss Post is also a financial institution. There you can open an account on more favorable terms than in commercial banks, however, all the nishtyaks operate mainly within the country. You can also pay with their card on Swiss websites.
97. Here they calmly treat non-traditional orientation. There is a gay and a lesbian in the city council of the city of Zurich. Every year in August, the Love Parade takes place. It's perfectly normal to see an uncle in the city center in a red suit, green platform sandals and a bright manicure. Not that there are many of them, it's just that everyone doesn't care.
98. Kindergartens for children, according to rumors, are very expensive, so often women after 30 get married, give birth to several children in a row and sit with them. At the same time, there are no problems moving with children, there are changing tables and children's rooms everywhere.
99. Prostitution and torrenting are legal. On TV, after 12, they only play advertisements for all kinds of establishments. The state is worried in every possible way about the conditions of street labor of priestesses of love.
100. Switzerland is recognized as the most mountainous country in Europe. Mountains occupy 2/3 of the entire territory of this country
101. The best and most expensive watches in the world are made in Switzerland. Of course, brands are on everyone's lips - Rolex, Chopard, Breguet, Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Tissot, Swatch, etc. By the way, the first wrist watch was invented by the dude Patek Philippe in 1868.
102. Switzerland makes the best chocolate in the world. The first chocolate bar was produced in 1819
103. The Swiss Army Knife is also the most famous penknife in the world. By the way, it is made red in order to make it easier to find it in the snow or grass if you drop it.
104. Yodel (such lousy singing without words) has long been used by Swiss shepherds as a means of communication
105. Wherever you are in Switzerland, there will be a swimming pool within 13 miles of you
106. Switzerland is in second place in Europe in terms of life expectancy (on the first - Sweden)
107. The most famous Swiss dish in the world is fondue. Initially, fondue was the food of the peasants, who thus ate the remnants of bread and cheese.
108. Switzerland is located in the center of Europe, but is not part of the European Union
109. The world-famous company Davidoff was founded in Switzerland by an emigrant from Kyiv
110. Switzerland is one of the richest countries in the world. It is also the largest financial center
111. 15% of the country's income comes from tourism
112. The Swiss Guard must be at least 174 cm tall and must not wear a mustache, beard or long hair. And during the service, he can not marry. Exceptions are rarely made and only if the bride of the Guardsman is a staunch Catholic
113 . Switzerland is a paradise for mushroom pickers. White mushrooms, of which there are a great many, no one collects and does not eat)
114 . The Swiss are the most inventive nation in the world. There are 2,286 patents per million inhabitants of Switzerland. The closest competitors are the Dutch (1427 patents per million population), South Koreans (1139) and Japanese (1118). It is believed that increased ingenuity is associated with the lack of minerals and access to the sea in Switzerland, which does not allow the development of either serious industry or trade. You have to lean on ingenuity.
Who else knows something interesting about Switzerland? And who can correct something in these facts?
Switzerland is a country of mountains and lakes.
Switzerland is a country where peace and tranquility reign in a very small area. Here the most stable and indestructible banks in the world, the most accurate clock, the strongest education system for both students and employers. Calm cows graze in the meadows, eating ecologically clean grass, and give delicious milk, from which they subsequently make the most delicious cheese and chocolate in the world.
Switzerland is the ideal purity of nature.
In such a small area, there are four official languages at the same time: French, German, Italian, Romansh (Swiss Romansh). Living in this country is calm and comfortable. In the case of immigration, after a not very calm life in other European countries, you may even become a little bored from calm Switzerland. Here the state of peace never leaves. The people live in peace and harmony. This is what Switzerland is famous for all over the world.
Switzerland sightseeing map.
Top 10 safest countries in the world.
Switzerland is famous for its security. According to a study, Geneva, Bern and Zurich are among the most peaceful and safe cities in the world. Although at the present time, spending on the country's defense industry is increasing every year, arms exports per capita are also increasing.
Switzerland has the highest rate among Western European countries. Accordingly, we can conclude that access to weapons in the country is quite easy. But at the same time, there is the lowest level of crime and political terrorism.
Fifth place in the Top 20 most peaceful nations.
View of Zermatt valley and Matterhorn peak at sunrise, Switzerland
Here is a good, kind, peaceful and very hospitable people. But I would like to note that it was in 2013, after the export of weapons to the country was significantly increased, that it dropped to fifth place. Prior to that, starting from 1815, it steadily occupied the fourth position.
Thanks to its peacefulness and hospitality, Switzerland is one of the most attractive countries for immigration. It is here that different peoples of the world can live peacefully on the same territory. This is what Switzerland is good for visitors. There are no quarters for Russians, quarters for Ukrainians and citizens of other countries. You, being a native of any country, can absolutely calmly live on the same landing with the Swedes. And, believe me, no one will look at you “crookedly”.
Until many decades ago, Switzerland was already the most attractive haven for great exiles. Here the spiritual wounds of the famous philosopher were healed Jean Jacques Rousseau when in France he was sentenced to be burned for undermining religious principles in his books Emile and The Social Contract.
A famous actor found shelter in Switzerland Charlie Chaplin, after the FBI banned him from entering the United States. He and his family settled in a small Swiss village, where he lived for 25 years, raised four children and ended his days here. And who knows who else this calm country will shelter.
Swiss banks
Swiss banks are modern structures equipped with the best security systems in the world. After all, it is not in vain that international figures keep their money here, because they can be calm, because there is simply no more reliable refuge for their funds. Swiss banks can be safely compared to the Swiss Alps, they are just as unshakable and calm.
Even unclaimed deposits will lie here untouched until the end of days. Who knows whose treasures these immovable walls keep and what else Switzerland is rich in. They are never in danger of ruin, because they do not participate in financial transactions, respectively, and do not take risks.
High level of education
Among other things, Switzerland is famous for the highest level of education. Swiss universities have produced far more than one Nobel laureate. Among them: Albert Einstein, Wilhelm Roentgen, Charles Guillaume, Kofi Annon, Charles Goba and many others. Teaching methods have been developed and strengthened over decades, combining the best features of many European universities.
Many famous personalities from the world of politics, culture, etc. strive to educate their children here. After all, every parent strives to give their child the best education, so to speak, “pave the way to the future”, because with a diploma from a Swiss university, unlimited opportunities open up for a further career .
Higher education here can be obtained in many areas: economics, linguistics, engineering and the humanities. Of course, it is impossible to forget about the restaurant, hotel and tourism business. This branch of education in Switzerland has no equal in the world, because this country is considered the birthplace of such a business. A number of reference areas in Swiss universities must include finance and banking.
No wonder the stability of the banks of this country is recognized all over the world. Medical education is highly valued, but it is quite difficult for a foreign student to enter this faculty. With a diploma from a Swiss university, all doors will open for you, because this education is known and highly appreciated by employers all over the world.
Swiss chocolate
If you switch from serious conversations to delicious conversations, then you definitely want to talk about Swiss chocolate. This is the national pride of the Swiss. The recipe for this delicious chocolate was finally developed in the 17th century and has survived to this day. True, then chocolate was sold on bottling and was considered a medicine that could be bought strictly by prescription. In the form of tiles, it began to be produced only from 1819. Since then, chocolate Switzerland has become famous all over the world.
Swiss chocolate is made only by hand and exclusively by men. Women in such a "sacrament" are not allowed. Very popular for foreigners are "chocolate tours", where you can visit the production and be sure to taste the most delicious chocolate in the world.
And a very important natural factor that inspires calmness among the inhabitants and guests of Switzerland is the silent, impregnable, quiet and indestructible Alps. Here you can sit in a small "chalet" on the lake or on the embankment of Montreux, in the shade of palm trees and admire the snow-capped peaks of the Alps.
The tourist infrastructure of the country is very developed, these are expensive hotels and a high level of service. Well, ski slopes and glaciers attract winter sports enthusiasts from all over the world. Skiing or boarding in Switzerland is very prestigious. In terms of the level of ski slopes, this country has no equal anywhere in the world.
Switzerland is a country that must be seen and the calmness that reigns in the air must be felt.
W Velcro- this beautiful accessory was invented in the mid-40s of the last century by the Swiss engineer George de Mestral. The idea came to him after a hunt: he returned home covered in seeds that stuck to his boots, clothes and dog. After he examined them under a microscope to figure out what was what, he created the Velcro fastener. This material is heterogeneous in composition, consists of velvet and hooks, and resembles small hooks that seeds use.
Cellophane- another material of complex composition, combining cellulose and French diathan, was created in 1908 by Jacques Brandenberger, who saw how a client poured wine on a tablecloth in a restaurant. After that, Brandenberger began to look at waterproof fabric, but then he discovered that the cellulose material that he sprayed onto the fabric could be easily separated from it in the form of thin sheets. Then he realized that he had discovered something more.
swiss army knife- invented by Carl Elsener and named after his mother Victoria Victorinox (Victoria plus inox - stainless steel). The Swiss officer's knife, since its inception in the 1890s, has evolved from a simple knife to something that includes a rich arsenal - from the common corkscrew to such very modern additions as LED lights and MP3 players.
direct democracy- despite the fact that the ancient Greeks are considered the founders of the concept of democracy, it was founded by the Swiss Confederation in 1291, which introduced the principles of direct democracy at a time when monarchs still ruled everywhere in Europe. Today, popular initiatives and the referendums they generate are a special part of the Swiss heritage.
Helvetica font is one of the most popular typefaces ever created. It was developed in 1957 by Max Miedinger and Eduard Hoffmann. The classic Helvetica and its many variations are known for their crisp, slashed lines. By the way, the New York Museum of Modern Art in 2001 even arranged a 50th anniversary of Helvetica for the popularity of the typeface. And not many fonts have their own exhibitions in art museums,
Absinthe- although most of the drink is drunk by the French, the anise spirit of absinthe originated in the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel. The "Green Fairy" was at one time all the rage in drinking establishments throughout Europe, until its consumption was eventually banned in several countries due to the narcotic nature and associated anti-social behavior the drink was blamed for. But in recent years, absinthe is experiencing a rebirth.
LSD- Hippies, artists, and other psychedelic adventurers can thank Albert Hofmann of Talence for creating yet another psychotropic substance, lysergic acid diethylamide, better known as LSD (or simply acid). She was born in the Sandoz laboratory in 1938. By the way, Bicycle Day (April 19, 1943) is also celebrated every year as the day when a doctor first experimented with LSD on a person - on himself.
Muesli. Not many people can boast of having a porridge named after them. Muesli, known in Switzerland as Birchermüesli, was created by the Swiss doctor Maximilian Bercher-Benner for patients at his sanatorium in Zurich. The original version includes a lot more fruit and is topped with orange juice, unlike today's heavy boxes of cereal mixes that are served with milk. During the healthy eating cult of the 1970s, muesli became a worldwide sensation.
Internet time. By allocating time zones, the Swiss company Swatch divided the day into 1000 .beats (beats), each .beats is equal to 1 minute 24.6 seconds. But while it's not exactly mainstream, we have to acknowledge the logic and ingenuity of the Swiss firm that brought change to the world we know.
And of course - milk chocolate. In the late 1800s, Swiss Daniel Piet solved a problem that had long plagued chocolate makers by using condensed milk instead of regular milk. This gave a sweet taste to dark chocolate and made it popular in Europe. Milk farmers are still very grateful to him.
There are many more things in the world that can surprise even the most unimpressive people. A selection of random facts about different countries of the world.
The area of the Australian Alps, which is covered with snow every year, is larger than Switzerland. That's right, the Australian Alps!
The city of Baarle-Hertog is divided into 24 separate sections between Belgium and the Netherlands. The borders run through the streets and even divide the houses into two parts!
Chile has a government-funded UFO research organization.
In Denmark, you are never more than 50 kilometers from the sea.
A girl in Egypt was named Facebook because her parents wanted to celebrate the significance of the 2011 Egyptian revolution.
When Hitler traveled to France to visit the newly captured Paris, the citizens cut the cables of the elevator on the Eiffel Tower, so that he had to walk up to the very top.
Greece is the only country in the world with twice the number of tourists than its population.
Budapest made Elvis Presley an honorary citizen of Hungary in 2011 because he brought the 1957 Hungarian uprising to the attention of the American public.
Indian troops have contributed more to UN peacekeeping missions than any other country.
The average train delay in Japan is 18 seconds.
The chimney of the Kazakhstan State District Power Plant-2 in Ekibastuz is the highest in the world - 419.7 meters.
Throughout its history, Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, has been destroyed and rebuilt at least seven times.
Despite the fact that Monaco is famous for its casinos, citizens of the country are prohibited from gambling.
The best-selling drink in Oman is Mountain Dew.
Poland is the world's largest exporter of amber.
In Qatar, it is forbidden to show the soles of the feet or the soles of the shoes.
Timișoara in Romania was the first to be completely lit by electric lights. They were installed in 1884.
The national animal of Scotland is the unicorn.
One in eight people in the United States has worked at McDonald's at some point in their lives.
There are four sacred animals in Vietnam. Three of them, the dragon, the phoenix and the unicorn, are mythical, but the real one is the tortoise.
Wales has more castles per square mile than any other European country.
After hyperinflation in 2008, Zimbabwe began issuing $100 trillion banknotes. They have since abandoned their currency.
1687 can be considered the year of the beginning of relations between Switzerland (then still the Republic of Geneva) and Russia (in those days - the Moscow kingdom), when the magistrate of Geneva and Tsar Ivan Alekseevich exchanged diplomatic letters.
Soon, from the end of the 18th century, Switzerland became very popular among Russians. Moreover, it did not matter who the Russian was by the nature of his activity, and what political views he held. This beautiful alpine country was visited by travelers, emigrants, kings, revolutionaries, people who wanted to get a higher education came here, as well as those who just wanted to relax and improve their health. Such eminent Russians as Ivan Alekseevich Bunin (1870 - 1953), Valery Yakovlevich Bryusov (1873 - 1924) And Marina Ivanovna Tsvetaeva (1892 - 1941).
“So, I am already in Switzerland, in the country of picturesque nature, in the land of freedom and prosperity! It seems that the local air has something enlivening in itself, ”wrote it Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin (1766 - 1826) in Letters from a Russian Traveler.
In Karamzin's time, the Caucasus had not yet been conquered, and therefore they went to the Alps for mountain beauties and healing mountain air. And even a century later, the Swiss Alps were still loved by holidaymakers. Writer and philosopher Dmitry Sergeevich Merezhkovsky (1866 - 1941) with his wife Zinaida Gippius, after emigrating, they often came to Switzerland, where they breathe “the air of another Caucasus”. I would like to note that today the resorts of this beautiful country have not lost their popularity. 
The local nature clearly made a good impression on the Russians. Cities pleased with their colors, and the Swiss - with their love of life. Especially romantic places in Switzerland attracted people of art. From memories Matilda Adamovna-Feliksovna-Valerievna Kshesinskaya (1872 - 1971), the famous prima ballerina of the St. Petersburg ballet, who arrived in St. Moritz in December 1912 to visit her future husband, Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich: “Andrei met me at the station in St. Moritz, and we rode in a sleigh with a pair of horses and bells to the hotel "Kulm", where he stayed and where they prepared rooms for me. St. Moritz made a charming impression on me: everything is in deep snow, the sun shines and warms like in summer, the whole city is like a toy, and everyone walks around in multi-colored sweatshirts and scarves, which gives the picture a cheerful flavor. Andrey and I had lovely rooms that made up, as it were, a separate apartment overlooking the skating rink and the distant valley.
Matilda Kshesinskaya is not alone in her enthusiastic opinion about the beauties of the Alps. In January 1912, they rest in Arosa, a resort town located between Hur and Davos, Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov (1873 - 1943) and his wife. N. A. Rachmaninova recalls: “We decided to go on vacation to Switzerland, to Arosa. We liked Arosa very much and we stayed there all January. It was warm in the sun and 17 degrees cold in the shade. Sergei Vasilyevich promised me that he would not ride a sleigh on steep roads, on which two people had died to death shortly before our arrival. 
And now he comes all in the snow without a hat ... He could not resist and rolled down on a sleigh, losing his hat along the way. Thank God it went well. Then we often went sledding with him along the beautiful but safe roads of Arosa. What a wonderful air it was. Striking is the sunrise, when the first rays appeared from behind the mountains.”
The main city of Central Switzerland, Lucerne, was especially popular. It is located on the shores of the beautiful Firwaldstet Lake. The most famous Russian place in Lucerne is the hotel “Schweitzerhof” standing on the embankment. In the summer of 1857 he stayed there. Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (1828 - 1910) and it was here that he began writing the famous story “Lucerne”: “Last night I arrived in Lucerne and stayed at the best hotel here, the Schweitzerhof. Lucerne seemed beautiful to Tolstoy. According to him, he found silence, solitude and tranquility here.
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (1821 - 1881) conceived and wrote his novel The Idiot during his stay in Geneva. This famous literary work describes the local landscapes. Contemporaries of the writer in some characters of his novel could guess those who were next to the writer in Switzerland.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) in 1877 he went to Switzerland. He visited Geneva and then lived for quite some time in Clarens, a city on Lake Geneva. The operas Eugene Onegin and Joan of Arc were written there.
A few years later, in November 1884, the composer came to rest in Davos, from where he wrote to Nadezhda von Meck: “Yesterday I finally arrived in Davos ... The place consists of a number of excellent and crowded hotels and several private villas. In this wilderness there are a lot of first-class shops, a theater and its own newspaper, all kinds of entertainment establishments, such as the railway, Russian mountains, shooting gallery, etc. The winter is completely Russian.”
Foreigners were admitted to the University of Zurich without exams. Among his students was Anatoly Vasilievich Lunacharsky (1875 - 1933). In 1892, while still a high school student, he joined an illegal student Marxist organization and therefore even then was considered politically unreliable. As a result, in the certificate at the time of graduation, he was given a four in behavior. At that time, this blocked the way for continuing education in Russia. Therefore, Lunacharsky leaves for Switzerland and becomes a student at the University of Zurich, where he receives a law degree.
In the new century, Lunacharsky repeatedly visited Switzerland. His first poems were published in a Russian newspaper published in Bern in 1905. Ten years later, Lunacharsky again finds himself in Switzerland and for the next 2 years he lives here almost without a break, working as an editor for the emigre press and studying the education system of a multilingual country.
Not only those who could not do it in their homeland for political reasons came to study at the University of Zurich from Russia. In tsarist Russia, the doors of all higher educational institutions were closed to girls. In 1847, in Zurich, women received the right to attend university lectures. In the same place, in 1866, the first of them to receive a doctoral degree was a student of the medical faculty from the Russian Empire Nadezhda Prokofievna Suslova (1843 - 1918). Moreover, Nadezhda Suslova is the first female doctor in Europe, it was she who opened the way for other women to the world of medicine.
Unable to attend lectures at the Medical and Surgical Academy in her homeland, even as a volunteer, Nadezhda Suslova, on the advice of professors I.M. Sechenov and S.P. Botkina leaves for Switzerland, in Zurich, where she seeks permission to enroll her in the medical faculty of the University of Zurich.
Suslova brilliantly defended her surgical dissertation and in 1867, the first woman in Russia and Europe, received the degree of doctor of medicine, surgery and obstetrics.
Shortly after returning to her homeland, in 1870, Nadezhda Suslova moved to Nizhny Novgorod, where she worked as a doctor for many years. Dr. Suslova enjoyed great respect and love among the people of Nizhny Novgorod. In addition to receiving patients at home, she worked for many years in a maternity hospital in Nizhny Novgorod. One of the streets of this city bears her name.
The spirit of university freedom and the literature banned in Russia, which was available in abundance in Zurich, contributed to the growth of revolutionary sentiments in the colony of Russian students. At the beginning of the last century, Zurich became one of the centers of Russian revolutionary emigration. Its most famous representative is Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870 - 1924). He lived with Krupskaya in a house on Spiegelglass. Lenin spent most of his time in the libraries of the city. It is said that in his spare time he liked to ride with his wife on the Zurichberg mountain, lie on the grass and eat Swiss chocolate. Already after the revolution, a considerable number of Russians arrived in the country, fleeing from the Bolsheviks.
The center of social life of the Russian colony of Montreux is the Orthodox Church of the Great Martyr Barbara in the nearby town of Vevey. It was built in 1878 Count Peter Pavlovich Shuvalov (1824 - 1900) in memory of her daughter Varvara Orlova, who died here in childbirth. She is buried behind the church.
The most famous Russian who lived in Montreux is Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov (1899 - 1977). Here he spent the last 17 years of his life. His grave is in Clarens.
Nabokov liked Switzerland: he first visited here as a child and since then, until the end of his days, he repeatedly returned here. According to him, in these places he found peace and kindness, beauty and magic. Throughout his life, he managed to travel almost the entire country.
The writer decided to finally move from America to Europe after the release of Lolita. The success of the book allowed him to leave the university chair and devote himself entirely to literature.
Nabokov chose a place where to settle for a long time. Already when the move took place, he said half in jest that the main reason that brought him to Switzerland was the desire to be closer to the Alpine butterflies. The writer was seriously engaged in entomology and even discovered several new species of insects. For example, one of them today bears the name “Nabokov Blue”.
In addition, the move allowed Nabokov and his wife to be closer to their son Dmitry, the famous opera singer, and the writer's sister, Elena Sikorskaya, who lived in Geneva.
In Switzerland, Nabokov met the famous film actor Peter Ustinov, who advised him on the Montreux Palace Hotel, which offers a picturesque view of Lake Geneva. This waterfront hotel became his home until his death.
In the vicinity of the city of Montreux, another no less famous Russian composer lived for a long time. Igor Fedorovich Stravinsky (1882 - 1971). There he wrote one of his most famous works, The Rite of Spring. One of the streets in Clarens is named after this: Rue du Sacre du Printemps (Street of the Sacred Spring). A concert hall in Montreux (Auditorium Strawinsky) is also named after Stravinsky.
Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin (1832 - 1898)- one of the most gifted Russian landscape painters, painter, draftsman and engraver-aquaphorist. In 1858 he received a large silver medal for a view of Valaam, in 1859 a small gold medal for a landscape from the vicinity of St. Petersburg and, finally, in 1860 a large gold medal for two views of the Kukko area, on Valaam. Acquiring with this last award the right to travel abroad as a pensioner of the academy, he went to Munich in 1861, visited the workshops of famous artists there, and then, in 1863, moved to Zurich, where, under the guidance of Professor Koller, who was then considered one of the best portrayers of animals, copied and painted the latter from nature. In Zurich, Shishkin tried for the first time to engrave with strong “royal” vodka. From here he made an excursion to Geneva in order to get acquainted with the works of Didet and Calama.
Switzerland is not only chocolate, cheese, watches and banks. It is comfortable for those who are looking for peace and solitude. Romantics are captivated by the beauty of alpine nature. Those who come with poor health feel relieved. Many Russians came here. And more will come. After all, you can't help but like Switzerland.