Switzerland and its bench culture Whether by the woods, lakes, on the mountain slopes or in the city parks: wherever you go in Switzerland, you are never too far from a bench. The bench is not just a handy place to sit; it is also a policy tool. The bench is at the interface between keeping up appearances and having fun in public areas. DENISE LACHAT It is reasonable to assume that a person would not spend hours standing on a street corner observing the passers-by. However, a person doing exactly that while sitting on a bench would barely merit a second glance. In fact, this person could even engage in conversation with complete strangers, talk freely and get to know people. That’s why older, single people sometimes spend whole afternoons on the bench at the bus stop. “People like to sit near the action,” says Sabina Ruff, who is in charge of the social environment in the town of Frauenfeld in Thurgau. She mentions Bullingerplatz in Zurich and the Zollhaus terrace, also in Zurich. “You have trains going there, bicycles, pedestrians and cars too. Sechseläutenplatz in Zurich is another good example: it has lots of chairs for people to place where they wish to sit.” The social aspect The bench is indeed a place for socialising, confirms Renate Albrecher. The sociologist should know – she works as a research assistant at the Laboratory of Urban Sociology at ETH Lausanne and has founded an association to promote Switzerland’s bench culture. This association maps the locations of benches in Switzerland and shares information on benches that people generally don’t know about, supported by many likeminded people who upload their photos to the platform. Albrecher says that the first Swiss benches were located at crossroads and stations – in other words, places to watch people coming and going. As tourism grew, benches were placed wherever there was a good view to encourage visitors to come. One of the first tourist benches was at the famous Giessbach waterfalls in the canton of Berne. It enabled people to contemplate wild nature, which was something of a motif for artists at the time. Moreover, as hiking trails emerged in tandem with the appearance of benches, “the English did not have to soil their fine footwear,” notes the sociologist. Nowadays benches are simply part of the scenery in the great Swiss outdoors, whether at lakes, rivers, or in the mountains. Their ubiquity even in the remotest places of the smallest tourist location is also due to the efforts of the many associations working to make their locations more attractive. After all, these associations have two hundred years of experience in the art of bench placement. The functional bench In urban areas, by contrast, benches can be found at less attractive locations. No view, street noise – but there’s a bench. Jenny Leuba, project manager at Pedestrian Mobility SwitFrom simple to sturdy to futuristic. From lakes and parks to village streets and city centres. Benches in Switzerland come in all shapes and sizes. Photos: Keystone (4), provided (1) 10 Society
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