Swiss National (Holi)day 30 This year’s Swiss National Day on 1 August was a public holiday. But it has only been a holiday for the last 30 years. In 1994, the far-right Nationale Aktion party had its never-to-be-repeated 15 minutes of fame when it launched a referendum to make 1 August a nationwide day off work. Almost 84 per cent of voters approved the proposal – no other popular initiative has ever garnered as much support. 8.11.1307 But they took the Rütli Oath on 1 August, didn’t they? No, they didn’t. According to historian Aegidius Tschudi (1505–72), the oath was taken on 8 November 1307. This is why 1307, not 1291, is the year engraved on the plinth of the William Tell monument in Altdorf. 6,400 m2 The Federal Council may have advised people to celebrate “simply and gracefully” back in the day, but now there are more ambitious ways to mark the occasion. The world’s largest Swiss flag – measuring 6,400 square metres and weighing 700 kilograms – was again unfurled on the north face of the Säntis mountain this year. Around 20 workers abseiled down the cliff face, taking three hours to unfold the flag. 1899 Maybe you’re thinking: it doesn’t matter whether 1 August is a holiday or not, the main thing is that we celebrate Switzerland’s birthday. Well, 1 August isn’t even Switzerland’s birthday. It was in 1891 that a “federal celebration” first took place on this date. Not until 1899 did the Federal Council specify that church bells be rung on the evening of 1 August. The day was to be marked “simply and gracefully”. 2 Plenty of smaller Swiss flags were waved at this year’s Paris Olympics (see News, page 8). From 1912 to 1948, Olympic medals were also awarded in literature and the arts. Swiss competitors won eight of these medals. Graphic artist Alex Walter Diggelmann pulled off the unusual feat of becoming the only Olympian to date who has won two medals in the same discipline at the same Games. In 1948, Diggelmann won both silver and bronze for two different entries in the “Painting, Applied Arts” category. Diggelmann was a prolific artist who would have had enough works in his portfolio to have won all three medals that year. www.revue.link/diggelmann FIGURES COMPILED BY MARC LETTAU “Swiss Review”, the magazine for the Swiss Abroad, is in its 49th year of publication and is published six times a year in German, French, English and Spanish in 13 regional editions. It has a total circulation of 431,000, including 253,000 electronic copies. “Swiss Review”’s regional news are published four times a year. The ordering parties are fully responsible for the content of advertisements and promotional inserts. This content does not necessarily represent the opinion of either the editorial office or the publisher. All Swiss Abroad who are registered with a Swiss representation receive the magazine free of charge. Anyone else can subscribe for an annual fee (Switzerland: CHF 30 / Abroad: CHF 50). ONLINE EDITION www.revue.ch EDITORS Marc Lettau, Editor-in-Chief (MUL) Stéphane Herzog (SH) Theodora Peter (TP) Susanne Wenger (SWE) Paolo Bezzola (PB, FDFA representative) FDFA OFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS The editorial responsibility for the “Notes from the Federal Palace” section is assumed by the Consular Directorate, Innovation and Partnerships, Effinger- strasse 27, 3003 Berne, Switzerland. kdip@eda.admin.ch | www.eda.admin.ch EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Nema Bliggenstorfer (NB) TRANSLATION SwissGlobal Language Services AG, Baden LAYOUT Joseph Haas, Zurich PRINT Vogt-Schild Druck AG, Derendingen PUBLISHER The “Swiss Review” is published by the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA). The postal address of the publisher, the editorial office and advertising department is: Organisation of the Swiss Abroad, Alpenstrasse 26, 3006 Berne. revue@swisscommunity.org Phone: +41 31 356 61 10 Bank details: CH97 0079 0016 1294 4609 8 / KBBECH22 COPY DEADLINE FOR THIS EDITION 26 August 2024 CHANGES OF ADDRESS Please advise your local embassy or consulate. The editorial team cannot access your address and administrative data. Thank you. Imprint Photo: iStockphoto Photo: Keystone Swiss Review / October 2024 / No.5 19 Switzerland in figures
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