The magazine for the Swiss Abroad APRIL 2025 Switzerland’s culinary heritage – a patchwork of delights Swiss-EU relations – the moment of truth awaits Reaching for the sky in Switzerland – high-rise buildings made of wood
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A friend recently told me what would happen if Switzerland were to be levelled into a single plateau. Let that sink in for a moment. If we bulldozed all our mountains, filled in the valleys and distributed the earth and rubble evenly across the entire country, the whole of Switzerland would sit around 1,300 metres above sea level. The fun would really start if our neighbouring countries did the same thing. For the nerds out there: there is a very detailed “List of countries by average elevation” on Wikipedia, according to which Germany would have a continuous altitude of under 300 metres. France would be just under 400, Italy over 500, Austria over 900 and Liechtenstein over 1,100. With every country in Europe flattened, Switzerland’s border would be like the edge of a towering cliff. We would be the new sheriff in town. A vertical 1,000-metre cliff would separate us from our northern neighbours. Why this mental image? We all know that Switzerland’s border is just a line on the map. You can often walk over it without knowing, let alone falling off a cliff. If you hike in the Jura mountains, you sometimes don’t know which country you are in. Nevertheless, the next few months will see Switzerland arguing whether its cliff edge is real or not. After a seemingly interminable series of negotiations, we now know the outlines of how Switzerland and the European Union want to cement and maintain relations in future. The stakes are high, affecting the everyday lives of people who have got used to open borders and the principle of free movement. Affecting students, trade, goods supplies, energy, and of course that old chestnut, immigration. It is time to get specific on how much of a relationship Switzerland wants with the EU without becoming an EU member itself. Read about it in our lead article. The Swiss Abroad will also have decisions to make when they elect the people to represent them on the Council of the Swiss Abroad (CSA), the de facto “Parliament of the Fifth Switzerland”, for another term. Many will be able to elect their local delegates directly via e-voting for the first time. This will make the CSA more representative, giving delegates greater legitimacy to defend the interests of the “Fifth Switzerland”. MARC LETTAU, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF List of countries by average elevation: www.revue.link/cliff 4 Focus Switzerland and the EU want to overcome their differences 9 News Debate on stricter banking rules following Credit Suisse debacle 10 Society The book covering hundreds of Swiss culinary specialities Federal Council proposes legislation to ban Nazi symbols 14 Report The new trend in high-rise buildings made of wood News from your region 18 Switzerland in figures It’s official: the Swiss are Europe’s bookworms 20 Books How direct democracy framed Switzerland’s relationship with its diaspora 22 Sounds Meimuna – soft voice in a turbulent world 24 Sport Euro 2025 – Swiss women’s football on the big stage 28 Notes from the Federal Palace Interview with Marianne Jenni, the new director general of the Consular Directorate 31 SwissCommunity news Cliff edge Cover photo: Regional specialities from the canton of Appenzell. Illustration from the new book “Das kulinarische Erbe der Schweiz”, Echtzeit Verlag, Basel “Swiss Review”, the information magazine for the “Fifth Switzerland”, is published by the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad. Ina Invest/Implenia Swiss Review / April 2025 / No.2 3 Editorial Contents
4 Schwerpunkt THEODORA PETER The Federal Council spread good tidings just before Christmas when it announced that Swiss-EU talks had reached a substantive conclusion. Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis (FDP) called it an important milestone. “Good relations with the EU and neighbouring countries are important in these turbulent times,” he told the media. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen underlined the significance of the deal by paying a visit to Berne. “We are as close to each other as we could possibly be,” she said, adding that Brussels and Switzerland were equal partners. The package of agreements with the EU contains updates to five existing treaties as well as three new agreements governing electricity, health, and food safety. Swiss-EU relations had been strained for a long time. The Federal Council had unilaterally abandoned talks on an institutional framework agreement three years ago (see “Swiss Review” 4/2021) amid unbridgeable differences on matters such as wage proSwiss-EU relations – the moment of truth awaits Switzerland and the European Union (EU) are keen to overcome their differences. Following a hard series of negotiations, an updated set of Swiss-EU treaties is now on the table. Yet the prospect of a bilateral deal continues to divide opinion in Berne. Voters will have the last word. tection and freedom of movement. The EU was not amused and, among other things, promptly excluded Switzerland from its prestigious scientific research programme Horizon Europe (see “Swiss Review” 5/2022). “The world’s biggest trading bloc” The two sides put an end to the hiatus when they resumed talks last year. Two hundred rounds of negotiations later, and a new deal has been unveiled – one that builds on the bilateral approach approved by the Swiss electorate 25 years ago. Unfettered access to the EU single market, “the world’s biggest trading bloc” (Cassis), remains the cornerstone. Trade in goods and services between Switzerland and the EU alone is worth well over one billion Swiss francs each day. “Our prosperity depends on it,” said Cassis. Access to an economic area with some 500 million consumers does not come free, with Switzerland set to pay an annual 350 million francs for the privilege from 2030 to 2036. These “cohesion payments” will not flow into EU coffers but will instead be used to help economically weaker EU states. Until now, Switzerland’s yearly contribution has amounted to 130 million francs. Alongside access to the EU single market, freedom of movement is another core element of the bilateral deal. Free movement is the principle that allows people to live and work across the borders of the EU bloc. The 500,000-plus Swiss Abroad who live in the EU rely on it. EU citizens are also entitled to live and work in Switzerland. Trade in goods and services between Switzerland and the EU is worth well over one billion Swiss francs each day. Swiss Review / April 2025 / No.2 4 Focus
5 Concessions for Switzerland The Swiss negotiators extracted some concessions from their counterparts in Brussels. For example, Switzerland will be able to restrict EU immigration to workers. This will prevent EU citizens from moving to Switzerland solely to receive higher social security payouts than in their home country. The agreement also includes a safeguard clause that will allow Switzerland to limit immigration if “serious economic or social problems” arise. When and how this clause would be triggered is still a matter for debate in Switzerland. Wage protection also remains a tricky issue. The principle of equal pay for equal work in the same location continues to apply across Europe. This safeguards Switzerland’s high wage levels by stopping EU companies from undercutting local salaries. However, trade unions are unwilling to accept EU rules on expenses, which would require foreign employers to cover accommodation, meals and other expenses in Switzerland based on rates in their home country. This, for example, would mean that a Polish worker doing a stint on a Swiss building site would only be paid the same amount for board and lodging that they would receive in Poland. Even the Swiss Employers’ Association calls the practice “grotesque”. Employer and employee organisations, therefore, want to force the Federal Council and parliament to declare in law that Swiss rates should apply to expenses as well as wages. The Swiss Trade Union Federation has cited this as one of the preconditions for its support of the Swiss-EU deal in any future popular vote. The Federal Council intends to clarify all outstanding points by summer, before conducting a consultation on Illustration: Max Spring Swiss Review / April 2025 / No.2
the full package of agreements and the associated changes in legislation. Parliament will begin debating the matter in 2026, with the popular vote unlikely to take place before the next national elections in 2027 – and maybe not until 2028. Opposition from the right Reaction to the new Swiss-EU deal was mixed. The Greens and the Green Liberals were the only parties to voice immediate and unequivocal support, whereas the left-wing SP – with trade unions in tow – wants assurances from Berne on wage protection as well as public services. After the deal was announced, the response from the foreign minister’s own party, the FDP, was guarded. “We are neither jubilant nor downcast,” said the liberal party, which had previously given its unreserved backing to the bilateral approach. It wants to scrutinise the new treaties before drawing any conclusions. The Centre Party was not exactly euphoric either but called the deal “a step in the right direction” after the collapse of the framework agreement in 2021. Centre-right reticence has much to do with massive opposition from the right-wing SVP. It rejects any form of convergence with Brussels, dismissing outright what it calls a “subjugation treaty” that would see Switzerland adopt EU legislation in a multitude of areas (see statement by SVP National Councillor Magdalena MartulloBlocher on page 7). The SVP is also concerned about “uncontrolled” immigration. Yet its “limitation initiative” failed at the ballot box in 2020, because the majority of voters were unwilling to jeopardise freedom of movement. Now the SVP is trying again. It submitted the “sustainability initiative” in 2024, which aims to limit the Swiss population to a maximum of ten million by 2050. At present, nine million people reside permanently in Switzerland. The electorate is set to vote on the controversial proposal in 2026 – just when parliament is expected to debate the bilateral agreements. A yes result would most likely plunge Swiss-EU relations into crisis again. “People need to commit their support” While the SVP would vehemently oppose any Swiss-EU treaty, there remains a lack of impetus from support2025 Federal Council to conduct a consultation on the full package of agreements and the associated changes in Swiss legislation 2026 • Federal parliament to debate the Swiss-EU agreements and the proposed changes in legislation • Scheduled popular vote on the SVP’s “sustainability initiative” 2027 Federal elections to the National Council and Council of States 2028 Electorate expected to vote on the new Swiss-EU agreements The 500,000-plus Swiss Abroad who live in the EU rely on free movement. ers of the deal. Apart from the political parties, responsibility for changing the narrative lies with industry groups such as economiesuisse, which threw their weight behind Bilaterals I and Bilaterals II in previous referendums. Business leaders like Ypsomed CEO and FDP National Councillor Simon Michel (see statement on page 7) have been among the first to endorse Bilaterals III. “People need to commit their support and explain how important the deal is for Switzerland,” says Fabio Wasserfallen, professor of European Politics at the University of Bern. Only then will the agreements gain the needed approval. Without any such commitment from stakeholders inside and outside politics, it is easy to see why the Federal Council wants to sit on the fence instead of taking the lead. “I get the impression that people are playing for time once again.” It remains to be seen which side of the argument this tactic favours. But everyone will have to put their cards on the table sooner or later. Swiss-EU dossier: www.revue.link/euswiss Swiss Review / April 2025 / No.2 6 Focus
Against “Switzerland’s deal with the EU is a form of capitulation, forcing us to cede control to Brussels in areas like trade, overland/air transport, energy, food, health, finance, immigration, and education. If we fail to toe the EU line, Brussels will punish us. And the European Court of Justice will have the final say. There is no limit to EU bureaucracy. We will be subject to thousands of rules and regulations virtually overnight, with 150 bureaucrats currently in the process of rewriting our constitution and laws. And we will have to pay billions for the privilege. The EU is already broken. High inflation, swingeing job cuts, and a mountain of debt are crippling its citizens as well as its businesses. Adapting to the EU would be a race to the bottom. We would also have to give up direct democracy as we know it. We don’t want this. But there is another way. Switzerland plays a valuable international role on account of its innovation, stability and neutrality. Free trade agreements have helped to power our economy for decades. We currently have 33 such deals – many more than the EU. Some of our latest partners include Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand, Kosovo, and India. Talks to strike deals with Japan, China, the US, and the Mercosur bloc are currently ongoing. None of these countries want to impose their own laws on Switzerland. We must reject the EU diktat. The global winds are favourable for Switzerland. All we need to do is unfurl the sails.” “The global winds are favourable for Switzerland. All we need to do is unfurl the sails.” “Good relations with the EU are not only important from an economic perspective.” For “Having good, tolerant neighbours makes life so much easier. Mow the lawn late on a balmy summer’s evening? Borrow next door’s parking space? No drama, no problem. Nice neighbours are worth their weight in gold. They are the glue that binds us. It is no coincidence that property prices in happy neighbourhoods tend to be a little higher. Roughly the same principle applies to Switzerland and its European neighbours. Good relations with the European Union are not only important from an economic perspective. They also make sense from a societal point of view. We, too, can enjoy social, practical and security benefits but still be true to ourselves, our identity and our distinctly Swiss rules, customs and laws. The bilateral agreements have formed the basis of our relations with the EU for the past 25 years. It is time to strengthen and expand them to include much-needed provisions on things like electricity supplies and conflict resolution. Having clear rules to govern the Swiss-EU relationship does not mean that we have to do everything by the EU book. Switzerland will maintain its identity and independence, regardless of Bilaterals III.” Simon Michel at the Ypsomed company headquarters in Burgdorf. Michel is the CEO of Ypsomed Holding as well as FDP National Councillor for the canton of Solothurn. Photo: Keystone Magdalena Martullo-Blocher – businesswoman, Grisons National Councillor and SVP vice-president – carries out a practical demonstration during the 2025 EMS Group annual media conference. Photo: Keystone Swiss Review / April 2025 / No.2 7
Challenges mount at the DDPS amid high-profile departures It is all change at the top of the defence ministry (DDPS). Viola Amherd announced in January that she would be stepping down as Federal Councillor and head of the DDPS (see page 26). In February came the news that Chief of the Armed Forces Thomas Süssli, and the head of the Federal Intelligence Service, Christian Dussey, would be leaving their posts – only days after the commander of the Swiss Air Force, Peter Merz, had resigned. The departures mean that Amherd’s successor in the Federal Council, Martin Pfister, voted in on 12 March, immediately has some very important staffing decisions to make. (MUL) SFAO audits accuse armaments company RUAG of fraud In February, the Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO) released three audits detailing suspected fraud at the state-owned armaments company RUAG. The SFAO found irregularities in the purchase and sale of spare parts for Leopard tanks, with estimated financial damages to the state “in the high double-digit million range”. The SFAO also criticised a lack of oversight, finding that there was “a questionable culture” and “significant organisational shortcomings” at RUAG. It also questioned the role of the defence ministry (DDPS). In 2019, a whistleblower contacted the DDPS with information about suspicious activities. The SFAO says that the DDPS did “not respond appropriately”. (MUL) The Federal Council acknowledges “crimes against humanity” committed against the Yenish and Sinti communities Between 1926 and 1973, the Kinder der Landstrasse programme, run by the Pro Juventute charity, forcibly removed 600 Yenish children from their families and placed them in homes or with foster parents. Church charities and authorities did the same. As many as 2,000 people were affected, many of whom were placed under guardianship at an adult age, prohibited from marrying or even sterilised against their will. Based on a legal report, the Federal Council now admits that “crimes against humanity” were committed against the Yenish and Sinti communities, and acknowledges that the state shares responsibility for the injustice. The victims themselves had previously called for the crime to be classed as “cultural genocide”. Link to the report (in German only): www.revue.link/jenische (MUL) Ariane Rustichelli steps down as OSA director – and is succeeded by Lukas Weber Ariane Rustichelli stepped down as director of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) in April (more on page 34). At the time of our editorial deadline came the news that Lukas Weber had been appointed as her successor. “Swiss Review” will introduce Weber in the next issue. The OSA published a media release (in German) to announce Weber’s appointment: www.revue.link/weber (MUL) Germaine Seewer Germaine Seewer is the highest-ranking woman in the Swiss Armed Forces. “She is actually the highest-ranking woman in Swiss history,” says Delphine Schwab-Allemand, spokesperson for the armed forces. Major General Seewer has been the head of international relations for the armed forces since 1 August 2024. Her rank is equivalent to a divisional commander in other countries. Her mission is to direct and coordinate relations with foreign armies. The career soldier was the first female brigadier general in the Swiss Armed Forces. She then oversaw the training of military officers. The native of Upper Valais is remarkable in two respects. She holds a rank traditionally reserved for men and is one of the 1.6 per cent of women in the Swiss Armed Forces. In March 2024, there were 2,301 women enlisted. Germaine Seewer was born in Leuk and studied chemistry at ETH Zurich, obtaining a doctorate in the quality of pork meat and fat. She worked as a scientist at the Federal Animal Production Research Station (Fribourg). In 1998, she began her peripatetic military career, serving in missions in Kosovo then in Ethiopia and Eritrea. In 2009, her name was mentioned as a potential successor to head of the armed forces Philippe Rebord. “Her CV is perfect, except where it says she comes from Valais,” claimed Valais newspaper “Le Nouvelliste”. A German-speaking Swiss, Thomas Süssli, pipped her to the post. Germaine Seewer still lives in Valais. She loves the mountains, and has taken part in the Patrouille des glaciers (a ski mountaineering race organised by the Swiss Armed Forces). Another trait of her personality is discretion and reserve. One exception was when she came out in favour of the women’s strike in 2019, judging it to be “necessary”. She did not, however, join the protest marches in the streets. STÉPHANE HERZOG Photo: Herbert Zimmermann/13Photo Swiss Review / April 2025 / No.2 8 Top pick News
9 SUSANNE WENGER In mid-March 2023, the financial world was eyeing Switzerland nervously. Despite an emergency loan from the Swiss National Bank (SNB), large bank Credit Suisse (CS) was on the brink of collapse as money ran out. The state-enforced merger of CS and UBS – put in place in extremis by Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA), and the SNB – helped to prevent a global financial crisis, the Parliamentary Investigation Committee (PInC) noted in its report, which was published at the end of 2024. The 14-strong committee presided over by the Fribourg Centre Party member of the Council of States, Isabelle Chassot, describes at length how the authorities responded to the bank’s predicament, which became more acute in autumn 2022. The authorities considered different solutions, such as a corporate restructuring, bankruptcy, and temporary nationalisation. They chose their favoured option, UBS’s takeover of CS, when the situation escalated in spring 2023 – the federal government pledging billions of Swiss francs as a backstop. This was a broadly appropriate solution, says the PInC, notwithstanding the risk that it posed for the taxpayer. The PInC is unequivocal in its view that the near collapse of a once solid bank was down to years of mismanagement on the part of the CS Board of Directors and the CS Executive Board. Its report details how CS officials tried to extract concessions until the very last minute – like “poker players”. However, the PInC’s remit was to scrutinise the response at federal level, not the failings of CS. Its report is kinder on some parties than others. Criticism of Ueli Maurer More could have been done earlier in terms of diagnosis and prevention, says the PInC. The Federal Council and parliament introduced the “too big to fail” regime after the bailout of UBS in 2008 but were too hesitant in implementing and improving it. When CS found itself in crisis, the finance minister at the time, Ueli Maurer, failed to adequately inform the Federal Council of the situation. He also cancelled an emergency meeting at short notice. Then he failed to provide his successor Keller-Sutter with a written dossier at the end of 2022. Maurer rejected these allegations in early 2025. He said he had wanted to prevent leaks that would have further endangered the bank. FINMA had demanded improvements, castigating CS several times from 2015. But it was unable to assert its authority, explained the PInC. Banking misdemeanours remained unpunished despite ongoing investigations. In 2017, FINMA granted the CS a “regulatory filter”, which allowed the bank to ease its capital requirements and maintain the illusion of holding more capital than it did. The SNB had advised against FINMA taking this step. Stricter capital requirements? What lessons will politicians learn from the report with a view to minimising risk and protecting the taxpayer from similar fiascos in future? The PInC wants FINMA to have an improved range of sanctions at its disposal, for example. In general, it advocates placing “greater emphasis” on financial stability while taking the “significant size” of UBS post-merger into account. The question is whether the only systemically relevant global bank remaining in Switzerland should be subject to stricter capital requirements that would allow it to compensate for any losses it makes abroad. Opinion is divided. The centre-left parties are in favour of restricting Switzerland’s new “monster bank” in this way, while those further on the right warn that UBS may relocate to another country as a result. UBS boss Sergio Ermotti has spoken out against the bank holding more capital, with the media portraying this as a battle between him and Keller-Sutter. How far the Federal Council is prepared to go should become clear by early summer. Parliament was due to debate the PInC report in March. After two dramatic bailouts in 15 years, Switzerland is arguing again about how it regulates its banks. What has Switzerland learned from the Credit Suisse debacle? The demise of Credit Suisse was down to corporate mismanagement, but other authorities should have been wiser to the danger, a parliamentary inquiry has concluded. Will UBS, which swallowed up its ailing counterpart, now be kept on a tighter leash? The PInC, presided over by Isabelle Chassot, criticised years of mismanagement at CS. Photo: Keystone Link to the PInC report: www.revue.link/cspuk Swiss Review / April 2025 / No.2 News
Discovering Switzerland’s culinary heritage A new, inspiring encyclopedia showcases hundreds of culinary specialities from various regions in Switzerland as well as the stories behind them. To preserve valuable knowledge for posterity. And – writes author Paul Imhof – because a country also defines itself through its food. ipes. Imhof: “What used to be a type of food eaten by the poor has become a popular speciality.” Investigating and documenting Why study Switzerland’s culinary heritage? And how? The Vaud National Councillor Josef Zisyadis got the ball SUSANNE WENGER The book covers 700 pages and contains 453 different entries – from Alpenbitter to Zigerkrapfen. There is a lot of material. Can the author name one of his favourite items? How about Chèvre? “A real discovery,” Imhof calls it. Chèvre is a sparkling digestif from French-speaking Switzerland that dates back three generations or more. A handful of vignerons in Geneva still produce it at harvest time. Imhof visited one such grower, where he learned how rice flour, grape sugar, eau de vie, and vanilla pods are added to grape juice that has started to ferment. The blend continues to ferment for at least a month in a barrel reinforced with steel hoops. “The vessel would explode otherwise.” This produces a sparkling beverage that is ready to drink by New Year’s Eve. Fresh on tap, the white liquid shoots out almost like milk from a goat’s udder. Chèvre is French for goat. Another of Imhof’s discoveries is Furmagin da Cion from Val Poschiavo, a valley in the Italianspeaking part of the canton of Grisons. Cion means pig in the local dialect, while the name Furmagin derives from a type of cheese called Formaggetta. But Furmagin da Cion is not a dairy product but a meat speciality. Every local family traditionally used to make their own Furmagin during pig slaughtering, using the inferior cuts and the offal. They would bake it in the oven like a cake. Nose-to-tail eating is now a trend but was par for the course back then. Butchers in Poschiavo still produce Furmagin to this day – and have refined their rec- “Switzerland’s culinary wealth is regional in character.” Pictured here: an artistically arranged Genevan tableau. The wine glasses contain Chèvre. Photos: Echtzeit Verlag, provided From the southern valleys of Grisons: traditional Coppa ham from home-slaughtered pigs, and Pizzoccheri – a pasta made from buckwheat flour and wheat flour. Swiss Review / April 2025 / No.2 10 Society
PAUL IMHOF: “Das kulinarische Erbe der Schweiz – Ein Panoptikum des Ess- und Trinkbaren”, Echtzeit Verlag, Basel, 2024, 776 pages, CHF 78 No Swiss culinary encyclopedia is complete without chocolate, of which Fribourg’s Cailler is Switzerland’s oldest brand. rolling 25 years ago. “Zisyadis submitted a motion to prevent Switzerland’s culinary traditions and knowledge from being forgotten,” Imhof explains. The Federal Council and parliament approved the motion, and a team of experts commissioned by the government and the cantons started work. They scoured libraries and archives, spoke to producers and built up a catalogue of products, preparation methods, and recipes. The results of their investigative work were published online at www.patrimoineculinaire.ch in 2008. Imhof, now 72, was involved from the outset. The journalist took it upon himself to produce a readable guide book based on this detailed online inventory. Five volumes were published in 2016, some of which sold out. His latest work is an updated, complete edition. It covers new items that have since met the requirement of having been available for at least 40 years. Ticino rice is one example – thanks to climate change, the author notes. Imhof’s writing is humorous and rich in information. The author supplements his entries with historical facts and lively anecdotes that he has researched himself. Structured by canton, his book takes the reader on an educational journey through Switzerland’s diverse culinary heritage, where myriad domestic and outside influences intersect. There is no such thing as a Swiss national dish, he says. “Switzerland’s culinary wealth is regional in character.” The role of the land Nevertheless, the undulating nature of Switzerland’s own patchwork landscape was a key influence in itself. Arable land used to be scarce before many of the country’s waterways were artificially straightened. According to Imhof, widespread livestock farming meant that the Swiss were masters at preserving food. Milk was preserved as cheese, and meat was turned into sausages or dried into ham – building up provisions that could be sold immediately. Sbrinz, “the oldest Swiss cheese export”, was transported across the Alps to the markets of northern Italy. Schabziger herbal cheese from the canton of Glarus found its way to the markets of Zurich. “A land or country always defines itself by what it eats,” says Imhof. Switzerland’s rich culinary heritage is born of resourcefulness, he continues. Commercial products like Aromat, the famous yellow powdered seasoning, or Rivella, the quintessentially Swiss fizzy drink derived from whey, are as much a part of our repertoire as Birchermüesli and grandma’s lebkuchen recipes. In this age of ready-made meals, additives, and social media food porn, Imhof believes that a return to the tried and trusted is more important than ever. The book is also a eulogy to the original guardians of good taste – “the farmSwiss Review / April 2025 / No.2 11
ers, the maids and the cooks”. And to the creativity of butchers who through the centuries came up with over 400 types of sausage, of which only a fraction appear in the book. Such traditional products continue to underpin the work of all artisans, he adds. Incidentally, Imhof claims that the canton of Solothurn is the spiritual home of Switzerland’s favourite sausage, the Cervelat – not because the smoked speciality was invented there, but because of Olten, one of Switzerland’s most important rail hubs. The hearty Cervelat-based salad (Wurstsalat) served at Olten’s famous station restaurant made a name for itself well into the 1980s. Glacier wine The book’s Vin du glacier entry provides an insight into the old nomadic, transhumance lifestyle of people who moved between the high pastures and the valleys of Valais. Farmers in the 18th century grew vines in the former marshlands of the Rhône Valley. After pressing the grapes, they would transport the wine up to the highmountain villages, such as Grimentz below the Moiry Glacier. Each family made enough wine for themselves, and then a little extra. This went into an old larch barrel, kept to one side in a cold, dark cellar, and never emptied. The barrel was topped up every spring. Some of these vessels are now very old and are treasured family heirlooms. “In 2022, the oldest barrel, dating back to 1886, contained wine from 130 different vintages,” says Imhof, who can report first hand that glacier wine tastes a bit like sherry. Imhof himself was a Swiss Abroad in the 1980s and 1990s, reporting for the “Basler Zeitung” as a journalist in south-east Asia. He observed how Swiss chefs at hotels in Singapore liked to cook with local produce but had things like cream and chocolate delivered to them. “Swiss Abroad have also done their bit to preserve our culinary heritage.” One last question for the author. When Swiss expat clubs meet around the world, they invariably eat fondue together. Shouldn’t that be our national dish? When push comes to shove, yes, fondue, he replies. If Switzerland is synonymous with one thing, it’s cheese. From Schaffhausen: Aromat powdered seasoning, Hallauer Schinkenwurst, and Schaffhauserzungen – a protected biscuit speciality dating back to 1902. Photos: Echtzeit Verlag, provided The Bernese tableau consists of a whole leg of Bauernschinken, alongside Sauerkraut, and military biscuits – a dry but nutritious staple of Swiss army rations. Swiss Review / April 2025 / No.2 12 Society
Swiss Review / April 2025 / No.2 13 Society Ban on Nazi symbols to be introduced after all Responding to pressure from parliament, the federal government has proposed an immediate ban on the display of Nazi symbols and gestures in public SUSANNE WENGER Only when displayed in public for propaganda or discriminatory purposes are Nazi symbols and gestures currently prohibited in Switzerland. A special bill submitted for consultation by the Federal Council at the end of 2024 now proposes that the display of Nazi symbols and gestures in public be banned completely. Anyone who breaches the ban will incur a fine of 200 Swiss francs. The bill is in response to a number of parliamentary motions challenging this gap in the law – which the Council of the Swiss Abroad (CSA) spoke out in favour of closing, at the request of one of its members, Ralph Steigrad (see “Swiss Review” 3/2022), in 2022. in relevant contexts. Exceptions would apply to the educational, academic, artistic and journalistic spheres. Existing religious symbols, such as those similar to the swastika in Hinduism, would also be exempt from the ban. The Aargau Centre Party member of the Council of States, Marianne Binder, is the parliamentarian who has been advocating zero tolerance on Nazi symbols from the outset. She welcomes the Federal Council’s bill and has told “Swiss Review” that glorifying or playing down Nazism and its “sickening ideology” is unacceptable in any country governed by the rule of law. The use of fines is a “quick and effective measure” in her view, although 200 francs is “too lenient”. Binder, whose grandmother Paulina Borner provided refuge to Jewish refugees at Hotel Rosenlaube in the town of Baden during the Second World War, believes that offenders should also be made to brush up on their history in addition to paying fines. By banning Nazi symbols, Switzerland would be setting an example “at a time when autocracy is back in fashion”. Consultations on the special bill finished at the end of March, after the editorial deadline of this edition of “Swiss Review”. Once all comments have been evaluated, the Federal Council intends to bring the bill to parliament. Later, it wants to extend the ban to other symbols that are racist, glorify violence or are extremist, as parliament has demanded. Narrowing down the terms of this second step is likely to prove harder. Justice Minister Jans says that the government has prioritised the ban on Nazi symbols as a matter of urgency, to allow for quick implementation. Museum for a hero Carl Lutz, Swiss Vice-Consul in Budapest, issued protective passports and diplomatic letters of protection to tens of thousands of Jews during the Second World War, saving these people’s lives in the process (see “Swiss Review” 3/2023). He was rebuked by the authorities after returning to Switzerland, but his heroic acts have since been given the recognition they deserve. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Lutz’s death, a museum in the diplomat’s honour opened in February at his birthplace of Walzenhausen in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden. The exhibition – sponsored by the municipality of Walzenhausen as well as the Gamaraal Foundation and a local company called Just – is scheduled to run until the end of 2025. A decision is due later on whether it can become a permanent fixture. (SWE) The Federal Council’s bill constitutes an about-turn. Nazi symbols and salutes are “shocking” but must be tolerated as freedom of expression, the government was saying just a few years ago. Its message was that prevention is better than cure in the fight against anti-Semitism. But the situation has changed, as the Federal Council noted in its report on the bill. Nazi symbols have become more widespread in public, particularly since the 7 October 2023 terror attack on Israel and the beginning of the war in Gaza. Switzerland has seen a proliferation of anti-Semitic incidents, ranging from swastika graffiti to physical assaults on Jews. Jans – society must take a stand According to the Federal Council, Nazi symbols and gestures are synonymous with fascist tyranny, the Holocaust, and the persecution of minorities. “These symbols of hatred, intolerance and suffering must be eradicated completely from public life,” Justice Minister Beat Jans told the media, adding that society must now take a stand. Besides obvious Nazi symbols and gestures like the swastika or the Nazi salute, Jans explained that the ban would also cover far-right codes such as “18” and “88”, but only “These symbols of hatred, intolerance and suffering must be eradicated completely from public life.” Justice Minister Beat Jans
STÉPHANE HERZOG The Geneva engineering and wood design firm Charpente Concept is a mecca for woodworking. The firm, founded in 1991 by master carpenter Thomas Büchi, designed the Broken Chair at Place des Nations in Geneva, made the Goûter Hut on the slopes of Mont Blanc out of wood and came up with the Palais de l’Équilibre, the massive wooden sphere presented at the Swiss National Exhibition in 2002 before being installed at CERN. This firm’s other point of pride is that it was enlisted in the wake of the fire at Notre-Dame in Paris to carry out a technical analysis of the cathedral’s nave in preparation for its reconstruction. The firm looked into archives 600 years old, a real immersion into the Middle Ages, when 20 years could go by between when wood was cut and when the resulting beams were fitted. A case of reclaiming “Wood is reclaiming the place it used to hold centuries ago, before it was replaced by steel and then by concrete. People had forgotten its qualities as a material,” says Rafael Villar, vice-president of the company. He qualified in 1996 and still remembers starting out in the industry, when proponents of wood were considered eccentric. Granted, the firm in question had just erected a wooden exhibition hall 300 metres in length in Geneva, but most of its orders were for chalets and a few gym roofs. Today, wood is used to build residential buildings. “Over the past 30 years, the delivery turnarounds for some parts have more than doubled,” notes the Geneva native. This is a sign of high demand. Ultrasound is used to define the resistance of parts before they are processed. Digital machines are used to cut them to size. On construction sites, prefabricated wooden parts can be assembled considerably more quickly than mineral walls. “Wood is light, which makes it suitable for taller constructions,” emphasises Sébastien Droz, spokesperson for Lignum, the umbrella association for woodworking professions. We are even entering the era of wooden skyscrapers. In the Lokstadt The renaissance of wood in Swiss construction Wood, with its capacity to store CO2, is all the rage in the construction industry. It is even being used to build skyscrapers. Swiss expertise is flavour of the month. Demand is growing, but tensions lurk beneath the surface. district of Winterthur, the Rocket Tower is set to be 100 metres high. “It is one of the tallest wooden residential structures currently planned,” according to Ina Invest, the building developer. The tower will need 3,300 cubic metres of wood to build its load-bearing structure. “We will be using beech and spruce from Switzerland and neighbouring countries,” says spokesHigher, farther, faster, more beautiful? In search of somewhat unconventional Swiss records This edition: Building up to the highest wooden constructions in the world Rocket, a 100-metre high-rise in Winterthur (canton of Zurich), will be the world’s highest residential building made of wood. Visualisation: Ina Invest 14 Report
In 2031, the tallest wooden tower in the world should be Swiss The bank UBS has set its sights high. The proof is in the tower it is planning in the district of Altstetten, in Zurich. The tower, scheduled for completion in 2031, is to be 108 metres tall, making it the tallest wooden tower in the world. Unless, that is, another project overtakes it: a wooden skyscraper planned for Basel for the same year, as a building for the Bank for International Settlements. It will be 122 metres high! (SH) 350 and 400 kilos of CO2, whereas a cubic metre of wood traps 1,000. “However, instead of using cubic metres of wood to create spectacular structures, a better idea would be to use it in square metres,” he says. In other words, wood could be used to cover surfaces instead of forming the framework of very large-scale construction projects. The specialist cites the example of the stone walls of Grisons houses, where wood is fitted to the interior walls, significantly improving the home’s insulation and comfort. This approach could be adopted to insulate part of the estate: person Stephan Meierhofer. “Wood is very sturdy and, even in the event of a fire, retains its load-bearing capacities for a long time,” he explains. Construction is set to begin in spring. On the way to world records Even taller will be a tower planned by UBS in the Altstetten district of Zurich. The skyscraper will be 108 metres tall when it is completed in 2027, making it the tallest wooden building in the world. Its offices will house 2,800 employees. Wooden buildings are also going up in French-speaking Switzerland. The Tilia Tower (Latin for “lime tree”), on which construction began in 2024, will combine wood and concrete. It will capitalise on the strengths of hardwoods, like beech, which are sturdier than softwoods. This 85-metre building will be built in the Prilly district in the east of Lausanne. Close by, the Malley Phare Tower is to be constructed on an existing building. The 2,000 cubic metres of wood required for this residential building come from fir and spruce, 95 per cent of which comes from Switzerland. The tower is set to be completed this year. “What is the best way to use wood with regard to the environment and biodiversity? That is the question,” according to forestry engineer and emeritus professor in wood sciences Ernst Zürcher. One cubic metre of reinforced concrete generates between Old-school: a wooden “high-rise” in La Sage (canton of Valais) – one of the first forms of multi-residential living. Photo: Cortis und Sonderegger,13Photo Zwhatt – the 75-metre high-rise due to be built in Regensdorf (canton of Zurich). As the model on the left shows, the building will consist of a massive concrete pillar surrounded by a skeleton frame of wood. Photo: Pensimo, Boltshauser Architekten Itten Brechbühl AG / Kengo Kuma & Associates Swiss Review / April 2025 / No.2 15
apartment blocks, industrial buildings, schools, etc. “Building new skyscrapers is a thing of the past, an expression of power. We should really renovate existing ones, by using the valuable medium of wood to make them comfortable and biocompatible,” the expert argues. Utilising and preserving the forest Switzerland has a unique law governing its forests, dating from 1903. “We cut down the forest in order to maintain it,” says Rafael Villar, who underlines the fact that the cost to local authorities of maintaining forests is not balanced out by revenue from wood. The trick is cutting down trees strategically, as for a gymnasium project in Aigle (Vaud), with which his firm was involved. The firm selected trees in the forests of Vaud colonised by bark beetles, an insect that feeds on sap and whose presence exposes the bark to a fungus that can turn the wood blue. “Cutting these trees down saves the wood and lets us put the trees to good use,” the engineer says. A lot of wood is burned However, not all wood cut in Switzerland is used wisely, and some of it ends up as firewood, remarks Ernst Zürcher. One of the main reasons for this is the rise in the price of fossil fuels. A better approach would be to use wood by order of priority, with wood being devoted first and foremost to construction, then to composite products, then to paper and finally as a fuel. “In Switzerland, saw mills are closing because of lack of demand. We even export wood only to reimport it once it has been processed,” laments Zürcher. He stresses the value of promoting forests locally. “There are 5,000 people working in forests, so we are creating employment for over 50,000 people in the wood industry. Burning wood, on the other hand, creates very little added value,” he reflects. Currently, the Swiss wood industry employs 85,000 people. Do we have enough wood? The natural growth of Switzerland’s forests produces ten million cubic metres of wood every year. The country harvests five million of those on average every year, of which 25 per cent is used for heating. The available potential is equivalent to three million cubic metres annually. There is therefore real room for improvement in how Switzerland uses its wood. And there is no shortage of projects. Sébastien Droz cites the Lignum prize, launched in 2009, as an example. “Since then, the quality, diversity and volume of projects have grown significantly,” he says. Another example is the 500-metre wooden skyway that meanders through the forest canopy in Toggenburg, near St. Gallen. This achievement is a reminder of the power of wooden constructions in Switzerland. State-of-the-art: massive beams of beechwood are glued together and then made into custom-made building parts. The Zwhatt high-rise has a very cleanlined structure, consisting of an interior skeleton of wooden beams and pillars, with flexible partition walls. Photos: Pensimo, Sandro Straube, Boltshauser Architekten Swiss Review / April 2025 / No.2 16 Report
the making, a complete edition of his poems and prose was not finished until 40 years after his death, in 2005. Giauque’s mother prevented her son from committing suicide on more than one occasion, repeatedly picking him up from the abyss in which he had fallen. She died on 29 July 1954. Testimony of a tortured soul That a tormented individual could produce 156 poems of such immense power – first in his self-imposed dungeon, then in forced psychiatric care – is quite incredible. Giauque’s metrical, measured verses bear stark, unsparing testimony to his suffering: “Twisted soul. You must leave. Now. All exits are blocked. Thick walls. Cell bars. Locked doors. Barricaded windows. A world in which terror moves like a snake. You must leave. Through the noble gates of death.” And yet it was not illness alone that transformed Giauque into such a brilliant yet self-destructive wordsmith. It was also his unrequited love for Emilienne Farny, to which one of his very last poems is dedicated: “Hours of agony / waves crash over me / deepest despair / and you have gone, never to return.” BIBLIOGRAPHY: “Die Glut der Schwermut im Schattenraum der Nacht” – the inaugural German translation of the poems and prose of Francis Giauque, containing a biographical epilogue by editor Charles Linsmayer – is available from Th. Gut Verlag, Zurich 2019 (volume 37 of the “Reprinted by Huber” series). CHARLES LINSMAYER IS A LITERARY SCHOLAR AND JOURNALIST BASED IN ZURICH CHARLES LINSMAYER Some say he was possessed by something deadly and mysterious, others that he was doomed from the very beginning. It is undeniable that a sense of fear, despair and desolation hung over the life and thoughts of Francis Giauque, who in 1965 passed “through the noble gates of death” in Lake Neuchâtel at the age of 31. When the end finally came, it was a blessed release. The love of his life Born the son of a postman on 31 March 1934 in Prêles in the Frenchspeaking part of the Bernese Jura, Giauque went to high school in La Neuveville. But he quickly dropped out of business school in Neuchâtel and retreated to his parents’ home, afflicted by a skin ailment. Living there as a recluse, he began to study the works of Samuel Beckett and the French poète maudit Tristan Corbière, both of whom would soon inspire him to write his own prose and poetry. Giauque worked for a while as a bookseller and proofreader in Lausanne, and it was there that he met the love of his life, the stunning 20-year-old artist Emilienne Farny, in 1956. Unable to forget her, he continued commemorating her in his poems long after she had left him. In the throes of depression It was as a French teacher in the Spanish city of Valencia that Giauque was first hit by severe depression in 1958. Once he had returned to Switzerland, he would become acquainted with the psychiatric hospitals of Geneva, Yverdon and Neuchâtel, moving from one institution to the next. His time in these units was punctuated by electro- “You are near, you are far, but I will never reach you” The works of poet Francis Giauque, who died 60 years ago, tell of a love that was all too fleeting. shock therapy, insulin jabs and suicide attempts. Vacillating between the deepest despair and optimism, he felt increasingly disgusted not only by the shackles of “normal” life – but life as such. The only thing that kept him going was his writing. Giauque published two works during his lifetime – “Parler seul” in 1959 and “L’Ombre et la Nuit” in 1962. Long in if I die tomorrow bury me in moist, heavy, warm soil may the curve of the coffin be my halo may no one weep I knew not how to live I will finally rise up amid clear sounds of night Translated excerpt from “Die Glut der Schwermut im Schatten der Nacht”, Francis Giauque; Th. Gut Verlag, Zurich 2019 Francis Giauque (1934 – 1965) Swiss Review / April 2025 / No.2 17 Literature
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