Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Monday
A move to teach Swiss German in French-speaking Switzerland; which canton has the most bike thefts; and other news in our roundup on Monday.
French-speaking school children should be taught Swiss German, MP says
A deputy from the French-speaking canton of Vaud, David Raedler, is pushing for schools in French cantons to teach Swiss German as a second language.
Right now, High German is taught in those regions (and vice-versa — students in Swiss German parts learn French, while Italian-speaking Ticino gives priority to French as the first foreign language).
A Geneva linguistics professor Juliane Schröter thinks Raedler’s idea is valid.
Students “learn [High] German for years at schools in French-speaking Switzerland – but when they go to Swiss German regions, they don't understand a word there,” she told SRF public broadcaster in an interview on Sunday.
She added, however, that learning Swiss German “doesn't seem realistic, given the many dialects. And teachers in French speaking Switzerland are not qualified to teach it, because they don’t speak Swiss-German dialect themselves.”
READ ALSO: Swiss German vs Hochdeutsch: What are the key differences?
Revealed: The canton where your bike is most likely to be stolen
Almost 28,000 bicycles — mostly electric ones — were stolen in Switzerland in 2022, but some cantons registered more thefts than others.
Based on data from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), most were stolen in Basel-City, which, with 11,7 bike thefts per 1,000 residents, is far ahead of other cantons.
Next are Aargau (4.8 / 1,000); Bern and Basel-Country (4.2); and Solothrn (4.1).
These findings are consistent with the statistics the FSO released in March, which show that both in terms of violent crime and burglaries, Basel-City holds the unenviable record as Switzerland’s most dangerous canton.
READ ALSO: Which parts of Switzerland have the highest (and lowest) violent crime rates?
Cheesed off: Swiss Gruyère producers launch advertising campaign in the USA
A US appeals court ruled in March that in America the word "gruyere" is a common label for cheese and not just for the kind made in Switzerland.
"Cheese — regardless of its location of production — has been labeled and sold as gruyere in America for decades," the court said.
This decision is still grating — no pun intended — on the producers in the Gruyère region of Fribourg, where the namesake cheese has been manufactured since the 12th century.
Swiss manufacturers are concerned about this turn of events.
“The court made its decision based on the principle of 'America first'," Philippe Bardet, president of Gruyère cheese making association told RTS broadcaster on Sunday.
However, the organisation is investing 2 million francs into an advertising campaign to convince US consumers that only the Swiss Gruyère is the ‘real thing.’
According to cheesemaker Adrian Scheidegger, the campaign will bear fruit: “Anyone who knows the original taste will choose our Gruyère,” he said.
Weather forecast for the week
After a mostly sunny and mild Easter weekend, most Swiss regions have experienced a rainy and much cooler weather, which prompted many people to ask, ‘What happened to spring?’
Depending on where they live, they may keep asking this question for the next few days.
Rain and mostly cool temperatures will continue in the northwestern part of the country today and Tuesday, improving somewhat in the following days.
In western Switzerland, the week will be mostly sunny, with temps ranging from 10C to 15C.
As usual, the weather will be best in Ticino where, except for Thursday, sun will shine and temperatures will reach 22C.
You can check out the forecast for your region here.
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
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French-speaking school children should be taught Swiss German, MP says
A deputy from the French-speaking canton of Vaud, David Raedler, is pushing for schools in French cantons to teach Swiss German as a second language.
Right now, High German is taught in those regions (and vice-versa — students in Swiss German parts learn French, while Italian-speaking Ticino gives priority to French as the first foreign language).
A Geneva linguistics professor Juliane Schröter thinks Raedler’s idea is valid.
Students “learn [High] German for years at schools in French-speaking Switzerland – but when they go to Swiss German regions, they don't understand a word there,” she told SRF public broadcaster in an interview on Sunday.
She added, however, that learning Swiss German “doesn't seem realistic, given the many dialects. And teachers in French speaking Switzerland are not qualified to teach it, because they don’t speak Swiss-German dialect themselves.”
READ ALSO: Swiss German vs Hochdeutsch: What are the key differences?
Revealed: The canton where your bike is most likely to be stolen
Almost 28,000 bicycles — mostly electric ones — were stolen in Switzerland in 2022, but some cantons registered more thefts than others.
Based on data from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), most were stolen in Basel-City, which, with 11,7 bike thefts per 1,000 residents, is far ahead of other cantons.
Next are Aargau (4.8 / 1,000); Bern and Basel-Country (4.2); and Solothrn (4.1).
These findings are consistent with the statistics the FSO released in March, which show that both in terms of violent crime and burglaries, Basel-City holds the unenviable record as Switzerland’s most dangerous canton.
READ ALSO: Which parts of Switzerland have the highest (and lowest) violent crime rates?
Cheesed off: Swiss Gruyère producers launch advertising campaign in the USA
A US appeals court ruled in March that in America the word "gruyere" is a common label for cheese and not just for the kind made in Switzerland.
"Cheese — regardless of its location of production — has been labeled and sold as gruyere in America for decades," the court said.
This decision is still grating — no pun intended — on the producers in the Gruyère region of Fribourg, where the namesake cheese has been manufactured since the 12th century.
Swiss manufacturers are concerned about this turn of events.
“The court made its decision based on the principle of 'America first'," Philippe Bardet, president of Gruyère cheese making association told RTS broadcaster on Sunday.
However, the organisation is investing 2 million francs into an advertising campaign to convince US consumers that only the Swiss Gruyère is the ‘real thing.’
According to cheesemaker Adrian Scheidegger, the campaign will bear fruit: “Anyone who knows the original taste will choose our Gruyère,” he said.
Weather forecast for the week
After a mostly sunny and mild Easter weekend, most Swiss regions have experienced a rainy and much cooler weather, which prompted many people to ask, ‘What happened to spring?’
Depending on where they live, they may keep asking this question for the next few days.
Rain and mostly cool temperatures will continue in the northwestern part of the country today and Tuesday, improving somewhat in the following days.
In western Switzerland, the week will be mostly sunny, with temps ranging from 10C to 15C.
As usual, the weather will be best in Ticino where, except for Thursday, sun will shine and temperatures will reach 22C.
You can check out the forecast for your region here.
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
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