Located just outside Luzern, the Hergiswil Glassworks is the only glass factory in Switzerland. Originally producing household goods such as glass jars, vases, and medicine bottles, it fell into financial trouble as soon as mechanisation came around as its craftsmen could no longer keep up with automated production. Luckily for Read more…
Four times a year, or once every 12 weeks, the national parliament in Bern is open to the public on a Saturday. One such Saturday, I roamed into the halls of legislation in both the upper and lower houses of parliament. While the Nationalrat is something of a House of Read more…
Bern is the capital of Switzerland and is a little bit of a special potato. It feels like a city, looks like a city, and has the infrastructure of a city, but is not the largest city in the country. The trams run for just 20 minutes before reaching the Read more…
Some cities like Neuchâtel have a castle, but the Stockalper Schloss has a city. Most well known for its quadrilateral castle, Brig is actually an urban agglomeration of Naters and Glis. The Stockalper Schloss can be visited for free, but the hourly guided tours cost a few Francs and are Read more…
Headquartered on the shore of Lake Geneva in Geneva, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) is one of the most well-recognised international organisations in the world to the likes of the World Health Organisation and the United Nations, which are both in the neighbouring area. Once a year, the WTO selects Read more…
Geneva already has a Doctors Without Borders, so allow me to make this pun: CERN is science without borders. Located underground across both Switzerland and France, the donut-shaped LHC is over 26km in circumference and advances scientific knowledge. It’s too complicated for me to understand so I’d highly recommended you Read more…
Originally built for the League of Nations in the first half of the 19th century, the United Nations’ building in Geneva is a major focal point of global politics. With the UNCHR, the ILO, UNHCRH, WTO all in Geneva, it’s no wonder that Geneva hosts delegations from almost every country Read more…
Even though I’ve perviously lived in Europe, Geneva never really felt like home to me. Sure, the western sectors of Berlin look a bit like Geneva, but the two cultures are so vastly different that it confirmed that my heart was still in Berlin. Geneva didn’t speak German, it wasn’t Read more…
Shuttling locals between Boudry and Neuchâtel in French-speaking Switzerland, the Littorail is the last remaining line of the once-mighty Neuchâtel tramway system. Designated as an inter-urban tram, it can travel up to 70km/h along the Neuchâtel Lake! Speaking of the lake, it is one of the few ways that you Read more…
While writing this, I realised that Neuchâtel is French for Newcastle, like the town in the UK. At just 33,000 residents, the Neuchâtel area is small enough to be quiet and large enough to be interesting. The Castle of Neuchâtel is a must-see as it is the centrepiece of the Read more…