Study in Switzerland: Language & Culture in Switzerland

Switzerland has a lot of cultural diversity thanks to its geographical location between Germany, France, Italy, Austria, and Liechtenstein. This diversity has contributed to shaping a unique culture! Switzerland has an extensive tradition of music, craftsmanship, and museums.

If you visit the country, you'll often see "CH" on license plates, documents, and other official signage. But what does it stand for? Two thousand years ago, the area that is now Switzerland was inhabited by various tribes, including a Celtic tribe known as the Helvetians. The Swiss Confederation adopted this name, and CH stands for 'Confoederatio Helvetica.'

Music in Switzerland

Did you know that Switzerland has a significant folk music tradition? Swiss folk music includes yodeling, alphorn music, and ländler, a European folk dance in three-four time. The most known musical instruments are the alphorn (a typical Swiss instrument) and the schwyzerörgeli (an accordion). Violin, bass violin, and clarinet are also prominent features in Swiss music.

Arts and crafts

Switzerland will charm you if you're a museum or art enthusiast. Switzerland ranks among the top countries with the most museums per capita, meaning you can find over 1,000 museums!

Swiss culture is also well known for its crafts, especially watchmaking. The luxury watch industry in Switzerland holds an excellent reputation for craftsmanship, with brands like Patek Phillippe, Rolex, Tissot, TAG Heuer, Vacheron Constantin, and Chopard.

Famous Swiss people

What about famous Swiss nationals? Roger Federer, the legendary tennis player; Johanna Spyri, the writer of the classic novel Heidi; and the psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung are among the most famous Swiss people. Small tip: If you want to become friends with a Swiss person and absorb the Swiss culture, then you should value three characteristics: honesty, punctuality, and politeness!

Swiss Cuisine

Swiss cuisine has a place in the hearts of many gourmands, and once you try it, it's difficult to let go. The country is a culinary heaven with influences from neighbors like Italy and France. Where to begin: with the top-quality chocolates or the super-tasty cheese?

Some of the most characteristic Swiss cuisine dishes include cheese fondue (melted cheese with bread cubes), raclette (potatoes with melted cheese), älplermagronen (pasta and potatoes with, you guessed it, melted cheese), and rösti (mostly just potatoes). Delicious cheeses are found everywhere in the country and when studying in Switzerland you could try specials like vacherin, appenzeller, emmentaler or sbrinz!

How often do you eat muesli for breakfast? This breakfast staple was developed around 1900 by the Swiss doctor Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Brenner. He served it to patients in his hospital as part of the evening meal. Now, muesli is most commonly eaten at breakfast, but you might find Birchermüesli complet - muesli served with milky coffee, bread, butter, and jam - on the dinner table in Switzerland.

Chocolate production in Switzerland started during the 19th century and quickly gained an audience around the world thanks to its quality. Nowadays, tons of chocolate are produced yearly, with top Swiss chocolate brands like Lindt, Cailler, Frey, Nestle, and Toblerone being among the leading chocolate providers in the world.

Languages of Switzerland

If you're a language lover, there is no better place than Switzerland to unravel your linguistic competency. Is there an official language in Switzerland? The answer is a little complex. The languages of Switzerland are not one or two, but four in number!

The four official languages in Switzerland are German (spoken in North, Central, and Eastern Switzerland), French (spoken in Western Switzerland), Italian (spoken in Southern Switzerland), and Romansh (spoken in South-Eastern Switzerland). Depending on where they grew up, Swiss people are usually multilingual.

Seventeen cantons have German as their official language, making the German-speaking community the largest in Switzerland. Despite that, you'll not have any problem communicating in Switzerland in English, as Swiss people maintain a high level of English language proficiency. In addition to that, you can find a variety of English-taught Master's and PhD programs.