Learn French in Switzerland
MULTIDIMENSIONAL AND FASCINATING
Switzerland may be neutral, but it is by no means feeble. Out of a blend of German, French and Italian ingredients, there emerged a highly resiliant national culture and the Swiss mountain scenery is so fascinating that even blasé travellers are frequently left speechless. Goethe described Switzerland pithily and accurately as a combination of the colossal and the orderly- it is precisely this blend of untamed Alpine nature and the meticulously tended villages and towns that prevents Switzerland from being the one-dimensional country that it is often – quite wrongly- dismissed as.
CULTURAL MULTIPLICITY
The hallmarks of Swiss culture are the country’s geographic location, multilingual culture and strikingly multifaceted architecture, art, literature, film, music and folklore. The culture of the Switzerland’s regions has been significantly influenced by the languages it shares with its neighbours. In every region of the country, there are Swiss radio programs and numerous newspapers, but many Swiss orient themselves culturally around imports from neighbouring countries with a shared language. Geographic as well as linguistic differences are also a crucial dimension of cultural diversity. Swiss culture in the mountains differs significantly from that in the centre of the country, and life in a remote mountain valley is quite distinct from that in the metropolis of Zurich, even though the same information is available.
LANGUAGE TRAVEL IN DER SCHWEIZ:
Language travel Lausanne
Language travel Montreux
Country Information
Official Name: Swiss Confederation
Surface Area: 41'290 km²
Population: 7,5 Mio.
Capital: Bern
Inhabitants: 63.7% German, 20.4% French, 6.4% Italian, 0.5% Romance, 9% other
Language: Quadrilingual (German, French, Italian, Romance)
Religion: 41.8% Roman Catholic, 35.3% Protestant, 4.3% Muslim, 1.8% Orthodox Christian, 11.1% no religion, 5.7% other
Form of Government: Federal State with direct democracy
Currency:Credit cards and/or travellers cheques. Cash withdrawals from banking machines are possible with credit cards or EC cards (with Maestro logo only). Local bank accounts can be opened for longer stays. Currency: Swiss Franc (SWF)
