Surprising facts about Switzerland

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Intro

Switzerland might be small in size but we are big when it comes to having the highest, longest, or steepest of something. Here are some interesting facts that may make you think of Switzerland in a different way.

Swiss wine – too good to export. Lavaux, vineyard terraces

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Wine in Switzerland is so good that the Swiss prefer to drink it themselves. Only 1% is exported, and with the Lavaux (UNESCO World Heritage), Switzerland has probably the most beautiful wine region in the world.

Lavaux, view

Europe’s highest-altitude railway station. Jungfraujoch, Bern Region

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For more than 100 years, the Jungfrau railway has been making its journey to Europe’s highest-altitude railway station at 3’454 meters a.s.l.

Jungfraujoch, Top of Europe

Europe's largest subterranean lake.  St-Léonard, Valais

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Besides more than 1’500 lakes under the open sky, Switzerland also has the largest subterranean lake in Europe

St-Leonard, Lac Souterrain

The world’s longest staircase. Mount Niesen

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In Switzerland, not too far from Bern, there is a mountain named the Niesen (2,363 meters a.s.l.) which houses the world’s longest staircase. The staircase runs parallel to the Niesen train that runs up the mountains steep flanks and counts 11’674 steps.

Reichenbach, Niesen

The world's first bridge between two mountain peaks. Les Diablerets, Lake Geneva Region

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On Glacier 3000 you can find the first and only suspension bridge in the world that connects two mountain peaks. From the 107m long bridge you can even see the Matterhorn, the Mont Blanc massif and the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau.

Les Diablerets, Glacier 3000

The tallest gravity dam is located in the Swiss Alps. Grande Dixence Dam, Valais

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The Grande Dixence is the world’s highest gravity dam. It collects melting water from the surrounding glaciers and can hold up to 400 billion liters of water.

Grand Dixence, Stausee

Around 6% of Europe's drinking water resources are located in Switzerland. Basel

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The water distributed in Switzerland meets very high-quality standards: it’s even possible to drink from every outdoor fountain – unless otherwise indicated.

Fresh water from the fountain in Schinznach

Swiss Railways – 90% hydropowered. Public transport

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Rail travel forms the backbone of sustainable mobility in Switzerland. Over 90% of trains are hydro powered and public transport is also the safest way to travel.

Glacier Express in Graubünden

The Internet was invented in Switzerland.

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The World Wide Web was invented at CERN in 1989. The organization decided to keep the Web in the public domain – a decision well in line with Geneva’s international spirit.

CERN, Geneva

Last but not least: quick facts.

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  • 1,500 Number of lakes in Switzerland
  • 20,000km Number of kilometers of marked bike routes
  • 48 Amount of mountains above 4,000 m.a.s.l.
  • 7,108km Number of kilometers of ski slopes
  • Davos highest town in Europe (1,560 m.a.s.l.)
  • 2,433 Number of cableways
  • 690 Amount of cheese dairies in Switzerland
  • 60% Percentage of surface the Alps cover
  • 66,000km Number of kilometers of marked hiking trails
  • 180,000 tonnes per year Amount of chocolate production of 17 chocolate manufacturers in Switzerland
  • 12 Number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Switzerland