mar, Sep 13th 2022
Why Switzerland may not be ready for the next earthquake, the Swiss connection to the crown and more in our roundup of news from September 9 – 13.
View the interactive version of this map to see how your region will be affected.
Swiss electricity costs could increase by 280% next year
In 2023, the price of electricity will increase by 27%, on average, but will vary wildly depending on where in Switzerland one resides. For example, 4,500 kilowatts of electricity in Zwischbergen (Valais) will cost CHF 383.05 next year, but that same amount of electricity will cost residents of Gaiserwald (St. Gallen) about CHF 2,644.20. The biggest hike will be doled out to the residents of Oberlunkhofen (Aargau), who will see a 280% hike on their electric bills. The great variations are due to topographical differences, consumption patterns, electricity sources and network efficiency, according to the Federal Electricity Commission. This handy map details the price hikes by region. En savoir plus.
Earthquake rocks Switzerland
Across Switzerland this weekend people felt a 4.7 earthquake, according to ETH Zurich’s Swiss Seismic Service. The earth began to shake shortly before six o’clock in the evening on Saturday – the epicenter was closest to Bern. Although Switzerland experiences earthquakes frequently – sometimes several in a day – they are usually so low on the Richter scale, that they are not felt. A nearly 5-point earthquake in Switzerland is very unusual, but even at that scale, only “slight to moderate damage is possible,” according to the Seismic Service. The last earthquake over 6 points in Switzerland was in 1946 and the country may be due another in the next 20 years or so, earthquake experts say. Considering that making homes and business earthquake-proof is low on Swiss builders’ priorities, a 6-point earthquake could cause a lot of damage and even claim lives. En savoir plus.
Queen Elizabeth II arriving at Zürich’s airport in 1980 (Swiss National Museum).
The Swiss connection to the crown
Écrire en SWI Swissinfo.ch on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II’s death, Michael van Orsouw from the Swiss National Museum recounts the long-standing friendship between Switzerland and UK royals. While it is widely known how much King Charles III, his sons and his brother Prince Andrew enjoy ski holidays in Switzerland, it is probably lesser-known that the crown has relied on Swiss chefs for high-profile events such as William and Kate’s wedding and Prince Philip’s 70th birthday. And it was to Switzerland where Queen Victoria went after the untimely death of her husband. She spent five weeks mourning in Switzerland in the summer of 1868 – riding on horseback through the mountains and painting landscapes of Lake Lucerne. When the UK was struggling with the Falklands crisis in the 1980s, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip came to Switzerland on their only official “tour de Suisse” to mend fences. En savoir plus.
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