A national symbol is an object or image that represents a country or nation and its values, culture, and history. When thinking of Switzerland, most people associate the country with mountains, chocolate, watches and banks.

National values are essential for the growth and development of a nation. They bind a society together, guiding the attitudes, actions, and behaviour of its citizens. Among the core values of the Swiss are neutrality, stability, self-responsibility.

Arnold von Winkelried is a legendary hero of Swiss history. He sacrificed his life to change the situation of the famous battle of Sempach against the Austrians in 1386. The legend has it that Winkelried cried ‘I will open a passage into the line; protect, dear countrymen and confederates, my wife and children’ and then threw himself on the pikes of the Austrian pikemen. Winkelried

The hero of all Swiss heroes is and remains, of course, William Tell, the bearded Alpine Adonis with hood and crossbow. He was an inner-Swiss freedom fighter who defied the regulations of the Habsburg rule, then as punishment had to shoot an apple from the head of his son Walter with his crossbow and finally shot the Habsburg bailiff Hermann Gessler with this very crossbow. William Tell even graces the 5-franc coin. William Tell- A Symbol of Switzerland Known Throughout the World

Nobody better represents the Swiss humanitarian values than Henry Dunant, the founder of the Red Cross, which to this day provides incredible humanitarian service around the world. He also founded the Geneva Convention and was honored for his lifelong fight against suffering as the first Nobel Peace Prize winner. A portrait of Henri Dunant

Prof. Dr. Bertrand Piccard, serial explorer, psychiatrist and pioneer of clean technology. He was born to achieve the impossible. With his  Solar Impulse project, the circumnavigation of the globe in an airplane powered solely by the sun, he wanted to demonstrate the enormous potential of renewable energy. Trained as a physician and researcher, Bertrand Piccard has become an influential voice for progressive thinking in the spirit of progress and sustainability. House of Switzerland- Bertrand-Piccard

According to the WIPO « Nation branding generally refers to a country’s strategy to convey a particular image of itself beyond its borders to achieve certain beneficial goals. Countries compete with each other to attract the largest number of tourists, investors, consumers, students, events and so on ». The father of Nation branding, Simon Anholt introduced the concept of Competitive Identity underlining the fact that a country’s image has more to do with national identity and the politics and economics of competitiveness than with branding techniques. WIPO About Nation Branding AND Nation Branding Switzerland

Switzerland ranks #7 on the IPSOS Anhalt Nation Brand Index: IPSOS

FutureBrand Country Index: FutureBrand Country Index

What is Swissness?

« Swissness » is a synonym for innovation, exclusive products and excellent services. It refers to a country that is « rich in various cultures, cosmopolitan and open to the world ».

It is a term that can be used to promote business (specific conditions must be respected to use the label, Swissness-Clear Rules for the « Swiss Made » Brand ) Half of companies distributing Swiss products say add the « Swiss » label to their own brand.

Learn more by reading the publication in German by renowned University St Gallen  Swissness Worldwide 2016

What is Switzerland? With more than two hundred full-colour cartoons, photos, and works of art this accessible guide illuminates the unique alpine nation. From William Tell to Heidi, Swiss Army Knives to cheese, litter-free streets to punctual trains. Winner of the 2013 Albert Oeri Democracy Prize. Also worth reading are « Swiss History in a Nutshell ».

One country, four languages, 26 cantons, and 8,7 million people (but only 75% of them are Swiss): there’s nowhere else in Europe like it. Swiss Watching is a fascinating journey around Europe’s most individual and misunderstood country. Diccon Bewes proves that there’s more to Switzerland than banks and skis, francs and cheese. This book dispels the myths and unravels the true meaning of Swissness.

Spécialiste de la Suisse, François Garçon prend plaisir depuis des années à vanter aux Français les qualités, les mérites et les succès de son pays d’origine, et nous le prouve aujourd’hui sous la forme d’un vaste panorama. Voyage étonnant au coeur d’un pays qui a du génie… « J’ai eu à coeur de mettre en valeur des entreprises, des faits historiques, des scientifiques, des événements, des monuments, des paysages, des mythes, des héros ordinaires, des personnages qui m’ont marqué, quelques escrocs aussi, qui témoignent de la diversité de ce pays.

For nearly twenty years, Margaret Oertig-Davidson’s ‘Beyond Chocolate’ has stood as the definitive guide to living and working among the Swiss. She examines the Swiss through the eyes of hundreds of people who have lived and worked here, and her insight will help any reader gain respect and understanding for the diverse people that make up Swiss society. From friendship to professionalism, teamwork to leadership, education to etiquette, Oertig-Davidson provides concrete and simple advice to manage the challenges of integration.

The cases of Singapore and Switzerland present a fascinating puzzle: how have two small states achieved similar levels of success through divergent pathways. While Singapore is the archetypal developmental state, whose success can be attributed to strong political leadership and long-term planning, Switzerland’s success is a more organic process, due to the propitious convergence of strong industries and a resilient citizenry. Yet throughout the course of their development, both countries have had to deal with the dual challenges of culturally heterogeneous populations and challenging regional contexts.

This comprehensive and engaging history of Switzerland traces the historical and cultural development of this fascinating European country from the end of the Dark Ages up to the present. The book draws on the latest research to argue that despite some of the country’s specificities and peculiarities, Switzerland has been located, since its early days, at the crossroads of European history, and has absorbed most of the continent’s intellectual, cultural and political drifts and dynamics.