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DISCOVER SWITZERLAND

Goodbye Edelweiss: Swiss tourism body unveils its new logo

After three decades with the same 'old' logo — the Edelweiss flower — Switzerland’s tourism board has now re-branded itself. What is its new symbol now?

Goodbye Edelweiss: Swiss tourism body unveils its new logo
The new logo is unveiled. Photo: Switzerland Tourism

For nearly three decades, Switzerland Tourism, which promotes the country’s charms abroad,  depended on the Alpine flower to sell ‘Swissness’ to foreign tourists.

Coloured in gold, with a Swiss flag in the middle (perhaps so as to distinguish it from the edelweiss that also grows on Alpine meadows in Austria, France, and Germany), the flower had been part of the organisation’s official logo since 1995.

Image by Switzerland Tourism

 

Crossing its t’s

Now, however, the tourism board is taking its logo to a whole new level — or at least that is how the organisation is referring to the new design it unveiled at a press conference in Geneva on Monday.

And what could be more Swiss, or more emblematic of Switzerland, than… the country’s flag (you may argue that the iconic Matterhorn would be a good choice as well, now that it is no longer featured on the Toblerone chocolate).

The new logo features the word ‘Switzerland’ (in English), with the letter ‘t’ replaced by the flag.

With this new image, the tourism board “is now spreading its new identity throughout the world,” Switzerland Tourism said.

Another Swiss icon: Roger

Whatever you may think of the new logo, and even if you don’t think about it at all, the fact remains that Switzerland Tourism has had some clever ideas up its sleeve to ‘sell’ the country to foreign visitors.

Over the past few years, it has teamed up with retired tennis champ Roger Federer (who, in turn, had teamed up with other high-profile individuals) to promote Switzerland worldwide.

This is one example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXcBGfXXL4w&t=13s

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DISCOVER SWITZERLAND

Stunning Swiss village plans to charge visitors to experience ‘Middle Earth’

A small Swiss village that claims it was the inspiration for J.R.R. Tolkien's ‘The Lord of the Rings’ has sparked a row with its plans to charge visitors to enter.

Stunning Swiss village plans to charge visitors to experience 'Middle Earth'

Amidst the ongoing popularity of Peter Jackson’s film adaptations and Amazon’s ‘Rings of Power’, which have kept Tolkien’s tales of Middle Earth alive in the public imagination, Swiss media is reporting that Lauterbrunnen in the canton of Bern plans to charge visitors arriving by car a daily fee of between 5 and 10 CHF.

The move comes as part of efforts to reduce congestion in the small village, maintain its unique atmosphere and boost the local economy. 

It echoes similar decisions by tourist hotspots such as Venice to control visitor numbers through a similar daily fee. 

However, the fee is not without exceptions. Those arriving by public transport or staying in the town’s hotels would be exempt.

Middle Earth’s Swiss origins in Lauterbrunnen

One does not simply walk into Mordor – but in 1911, a 19 year old Tolkien arrived in the small village, located in the valley of the same name and framed by famous peaks such as the Jungfrau and the Eiger.

Prior to his service in World War One, Tolkien spent a length of time in Europe studying language and history. 

His wanderings, and the sights he encountered, shaped the fabric of Middle Earth. 

Such was the impression Lauterbrunnen made upon him that he’d never forget it. 

Writing to his son decades later, following worldwide acclaim for his tales of Middle Earth, he stated: 

“I am delighted that you have made the acquaintance of Switzerland, and of the very part that I once knew best and which had the deepest effect on me. 

“The hobbit’s journey from Rivendell to the other side of the Misty Mountains, including the glissade down the slithering stones into the pine woods, is based on my adventures in 1911.”

The village of Lauterbrunnen itself, seemingly built into the mountainside, and framed by waterfalls, is thought to be the chief inspiration for the Elvish city of Rivendell.

This is the location where plans were forged to destroy the ‘One Ring’ in the fires of Mount Doom. 

The nearby Silberhorn mountain is also widely cited as to be Tolkien’s reference point for Celebdil, the mountain where the wizard Gandalf fought the monstrous Balrog, a fiery demon with massive wings. 

It comprises a critical location in the second book in the trilogy, ‘The Two Towers’ – and seemingly where the beloved wizard seemingly fell to his death.

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