The Swiss train that can ‘jump tracks’
The revolutionary railway opened this week
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Where Ukraine is keeping their precious artwork in Switzerland, why Australia reopened its Swiss embassy, and more in our roundup of news from December 9 - 13.
Introducing the luxury Swiss train that can ‘jump tracks’
Switzerland this week debuted the new Golden Pass Express (GPX) – a luxury train connecting three of the nation’s most popular tourist spots: Montreux, Gstaad and Interlaken. The CHF 89 million train features a sleek new design and panoramic windows. In its “Prestige Class” travelers can enjoy reclining, swiveling leather seats and gourmet food and drink. But the train isn’t just pretty to look at – its groundbreaking technology allows it to change the gauge of its wheels and the height of its coaches. This enables the train to switch from one train track to the next in seconds. Passengers can remain in their seats for the entire three-hour journey. The trip cuts across central Switzerland, weaving around some of the country’s most spectacular lakes and mountains. Dealing with “new safety standards has been a stimulus to our creativity, rather than a limitation,” says one of the head designers Alfredo Palma. Read more.
Historic reopening of Australian embassy in Switzerland
After a 30-year pause, the Australian government last week officially reopened its embassy in the Swiss capital of Bern. The embassy first closed in 1992 for financial reasons. The reopening “marks a significant milestone in Australia's relationship with Switzerland and demonstrates the importance we place on deepening our engagement with the Swiss government and people,” the Australian government said in a statement. Australia is an important bilateral trade partner for Switzerland with a total of 3.7 billion francs moving between to the two countries in 2021 alone. At least 250 Swiss companies have invested more than 10 billion Swiss francs in Australia. Switzerland exports pharmaceuticals, watches and technology to the country, while Australia exports gold, silver, meat and medicine to the Alpine nation. Read more.
Ukrainian art finds refuge in Switzerland
Amidst the chaos of an ongoing war in Ukraine, many Ukrainian paintings have found temporary, safe refuge in Swiss museums. The Kunstmuseum in Basel is showing 49 works by Ukrainian artists from the 18th to 20th centuries. These works come from the Kyiv Picture Gallery at the National Ukrainian Art Museum. The special exhibit is called “Born in Ukraine” as all 31 artists represented were born on Ukrainian soil. That said, most of them were trained in Russia. Another Ukrainian art exhibit, called “From Dusk to Dawn,” is being showed at Geneva’s Musée Rath. Read more.
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