2. INTRODUCTION
• Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country situated at the confluence of Western,
Central, and Southern Europe.
• It is a federal republic composed of 26 cantons, with federal authorities based in Bern.
• Switzerland is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein
to the east.
• It is geographically divided among the Swiss Plateau, the Alps, and the Jura, spanning a total area of 41,285
km2 (15,940 sq mi), and land area of 39,997 km2 (15,443 sq mi).
• Although the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, the Swiss population of approximately 8.5 million is
concentrated mostly on the plateau, where the largest cities and economic centres are located, among them Zürich,
Geneva, and Basel.
• Since the Reformation of the 16th century, Switzerland has maintained a strong policy of armed neutrality; it has not
fought an international war since 1815 and did not join the United Nations until 2002. Nevertheless, it pursues an
active foreign policy and is frequently involved in peace-building processes around the world.
4. HISTORY
• Around 1500 BC Celtic Helvetian’s entered Switzerland and colonized the land.
• By 58 BC the Romans took reign of the area and built a capital at Aventicum (Avenches). In the Following
centuries, the Romans continued to build roads and other towns.
• However, the region was attacked by a tribe called Alemanii and Switzerland never recovered. This resulted in the
Romans withdrawing their army from Switzerland altogether in 400AD Afterwards, the Germanic Tribes
(Alamanii and Burgundians) took rule of the area forcing the remaining Roman’s to retreat into the mountains.
• Despite this, the area remained a part of the Holy Roman Empire for many years afterwards.
• In the 12th Century, the Dukes of Zahringen, A German nobel family, were given authority over part of the
Burgundy territories (the western part of Switzerland) and were responsible for founding many of Switzerland’s
cities, such as Fribourg in 1157 and Bern in 1191.
• In 1291, the Unterwalden, Schwyz, and Uri families signed a charter making Switzerland an independent
country. However, formal independence wasn’t acquired from the Holy Roman Empire until 1499.
• Switzerland’s goal was to be a neutral country, meaning they intended not to be involved in any wars. After the
defeat of Napolean when he invaded the country in 1797, the congress of Vienna gave Switzerland in 1815,
permanent armed neutrality, which they maintained through both World Wars and the Cold War despite being
centrally located in the heart of Europe.
5. ABOUT
• Languages: German (Official) 63.7%,
French (Official) 20.4%, Italian
(Official) 6.5%, Romansh (Official)
0.5%
• Nationality: Swiss, Suisse, Schweiz
• Religions: Roman Catholic 41.8%,
Protestant 35.3%, Orthodox 1.8%,
Muslim 4.3%
• National Holiday: August 1st -
Founding of the Swiss Confederation
• National Anthem: Schweizerpsalm
6. GEOGRAPHY
• Population: 8 .02 Million (2012) Climate: Temperate, however, it varies
with altitude.
• Terrain: M ainly mountains (Alps in the South, Jura in the Northwest) with
rolling hills, plains and large lakes
• Total Size: 4 1,290 km2
• Geographical Low Point: Lake Maggiore (195 m)
• Geographical High Point: Dufourspitze (4,634 m)
• Continent: Europe
• The population is about 8 million, resulting in an average population density
of around 195 people per square kilometre
7. ECONOMY
• Major Industries: machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments
• Agriculture Products: grains, fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs
• Natural Resources: Hydropower, potential, timber, salt
• Major Exports: Machinery, chemicals, metals, watches, agricultural products
• Major Imports: Machinery, chemicals, vehicles, metals, agricultural products, textiles.
• Switzerland's most important economic sector is manufacturing. Manufacturing consists
largely of the production of specialist chemicals, health and pharmaceutical goods,
scientific and precision measuring instruments and musical instruments.
• The largest exported goods are chemicals (34% of exported goods),
machines/electronics (20.9%), and precision instruments/watches (16.9%).
• Exported services amount to a third of exports.[124] The service sector – especially
banking and insurance, tourism, and international organisations – is another important
industry for Switzerland.
9. ARCHITECTURE STYLE
• The architecture of Switzerland was influenced by its location
astride major trade routes, along with diverse architectural
traditions of the four national languages.
• Romans and later Italians brought their monumental and
vernacular architecture north over the Alps, meeting the Germanic
and German styles coming south and French influences coming
east. Additionally, Swiss mercenary service brought architectural
elements from other lands back to Switzerland.
• All the major styles including ancient Roman, Romanesque,
Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassical, Art Nouveau,
Modern architecture and Post Modern are well represented
throughout the country.
• The relative isolation of villages in the Alpine foothills, the Alps
and the Jura mountains as well as different languages led to great
diversity in the vernacular style.
• Due to differing traditions, climate and building materials,
villages in each region are distinctly different.
• The Swiss chalet style, which was popular in the 19th century
represents only one of a number of traditional designs.
10. VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE
• Traditional Swiss farm and village house
design depended on a number of factors
including the local climate, type of
agriculture, materials available, local
tradition and location.
• Each region in Switzerland developed
their own style of vernacular
architecture to meet these factors.
• Migrations such as the spread of the
Walser into Valais, the spread of
Germanic culture into the Romansh
regions of Graubünden and the Swiss
invasion of Ticino allowed mixing of
different traditional styles.
• The growth of alpine transhumance,
were cattle summered in high alpine
meadows and wintered in the valleys,
required different designs for housing.
11. VERNACULR ARCHITECTURE
• Beginning in the 11th century many of the out-
buildings began to be combined into a single multi-
purpose farm buildings.
• Farm houses now often contained living quarters,
larders, stalls and feed storage under a single
roof, but isolated by walls.
• The kitchens were generally chimney free until the
17th century, though in some poorer areas chimneys
remained uncommon into the 19th century.
• However, using stone ovens or fireplaces to heat
rooms became common by the 14th century in the
northern Alpine foothills and Alpine valleys.
• External decoration became increasing visible on
both wood and stone buildings after 1500. Façade
decoration reached its peak in the 17th and 18th
centuries before becoming less common and
simpler in the following centuries.
12. SETTLEMENT PATTERN
• The diversity of geomorphology, climate, and plant distribution in Switzerland provides a wide variety of settlement
sites, a variety further enhanced by the country’s central European location.
Rural settlements predominate in the valleys, where characteristic Alpine
villages extend along the base of slopes.
Terraced slopes characterize the sites of villages that serve as bases for “Alpine
nomadism,” the seasonal moving of livestock to or from the mountains.
Two of the best examples are Martigny (the Roman city of Octodurum), at the
meeting of the Great Saint Bernard Pass route and the Rhône valley, and Chur,
a more than 5,000-year-old city located where the Rhine connects with passes to
the interior of the canton of Graubünden.
Some cities in Switzerland originally
developed around monasteries or around
Roman settlements.
Many settlements evolved from their distinct
sites. For example, Fribourg (founded in
1157) and Bern (1191) were established at
strategic river crossings.
Each Swiss city is geographically unique,
particularly those lying at the head of a lake.
13. ARCHITECTURE STYLE
SWISS CHALET STYLE:
• Swiss chalet style is an architectural style of Late Historicism, originally inspired by rural chalets in Switzerland and
the Alpine (mountainous) regions of Central Europe.
• The style refers to traditional building designs characterised by widely projecting roofs and facades richly decorated
with wooden balconies and carved ornaments.
CHARACTERSTICS:
The style is characterized by:
• gabled roofs with wide eaves
• exposed construction beams, including large brackets
• decorative carving and mouldings
• balconies
• large windows
• weatherboarding, usually painted, often in bright colors
14. CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES
Stone (Walls with or without plastering)
Stone/Timber (kitchen; bricked, living-room; timber)
Stone/Log (Like 2. but block building with the parlour surrounded by
mural-mantle)
Stone/Timber (only single part walled with timber)
Log, horizontal (log cabin)
Log with timber, horizontal (timber
with logs between the frames)
Timber, vertical (older framework
build or younger partly timbered
build)
Wood isn’t just wood!
There are many complex
ways to build houses. Log
homes are not the same as
timber-built dwellings, for
example. Log
construction uses the
horizontal trunks of
coniferous trees. In timber
construction, the wood is
positioned vertically.
