The Frog Museum in Estavayer-le-Lac, Switzerland is a collection of 150-year-old satirical tableaus of domestic life in the 19th century—all involving stuffed frogs its collection began in the 1850s thanks to an eccentric military member who harbored a special love for tailless amphibians and began collecting them on his walks across the countryside The story goes that the officer would take the frogs home and fill the sacks of skin with sand before posing them in quirky dioramas You'll find much more than stuffed amphibians at this museum there's also a collection of Swiss armaments and battle regalia and many objects related to local history displayed in a series of small interconnecting rooms Museum of stuffed gophers set up in various scenes and oddities all located in an attic above a gallery A wonderfully strange collection of 500+ stuffed frogs doing people things Taxidermy reptiles and rodents put on quite the show at this local history museum Venture into the past with an unlisted exhibit hall featuring extinct birds One artist's collection of homemade handicrafts doubles as a monument to 20th-century material culture This magnificent herd of stampeding elephants has been frozen in time for over a century Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker The two make excursions to film new videos “in beautiful monastic churches,” Br which has led “to the creation of a small network of communities in which we are welcomed,” mainly communities of nuns such as the Dominicans of Estavayer in Switzerland and Chalais in France or the Cistercians of the Maigrauge in Fribourg The requested content cannot be loaded.Please try again later When it’s time to escape the city and soak up that rural air be sure to visit one of these 10 prettiest small towns in Switzerland Cobbled streets and fairytale castles, decorated fountains, and frescoed houses. It’s not hard to find plenty of great places to visit in Switzerland, largely thanks to centuries of Swiss neutrality no crossfire; all of it means that almost every Swiss town has an unspoiled medieval heart So which are the best towns in Switzerland to visit This is one of those towns in Switzerland that many people rush past in their haste to reach somewhere else There’s plenty to explore if you stop in this beautiful lakeside town and take a look around Estavayer sits on the southern shore of Lake Neuchâtel the largest lake completely within Switzerland and has views across to the Jura mountains You’ll find an imposing Savoyard castle that guards the bluff overlooking the lake there are a host of atmospheric cobbled streets and squares Does the name sound familiar? It should because this is where the delicious Swiss cheese comes from But this gorgeous little gem is a whole lot more than its famous name and is seen by many as one of the prettiest towns in Switzerland Stand in the sloping main square of Gruyères and you could be forgiven for thinking you’re on a Hollywood film set complete with a brooding castle at the top of the town This isn’t off the beaten track but despite the crowds it’s definitely worth it Be sure to indulge in a cheesy lunch while you’re here It would be hard to find a more complete small town in Switzerland than Murten Not only are the encircling walls almost intact but you can walk along the ramparts and gaze across the rooftops Plus there’s a splendid gate with a clock tower the obligatory cobbles and all set beside a pretty lake Is this the prettiest small town in Switzerland It’s certainly the smallest one on this list they say good things come in small packages and Saint-Ursanne is definitely one for the quaint-hearted It packs a lot into a small space: alongside the usual array of medieval houses and streets are an elegant 12th-century church and cloister and chunky town gates The location beside the River Doubs simply adds to the romance You might not find many locals who could successfully place cozy little Porrentruy on the map Take a trip out to the borderlands and see for yourself It’s tucked up in the northwestern corner of the country with a Gallic flair to its genteel buildings and a sturdy castle Truly an unmanicured and unhurried spot to escape the crowds The top ten off-beat activities to do in Switzerland then this little town on the German border will blow you away you’ll be amazed that almost every other house is decorated with elaborate frescoes or graffiti paintwork Those that aren’t frescoed still manage to fit in with half-timbered walls or gabled roofs but you’ll want to head to the banks of the River Rhine to find some peace Schloss Lenzburg is the type of Castle that deserves a big C and courtyards that could have been created by the Brothers Grimm not full of angry townspeople (as the Grimms would have had) but instead an attractive array of fine-looking buildings If Disneyland had a Switzerland-themed park then it would probably look like Appenzell In the middle of the rolling green hills that make up Switzerland’s smallest canton is the tiny cantonal capital It’s almost too pretty for its own good This is about as traditional as Switzerland gets An archetypal town center of Switzerland has a wide main street lined with handsome buildings and topped and tailed by impressive town gates a chunkier version of the refined Untertor at the opposite end of the small-but-grand street In between the two are more pretty buildings than you can shake a stick at The best way to arrive in Rapperswil is by boat from Zurich with the pointed towers of the castle and church crowning the skyline Huddled around the castle hill is the lovely old town with its car-free center and lakeside promenade Take a stroll then sit and enjoy an ice cream in the sun Adam has lived in Belgium and Hong Kong and is currently residing in the Netherlands His interests range a wide spectrum of topics from digital nomads and modern conflict to sports and local craft beer The Alpine sport is experiencing an astounding popularity at home Still a secret kept closely within its borders Swiss wrestling is experiencing an astounding popularity at home “Matthias Sempach is unable to respond to your requests or invitations His schedule is already full with interviews and photo-shoots.” This definitive email is how the agent of the most popular Swiss wrestler answered our enquiries Sempach is a real superstar in the German-speaking part of the country “He’s rather like the equivalent of Zidane in France” Claire-Lise Rimaz from the Swiss Office of Tourism told us the Swiss have Roger Federer and wrestling events and celebrations that touch the very heart of the Swiss soul one of the current stars of the discipline “It’s something truly traditional and cultural Fights between two men also hold a certain fascination for the general public.” Tinged with patriotism wrestling helps to strengthen the social and festive bond between the various inhabitants of this multilingual country It is a perpetuation of a non-violent philosophy one in which modesty and respect are primordial values even if the clashes between wrestlers could quite easily make you believe otherwise “It is a very popular sport here because you never see any brawls or aggressive behaviour during the events The last national event at Estavayer-le-Lac attracted 280,000 spectators with not a single bad incident to report whereas the final of the Swiss Football Cup in Geneva called for 600 additional policemen” one of the French wrestlers who has won the most titles in history Small village events including sports other than wrestling are also held regularly the Swiss Army is supervising the construction of the largest temporary arena in the world where 275 wrestlers will come head-to-head The event will take place over three days and the public can stay on-site (in tents or camper vans) a village covering 90 hectares with canteens something not altogether displeasing to the Swiss conservative party A competition offers escapism and the opportunity to spend time “with other Swiss people” but also to manage rivalry issues between the cantons it is very much about rivalry between the five regional wrestling associations that cover the territory” Local clubs dispense theory and combat strategy but it is at can-tonal level that “active” wrestlers – with a licence to do so – indulge in the pleasure of rolling around in sawdust These amateurs wrestlers come from all walks of life but roots in the Swiss countryside add extra authenticity to the combatants Wrestling often has a long family tradition “It’s open to anyone with no discrimination whatsoever” he represents the recent diversity that is changing this sport Matthias Glarner and Ernest Schläfli also come from a long dynasty of wrestlers So it a natural choice for me.” But if you want to practise this sport you really need to be strong and agile “Good life hygiene is essential if you want to wrestle for as long as possible” He hasn’t had a single injury in his entire career Given that there is no weight or age category weighing in at only 100 kilos… they’re real forces of nature with their body-builder muscles and bull necks and are an exhilarating attraction for young Swiss women “A crowd consists of around 60 per cent women” While we attended a training session in the canton of Fribourg A dozen or so wrestlers bustled around a large container of sawdust with an intoxicating odour It is in fact essential that the wrestlers have a good grip on the shorts during the match divides into several “bouts” (of 5 to 8 minutes the strict dress code varies from a shepherd’s dress (Edelweiss type frock + dark trousers) or the attire of a gymnast (T-shirt and white trousers) the objective is to flatten the shoulder blades or three-quarters of the back on to the ground The champion will wipe the sawdust off his opponent’s back the sawdust container is carefully sprinkled with water in order to avoid any injuries from the wood chips The atmosphere at the training sessions is focused Not all wrestlers have the physique of a young professional but all are capable of bringing down any adversary They prepare themselves to fight at the cantonal festivals in order to reap the rewards climb the ranks and maybe one day achieve the holy grail of becoming the Swiss wrestling king Matthias Glarner is one of the rare wrestlers in his 30s to have snatched this title right from under the nose of Matthias Sempach who was in fact announced as the favourite “Becoming the wrestling king has always been my dream and the highest goal that I had the opportunity to reach last summer Now my ambition is to take part in competitions as often as possible during the next three years A special prize is awarded to the winning wrestler Even if it is moving in the direction of a professional sport it is still really an amateur sport in which prizes are offered by generous donors (small to medium-sized companies the prizes are displayed to the public on a prize table in a large marquee often giving the feel of a village fair to these events a special prize is awarded to the winning wrestler The greatest distinction is a laurel wreath for which you need to be one of the top wrestlers Held once every three years by different wrestling associations this travelling event that also plays host to stone throwing and hornussen can attract up to 250,000 spectators The next one will be held from August 23 to 25 2019 in Zoug This competition takes place every six years and is one of the three major events of the Swiss Confederation the best wrestlers in Switzerland will meet to find out how they measure up for a laurel wreath in the town of Interlaken which has also hosted the festival of traditional costumes every 12 years for the past 212 years What began as a festival to unify city dwellers and country folk Unspunnen is now the largest gathering of Swiss traditions in one place but thanks to the growing media coverage of wrestling that is attracting several sponsors the stars of the discipline can now also earn a living Thanks to its many sponsoring agreements (Tissot Emmentaler) Matthias Sempach can earn around one million Swiss francs a year wrestlers still cling to their amateur status “I think that not having professional status is a good thing for Swiss wrestling People can identify with us as we are normal guys who go to work every day just like them” who devotes 40 to 60 per cent of his time working as a personal trainer Strongly opposed to unbridled commercialism the Federal Association of Swiss Wrestling is also keeping an eye on things “Wrestling managers do not want the sport to become professional” But it is no easy task to keep traditions intact when TV newspapers and specialist magazines want to take advantage of the rising popularity of this sport Schläfli has never benefited from any brazen financial gifts from sponsors but a visit to his home reveals an impressive collection of bells (100) gleaned over the course of a lengthy career that saw him carry off 105 crowns and win a multitude of festivals he is excited about the current financial health of Swiss wrestling and dreams that one day it will become an Olympic sport countries other than ours will have to practise Swiss wresting - and why not Stone throwing and hornussen are the two other typically Swiss disciplines that define the identity of this country Stone throwing is closely linked to wrestling and to the Unspunnen festival although the latter can be traced back to the 16th century Even if wrestling is still the most popular sport stone throwing and hornussen are often associated with events that promote Swiss patriotism hornussen consists of hitting the nouss (a type of puck) with a stick as far as possible into the opponent’s area The defending team has to try and stop the approaching nouss with a shingle or catch board The winning team is the one that manages to intercept the most “pucks” Hornussen was originally played to settle conflicts between villages it also has its mystical roots; it used to be the custom to hit burning logs down from the mountain and into the valley to expel evil spirits this sport is closely associated with the Unspunnen Festival as well as other federal wrestling and alpine games festivals is thrown with a running jump for the longest possible distance by stone throwers affiliated with the Swiss Federal Association of Gymnastics This practice goes back to the 13th century Get the latest news and updates straight to your inbox AlUla Design Award winners crowned at Paris Design Week Maison Aleph: Journey into world of exquisite pastries AlUla 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