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SWISS TRADITIONS

Why a Swiss village is refusing to ban cowbells despite noise complaints

Cowbells — or rather their ringing — are at the centre of controversy in the Swiss community of Aarwangen. Just how important are they to Swiss culture?

Published: 2 November 2023 11:38 CET
Why a Swiss village is refusing to ban cowbells despite noise complaints
The bell stays, complainers move out. Image by erge from Pixabay

Disputes over cowbells are nothing new in Switzerland, where disagreements between the pro-cow factions and residents who like to have a good night’s sleep occasionally erupt (read more about this below).

The latest such incident is ongoing in the small community of Aarwangen, in canton Bern.

The peaceful existence of this picturesque village was disrupted by two newly arrived couples, who lodged a complaint with the municipal authorities against the around-the-clock ringing of cowbells emanating from nearby pastures.

The complaint sparked an uproar among the residents, who decided to take the bull by the horns and launch a referendum to preserve the bell ringing — not just from cows, but also from churches.

About 1,100 people (approximately a third of those eligible to vote) have signed a petition to this effect so far.

“It’s about much more than animal bells. It’s about the Swiss way of life, what we care for, and how we want to preserve the culture and traditions of our country,” Andreas Baumann, president of Aarwangen’s pro-bell committee, told SRF public broadcaster.

In view of the mounting resistance, one of the couples has withdrawn their complaint, while the other pair are planning to move away.

Nevertheless, Aarwangen must now officially regulate how to incorporate the sound of bells within the community’s noise protection ordinance, an issue which will be debated at the next municipal meeting.

Meanwhile, the cowbell dispute has even made it into the local museum, which has organised a special exhibit on the subject.

“Disputes like the one in Aarwangen are not about noise, volume or decibels,” said museum director Jana Fehrensen “It’s about tolerance.”

Other cases
 
Aarwangen is certainly not the first (and likely not the last) community to have a beef with bell ringing

In fact, courts all over the country are constantly dealing with this issue.

These are just some of the examples:

In 2021, an Aargau court decided that cows should be bell-less from 10 pm until early morning.
 
In 2019, the municipal assembly of Bauma (Zurich) ruled that cowbells do not make noise. This means that residents can no longer submit complaints about the ringing..

In 2018, the Federal Court ruled that the ringing of bells in the particular location in question had been part of local customs and must be preserved.
 
No cowbells, no Swiss passport

In 2017, the media reported that a Dutch woman in canton Aargau had her request for Swiss citizenship refused for the second time because she was campaigning against cowbells resounding in her village. 

She did, however, obtain her citizenship on a third attempt.

All this goes to prove that in the ongoing noise-versus-cow battle, the bovines nearly always win.

READ ALSO: Why are cows so important in Switzerland?

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SWISS TRADITIONS

EXPLAINED: Why is Switzerland so famous for watches?

Watches are considered as quintessentially Swiss as chocolate. But how did that become the case?

Published: 10 April 2024 11:47 CEST
EXPLAINED: Why is Switzerland so famous for watches?

Switzerland is considered the centre of the global wristwatch trade, with several of the world’s largest and most exclusive manufacturers based there.

However, this was not where the watch trade was born. 

In the 16th century, portable, wearable clocks, usually worn on a chain around the neck, first appeared in the German cities of Nuremberg and Augsburg. 

Both cities were known for precision instruments related to the weapons and surveying trades.

Several advances in metallurgy in these two cities enabled the creation of working, albeit somewhat unreliable, clock movements that could be carried around. 

READ MORE: Cuckoo clocks and Toblerone: The ‘Swiss’ products that are not actually Swiss

Soon, these were luxury items – and in fierce demand across Europe. 

Shortly afterwards, another momentous historical event occurred that would enable Switzerland’s dominance of the watch trade. 

An industry is born

As the Protestant Reformation exploded across Europe, French Protestants – known as Huguenots – were driven from France by the Catholic monarchy. 

Many of these Huguenots crossed to Switzerland and settled in Geneva, bringing their skills as metalworkers and jewellers. 

At this time, the city of Geneva was under the control of the reformer John Calvin and his supporters.

Calvin was a strict and austere man who had forbidden displays of flashy jewellery in the city. Thus, many Huguenots retrained as watchmakers to circumvent the religious laws that were rigorously enforced. 

Necessity breeds innovation, and within decades, the first clunky, inaccurate wearable clocks were replaced by far more advanced, smaller timepieces. 

READ MORE: Geneva watch fetches $21 million at auction

Throughout the 17th century, the pocket watch became incredibly popular, owned in large numbers by the nobility. 

Several large mercantile companies appeared in the 18th century, and the merchant class also began carrying them. 

To meet this surge in demand, timepiece manufacturing spread beyond Geneva to several nearby cantons, such as Neuchâtel and Jura. 

At this time, the country’s oldest still-existing watch manufacturer, Blancpain, was founded in 1735. Breguet, another titan of the watchmaking industry, was founded in 1775.  

The first wristwatch 

By the 19th century, the Swiss clock and timepiece industry had achieved almost total dominance, only rivalled by England and parts of Germany. 

This is due to the development of the etablissage system. Family firms in various villages and towns would be responsible for creating standardised watch parts, which would then be assembled by watch firms in the larger cities. 

Inventing the self-winding mechanism also played a huge role in furthering the influence of Swiss watchmaking. 

Such a system streamlined the production process and meant that watches could consistently be produced without waiting for specific parts to be available.

Many believe that Abraham-Louis Breguet created the first wristwatch in 1810 for Caroline Bonaparte, Queen of Naples and sister of Napoleon.  

READ MORE: Napoleon’s locks to be put in Geneva watches

This led to a fashion trend, and by the mid-19th century, women would wear bracelets that included a timepiece. 

Many new luxury brands, such as Patek Philippe in 1839, emerged to cater to this market. 

Men’s wristwatches would follow later – prompted by military men requiring something to use to time manoeuvres in the field. 

The Swiss watch industry continued to expand throughout the 20th century, weathering the development of quartz movements in Japan and several other threats to its dominance. 

Today’s Swiss watch industry

In 2024, the Swiss watch industry will contribute around 26.5 billion francs to the country’s economy, with just four companies—Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, and Richard Mille—comprising almost half the market share. 

Around 700 wristwatch makers operate across Switzerland today, catering to luxury and specialist markets. 

Despite competition from other countries, such as Japan and the United States, the country is still viewed as a centre of innovation and excellence. 

READ MORE: Swiss watches rebound to beat the pandemic blues

Many firms emphasise bespoke, hand manufacturing as their strength in creating excellent timepieces. 

This perhaps explains the prices that some Swiss watches can command —some Patek Phillipe models, for example, have sold for more than 20 million euros! 

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