Swiss Quiz 3

Did you know that the 225 residents of Bivio, canton of Graubünden, speak seven languages and dialects?
In the village of Bivio, canton of Graubünden, three languages have been spoken since the Middle Ages. In addition to the official language, Italian, most residents speak German and Romansch. Due to the growing importance of tourism, German has increasingly become the vernacular of choice. All this seems even more remarkable as the municipality’s population is only 225. Since the spoken German – just as the Italian – breaks up into several local varieties (i.e. standard German, “Bündnerdeutsch” and Zurich German) linguists have counted up to seven dialects.
(Source: www.wikipedia.org)

Did you know that the canton of Valais is home to a record number of recognized wine varieties?
The catalogue of all the wines cultivated in the canton of Valais lists over 50 officially recognized wines. This is probably a world record, as the Valais Wine Museum states on its homepage. Among the precious and coveted indigenous varieties are Cornalin, Arvine, Amigne, Humagne blanche and Rèze. Switzerland’s third-largest canton with an area of 5,224 square kilometers is located south of the Alps. In 2006, the canton of Valais had a total population of 294,608.
(Source: www.museevalaisanduvin.ch und www.wikipedia.org)

Do you know where the presumably oldest and still playable organ in the world can be found?
In Sion, canton of Valais. The Swallow’s Nest Organ sits inside the fortified church of Notre-Dame-de-Valere in Sion, as the local Musée cantonal d`histoire et d`ethnographie reports. It was built between 1390 and 1430 and is said to be the oldest playable organ in the world. However, according to the museum only 12 gothic pipes remain intact.
(Source: Musée cantonal d`histoire et d`ethnographie, Château de Valère,1950 Sion)

Did you know that in the remote Muota Valley of central Switzerland weather forecasts are made without any technical aids?
In the remote Muota Valley of central Switzerland, long-term weather forecasts have been created without any technical aids for over 250 years. The so-called “Muota Valley Weather Prophets” use only their senses. The six mountain dwellers with job titles such as Ibex Hunter, Weather Missionary, Mouse Catcher, Fir-Cone Man, Sandblaster or Goat Daddy observe wild animals, ants, winds, plants and water sources for their forecasts. Based on this information, they put together their forecasts for the summer or winter periods with amazing accuracy.
(Source and information: www.muotathal.ch/wetterschmoecker)