Topics of the week 33

When a mounted flag escort marches through the arena of Saignelégier, it is a traditional part of the Marché-Concours. However, the fact that the flags of Jura and Bern flew side by side was a premiere: at the 121st edition with 40,000 visitors, the canton of Bern appeared as a guest of honor in Jura for the first time.

This symbol of reconciliation was made possible because the change of canton by Moutier ended the dispute - or as Federal Councilor Albert Rösti put it: "The painful times of disagreement are behind us." 

How visually this diplomacy worked was evident when the Jura anthem was played, as Jura Federal Councilor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider and Bern's Government President Pierre Alain Schnegg shook hands. Peaceful protests along the roadside did not change the success of the festival: Bern shares with Jura a passion for the Freiberger - the only remaining original breed of Swiss horse breeding.

Our photographer Anthony Anex captured the grand parade on Sunday with powerful images.

On the night of August 18, 1993, devastating news shocked Switzerland and went around the world: Lucerne's world-famous Chapel Bridge was fully engulfed in flames. Likely sparked by a discarded cigarette, the fire quickly destroyed about two-thirds of the historic 14th-century wooden structure, as well as 78 of the invaluable triangular gable paintings. The images of the blazing bays and the smoking water tower burned deeply into the country's collective memory.

What followed was a historic tour de force: in just eight months, the bridge was rebuilt in record time, supported by an unprecedented wave of solidarity and international donations. On April 14, 1994, the restored Chapel Bridge was reopened to the public. Our image archive shows the dramatic inferno of 1993, the intensive reconstruction phase, and the landmark in its current glory.

On August 10, the new school year began in nine German-speaking cantons. In the cantons of Zurich, Bern, and both Basel cantons alone, over 380,000 students made their way to classrooms on Monday.

While a new phase of life begins for tens of thousands of first-graders and kindergarteners with their traditional school cones and yellow safety ribbons, schools are facing a major transition: in addition to the ongoing teacher shortage, progressive digitalization, heat days in classrooms, and the introduction of artificial intelligence are shaping everyday school life.

For decades, the Graubünden pass village of San Bernardino lay in a deep tourist slumber. Now, Ticino investor Stefano Artioli is driving forward the radical transformation of the town with his "San Bernardino Swiss Alps AG". A nod to Sawiris and his Andermatt project.

By 2032, around 500 million francs are expected to flow into the revitalization. The centerpiece of the next phase is the 200-million-franc Acuforta thermal and luxury resort, which, in addition to a five-star wellness hotel and 163 apartments, also includes a publicly accessible thermal bath and a water museum centered around the historic mineral spring.

That headwinds are gathering is rarely surprising in the Alps: almost ten objections have been filed with the municipality of Mesocco against the Acuforta building permit application. The initiators are reacting calmly - they had expected resistance. Nevertheless, the objections reveal the classic Alpine dilemma: how much upswing from massive private capital can the region handle, and where do the concerns of the local population begin?

Our photographer Gian Ehrenzeller has been documenting the changes in the village since the upheaval began three and a half years ago.