MountainBlog

Change in perception of the Swiss Alps in art

Friday, 16 January 2026

Eva

MountainBlog

Alexandre_Calame_Rosenlau_20260116-143611_1

The Rosenlaui Valley with the Wetterhorn

Written by Alexandra Dallago and Nadja Rosenberg, students from the University of Zurich. Before the 19th century, the Alps were seen as a place of fear and mystery, but their image has shifted since they were mapped and explored (Fleming, 2004). Fleming (2004) describes this as a change "from a realm of terror and superstition to one of bea...

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73 Hits

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Beyond the Vineyard – A Case Study about Women’s influence on the Economy

Friday, 16 January 2026

Eva

MountainBlog

Image_blog_ballinger_gochashvili_kistle_20260116-141632_1

https://www.vecteezy.com/photo/4550699-happy-young-women-gardener-holding-branches-of-ripe-blue-grape

Written by Nino Gochashvili, Claire Ballinger and Jana Kistler, students from Tbilisi State University and the University of Zurich. Gendered biases can be found in almost all places and sectors and are mostly influenced by culture, religion and stereotypes (Kharistvalashvili, 2016). These prejudices form barriers making entry into the workf...

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232 Hits

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From Wool Weaving to Luxury Resorts: How Tourism Shapes Mountain Identity

Friday, 16 January 2026

Eva

MountainBlog

Illustration_andermatt_construction_Lemmerzahl_unsplas_20260116-132813_1

Construction site in Andermatt, Switzerland. Source: Steffen Lemmerzahl 2022, Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/de/fotos/eine-baustelle-mit-kranen-und-ein-gebaude-im-bau-jmWFNK7ZvbY

Written by Sopka Jighauri, Salome Melkadze, Livia Eckert and Sofia Niggli, students from the Tbilisi State University and the University of Zurich. Over the course of the last years, there has been an increased interest in tourism in mountain areas (Liu et al., 2022). This is associated with subsequent tourism-related livelihood shifts...

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43 Hits

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2 Perspectives: Regulations for Tourism in National Parks in Georgia and Switzerland

Friday, 16 January 2026

Eva

MountainBlog

Image of regulations in the Swiss National Park. Source: https://nationalpark.ch/en/protection-regulations/.

Written by Levan Gogitidze, Levan Kurtanidze, Elspeth O'Connor and Tracy Zimmermann, students from Tbilisi State University and the University of Zurich. Regulations are an important aspect of human-nature integration in national parks. Many forms of governance and regulations exist in national parks (Pütz et al., 2017, p. 75) and they ensu...

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61 Hits

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Mountains on the Move: What’s Driving Migration from the Swiss Alps?

Friday, 16 January 2026

Eva

MountainBlog

Swiss mountain village (https://www.foyerglobalhealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Sexpatrier-en-Suisse-notre-guide-pour-une-installation-reussie.jpg)

Written by Giorgi Bachiashvili, Lauma Goldmann and Lea Buchmann, students from Tbilisi State University and the University of Zurich. Migration from mountain regions refers to the movement of people from high-altitude areas towards lowland cities (Camenisch & Debarbieux, 2011). In Switzerland, this trend is highly relevant, as a large par...

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48 Hits

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Skiing into Uncertainty

Friday, 16 January 2026

Eva

MountainBlog

Sustainability approach in Andermatt, UR (Andermatt Swiss Alps AG)

Written by Aischa Heyd and Verena Wesenauer, students from the University of Zurich. «The continued expansion of mass tourism is having serious negative effects in several mountain regions of the world» Barker, 1982, pp. 395 Ski tourism in Switzerland faces threats from climate change, as shorter winters and less predictable snow chal...

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21 Hits

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Emptying Valleys? Demographic Change in Swiss and Georgian Mountain Areas

Friday, 16 January 2026

Eva

MountainBlog

Mravaldzali, Racha, Georgia (Source: Tatia Okitashvili)

Written by Tatia Okitashvili, Giorgi Kamarauli, Andrina Steiger and Sarah Mark, students from Tbilisi State University and the University of Zurich. Population and age structures in Switzerland and Georgia are set to change significantly in the future. This demographic change is driven by declining birth rates, large age groups reaching retirement ...

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24 Hits

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Peaks and Plots

Wednesday, 29 January 2025

Annina UZH

MountainBlog

Written by Ina Bolotashvili, Elene Kapanadze, Johanna Schweizer and Samuel Tüller, students form Tbilisi State University and the University of Zurich In both Georgia and Switzerland, the mountainous regions attract many tourists. Anytime this is the case, entrepreneurs will show up, trying to capitalize on the attention of these places. The follow...

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17970 Hits

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Parc Adula – How Federalism Can Hinder Biodiversity Protection

Wednesday, 29 January 2025

Annina UZH

MountainBlog

Parc Adula – How Federalism Can Hinder Biodiversity Protection

Written by Kimi Scherrer & Angela Mürner, students of the University of Zurich Switzerland is facing a biodiversity crisis. Since 1900, nearly half of the country's habitats and a third of its species have become endangered. The decline in biodiversity threatens not only ecosystems but also the services they provide. Ecosystem services are cruc...

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8848 Hits

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Car-free winter sport resorts in Switzerland – Pros and Cons

Wednesday, 29 January 2025

Annina UZH

MountainBlog

Car-free winter sport resorts in Switzerland – Pros and Cons

Written by Jon Osterwalder and Lukas Götz, students of the University of Zurich Switzerland's public transport system is well known for its reliability and frequent connections to remote valleys. There is even a legal obligation that every village with at least 100 residents must be accessible by public transport (Fedlex 2023). Therefore, travellin...

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5097 Hits

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BiodiverCity Zurich?

Wednesday, 29 January 2025

Annina UZH

MountainBlog

Written by Leslie Bournot and Flurin Bischoff, students of the University of Zurich Switzerland's biodiversity is decreasing continuously with more than a third of native species being endangered. This decrease is among other reasons caused by the loss of precious habitats and insufficient connectivity between them (Stadt Zürich, 2024). As an artic...

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18111 Hits

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In-Country Migration of Young People – a Contrast between Georgia and Switzerland

Tuesday, 28 January 2025

Annina UZH

MountainBlog

In-Country Migration of Young People – a Contrast between Georgia and Switzerland

Written by Christoph Hueppi, Mariam Kharshiladze, Balina Nodia & Noa Sargenti A collaboration between students from Tbilisi State University and the University of Zurich What are the reasons that people migrate? People might migrate because they are forced to because of a war or they must due to climate change. Even in countries like Georgia an...

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6004 Hits

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What would it take for you to move to the mountains?

Tuesday, 28 January 2025

Annina UZH

MountainBlog

What would it take for you to move to the mountains?

Written by Tamar Kutubidze, Nini Lagvilava, Sonja Lussi & Charlene Zehnder A collaboration between students from Tbilisi State University and the University of Zurich Imagine a serene village nestled in the Swiss Alps, with breathtaking views and quiet streets that seem straight out of a storybook. Now, imagine this village isn't just a fairyta...