The cantons are so independently minded that it can sometimes seem as if there isn’t one Switzerland but 26 mini ones, all going in roughly the same direction but each doing their own thing. This is such a part of Swiss life that they have a word for it, Kantönligeist. The polite translation is that each canton has its own identity, culture and history; the more realistic is that each is as bloody-minded as its neighbour. And, as cantonal differences are fiercely defended, they’re unlikely to disappear any time soon. But it is exactly those differences that make Switzerland a uniquely
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