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Swiss secrets | page 1, 2
A 30-minute drive south from the base of Mount Pilatus is the town
of Brunnen, which is the starting point for the Swiss Path, a
hiking trail that was built to celebrate the 700th anniversary of
the founding of Switzerland. Each of the 26 states that make up modern Switzerland was given
part of the 23-mile path. The length of each stretch was set in
proportion to the number of people who lived in that state during
1991. In fact, every Swiss person was represented by 5
millimeters. Switzerland is a very precise democracy.
The path is also divided into six sections, each beginning and ending in a small town. Boats connect each of the towns and Lucerne and run throughout the day. When you are tired, you can stop and get on a paddle steamboat, which will bring you back to your starting point. The path forms a continuous symbolic chain linking the states with each other, and the past with the future. It's a wonderful walk. The original Swiss Army knife Slightly off the Swiss Path is the town of Ibach. Which may not mean much -- until you find out that this is the home of the company that makes the Swiss Army knife. Ibach is also home to the only shop in the world that carries every model of the knife. The founder of the company, Charles Elsener, was born in 1860 and studied in both France and Germany until he became a master knife-maker, specializing in razor edges and surgical instruments. When he returned to Switzerland, he opened a small workroom in his hometown and sold his knives in his mother's hat shop. When he was 30, he organized the Association of Swiss Master Cutlers, with the prime objective of cooperating in the development of a pocketknife for the Swiss military. The army already had knives, but they were being purchased in Germany. In 1891 the first Swiss-made knives were delivered to the Swiss Army. The original version had a blade, a screwdriver, a reamer for punching holes and a can opener. That was it. Elsener's descendants are still delivering Swiss Army knives to the Swiss Army. However, a regulation issue Swiss Army knife is not that little red number that has become world famous. Regulation Swiss Army knives are made of a dull silver lightweight aluminum alloy; they have one large blade, a reamer for punching holes, a can opener with a small screwdriver (it will work with a Phillips screw), a cap lifter, a big screwdriver and a wire stripper. What everyone who is not in the Swiss Army calls a Swiss Army knife (the shiny red version with a Swiss Cross imbedded in the handle) is actually the Swiss Army officer's knife. Elsener developed the early version of this knife in 1897, but the Swiss Army never accepted it. Maybe the corkscrew and the nail cleaner were too much. Nevertheless, it was immediately accepted by the troops, both officers and enlisted men, who purchased them with their own money, and still do. When Charles' mother, Victoria, died, he changed the name of the company to honor her. Victoria knives soon became famous for their quality. When stainless steel was developed in 1921, it was called INOX. The Elseners added that word to the company name, to become what it still is today: Victorinox. From the beginning, Elsener was developing pocketknives for
different groups. During the 1890s he introduced the schoolboy
model, a farmer's knife and a cadet knife; specialty
knives are still being added. Today the company produces more
than 400 versions of the Swiss Army officer's knife, including
the soon to be introduced inline skater's knife and the cyber
knife. During my visit, I heard unconfirmed rumors about a
"Clinton Blade" that would contain a cigar cutter, stain-remover
stick, magnifying glass and an extended selection of
screwdrivers.
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