Table of Contents
Switzerland
A country in the Alps, known for its cheese, its chocolate (and the purple cows from which it is made), its perfect neutrality, perfectly safe bank accounts, perfect clocks, as well as historically terrorising Europe with its hordes of mercenaries - until they were replaced by Hessian mercenaries.
Apart from the above mentioned facts, stereotypes about Swiss behaviour, especially of the Germanophone Swiss, usually tend to be the same stereotypes than those about Germany, only in extreme: Swiss are always on time, Swiss work hard, Swiss love sausages and beer, Swiss are bureaucratic, etc etc. As with all stereotypes, they need not be true in either (or indeed any) country. Of course, the ones about “guns for everyone” ownership and hollowed-out bunkers aren't to be taken lightly. It's been said that a war with the Swiss would make Afghan cave warfare look like “a game of snow forts.”
On AH.com it is well known in FH maps, where usually all of Europe unites - except that white spot in the middle of it (sometimes with Liechtenstein). Also, Susano likes to reference to it very much as an example of how a very direct democracy does in fact work and even prosper. The counter-argument typically made by Hendryk is the late date at which the latest Swiss canton to do so, Appenzell-Innerrhoden, granted the vote to women.
Switzerland tends to show up as the only unchanged bit (and still neutral of course) on any given AH map. Some have attributed this to a magic spell that gives them protection against ASBs.
Also home, of course, to the Evangelical People's Party of Switzerland.
AH.commers
Swiss alternate history literature
Christian Kracht
Ich werde hier sein im Sonnenschein und im Schatten (Russia gets destroyed by a much, much bigger Tunguska event; Lenin stays in Switzerland, where he makes revolution instead, of all places. Switzerland acquires colonies in eastern Africa to be able to fight fascist Germany and Britain. Also has some fantasy elements.)