Swiss Cows

I've met Óscar and his family in 2014. Back then he was living in Switzerland.  Being postcrossers of course we talked about cards, our likes and dislikes and I mentioned I like cows. A few days later, he sent me my 1st swiss cows cards. After 7 years living there they moved back to Portugal and the last card he sent from there was, of course, a cow card. 

© Photoglob Zürich

Switzerland is the land of chocolate and cheese, so it comes as no surprise that cows are an important part of the local economy. As a whole, Switzerland has 1.59 million cows, or one for every five people. 

 Foto: A. Brazerol

Is not bad to be a cow in Switzerland. Their owners get government subsidies which are invested in impressive barns. Modern barns are bright, spacious, cozy and quite often heated. A good investment for the future, the relatively luxurious building can easily be converted into a function hall for big parties once the cattle moves out. I bet many of these barns are way better than many houses around the world. 

Photo: Juliette Repond

Swiss cows have such a good life that they even go on holidays. Yes, that's true. Each summer, after the snow melt approx. 500’000 Swiss cows go on vacation to the mountains. 

The end of the season is usually celebrated with the “Alpabzug”. For this the farmers get dressed up in their traditional working garbs and the cows are turned into beauty queens with fancy necklaces and floral hats.