Language regions and the Röstigraben

Each national language has its region. German-speaking Switzerland is in the north, the centre and the east. French-speaking Switzerland in the west is called Romandie or Welschland. In Ticino and in some southern valleys of Graubünden people speak Italian. Romansh is spoken only in parts of Graubünden.

Some cantons have more than one official language. Fribourg, Bern and Valais are bilingual: German and French. In the city of Fribourg the language border runs right through the city. Graubünden is even trilingual: German, Romansh and Italian. Ticino is the only canton in which Italian alone is the official language.

Between German-speaking Switzerland and the Romandie there are sometimes cultural differences, for example in popular votes. This invisible border is jokingly called the «Röstigraben» (rösti ditch). Rösti is a potato dish that is seen as typical of German-speaking Switzerland. So the Röstigraben is not a real ditch but an image for these differences.

Memory aid: Rösti is eaten on this side of the ditch, croissants on the other side.