Sterotypes about Switzerland...

• The Swiss have been a neutral country since 1850 and this resulted in the idea that the people themselves always refuse to take sides, even in emergency situations or if one of the two options is obviously wrong or evil.
• The Swiss are seen as very punctual and orderly, thanks to their stable government and reputation for quality watchmaking.
• Thanks to their famously secretive banking system, the Swiss are also caricatured as filthy rich bankers who guard money from dubious origins.
• In Europe the Swiss are thought to be dim-witted, slow people who really like to take their time. This is in great contrast with the precision of their famous watches and cuckoo clocks.
• Another image is the cleanliness of the average Swiss person, famously spoofed in “Asterix in Switzerland”.
• The Swiss eat nothing but Swiss cheese, fondue, and chocolate, and all their dogs are Saint Bernards.
  • Another stereotype: they only export said cheese and chocolate. In reality, their main export is machines that make molds.
• Another common image of Swiss people is that they are all mountaineers (like Austrians) who live in ski chalets and wear lederhosen and caps with feathers. Somebody may play an alpenhorn at some point.
• Foreigners often confuse Swiss people with Frenchmen, Italians or Germans.
  • The Swiss may be mistaken for Swedish people and vice versa, although their countries are not even geographically close together.
• Expect a William Tell reference at some point.
• They have excellent trademark mercenaries. The only guy they are willing to fight for without certain monetary expectations is the Pope.
  • The situation differs today. Basically Swiss citizens cannot be mercenaries anymore but when the treaty was written, the country was still largely Catholic and the Papal Guard was - and still is - allowed.