Located in central Europe, Switzerland is bordered by Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Italy, and France. A small country, Switzerland's very name conjures up images of chocolates, cheese, watches, bankers, and snow-capped mountains.
Switzerland was inhabited by a Celtic tribe called Helvetia in the ancient times. It became a part of the Holy Roman Empire in AD 1032 but soon succumbed to the mighty Habsburgs of Germany. The death of the Habsburg ruler Rudolf I in AD 1291 led to the formation of the Swiss Confederation.
Switzerland was declared a neutral state following the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 and was accorded permanent neutrality in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna. A new federal constitution came into force in 1848 and Bern became the capital city. The Swiss remained neutral in both the World Wars.
The picturesque city of Zurich, located on the banks of the Limmat River, is the intellectual and cultural capital of Switzerland and the hub of tourist activity. The 13th-century St. Peter's Church and the Fraum nster Church are two important sights.
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