Municipalities spruce themselves up in preparation for national Swiss-wrestling tournament

With the National Swiss-Wrestling Tournament and Alpine Festival to take place in the canton this August, much preparation is going on not just in the city of Zug but in the other municipalities, too, to spruce themselves up to make sure they look their best with so many visitors expected.

Locals in Zug will have noticed how models of Swiss-wrestlers have been smiling on passers-by from the façade of the Zuger Kantonalbank for some months now, flags, appropriate sculptures and additional flowers put on display at other locations.

As Thomas Gretener, the head of communications of the city of Zug explained, the city is very much aware it will become the focus of much attention during the event from 23-25 August and is duly smartening itself up in preparation, for example a new flag-flying concept has been conceived for major events, this one being unfurled from the 1 August, Swiss national day, until the end of the Swiss-wrestling tournament, cantonal and municipal flags being hung out along Artherstrase, Chamerstrasse and in the Vorstadt area.

Then welcoming hoardings are to be hung out on various entry points to the city, such as in the Choller, Artherstraee and northern access road areas, saying “Welcome to Swiss-wrestlers in Zug”. Of note, too, is that all roadworks in the vicinity of the arena will be suspended for a few days. “In fact, we would like local residents to spruce up their houses accordingly; no permit is needed,” said Gretener. Indeed, one local resident in Niederwil has done just this, hanging up stuffed edelweiss shirts and Swiss-wrestling shorts from his windows, while life-size models of Swiss wrestlers can be seen on a traffic island.

As for the municipality of Risch, they have only recently successfully staged the 100th Cantonal Swiss-Wrestling tournament, so they can show other municipalities how it is all done.

Over in Menzingen, the local butcher has gone to town decorating his shop appropriately, with two big cubic bags of sand depicting wrestlers put out to celebrate the event in Neuheim, as they have been in Walchwil, too. As for Baar, it will be putting on its Sunday best.

And did you know you can get special badges for the event costing just CHF 10.00 from the municipal offices in Baar, Cham, Hünenberg, Menzingen, Neuheim, Oberägeri, Risch and Steinhausen?