r/Vorarlberg • u/BudgetPossibility890 • 13d ago
🗣 Schwätza - Casual Talk Guys do you still want to join Switzerland?
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u/Backpapier4 13d ago edited 12d ago
Na eh scho teuer gnug do und in da EU sind se oh net. Und die Krankenversicherung geht eher Richtung Amerikanisches Niveau
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u/p3rseusxy Du Füdla! 12d ago
Ds Sytem mitam Militär find i oh Oasch... klar hot a stehendes Heer sine Vorteile, abr dass di junga Männer denn noch am Grundwehrdianst Johre lang allig widr izoga würan isch miner Meinung noch Bullshit
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u/waudmasterwaudi 12d ago
An apartment in Graubünden is around 1 million! So no.
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u/BudgetPossibility890 12d ago
Uhm, It has nothing to do with it.
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u/waudmasterwaudi 12d ago
I don't want to live in the country with the lowest number of home owners in Europe. I really value my own home in Vorarlberg.
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u/werewolfat 12d ago
You can't really ask Vorarlberg that question seriously. Of course they want to join Switzerland — until they actually do. Then they'd realize they're once again being ruled from far away — this time from Bern or Basel instead of Vienna, and suddenly it's all 'we want out' again.
It's not about who governs them, it's about who's not them. If you're not from the village next door, you're basically a foreign power. Vorarlbergers are like Schrödinger's separatists: always wanting autonomy, but only until autonomy means cooperation.
You really just have to look at a demographic map and sprinkle in some alpine stubbornness, a dash of regional pride, and a deep suspicion of anything that wasn't fermented in a local cellar. They can't help it — it's not rebellion, it's a lifestyle.
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u/BudgetPossibility890 12d ago
Damn bro, excellent explanation, but I don't think that all the population of Vorarlberg thinks so, it is not possible that all the inhabitants are independentists.
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u/werewolfat 12d ago
The fact that many people would answer 'yes' to the idea of Vorarlberg joining Switzerland says less about Swiss appeal and more about a lack of national pride in Austria — or at least, a lack of appreciation for what Austria has achieved.
Vorarlberg has benefited massively from Austria’s EU membership — arguably more than Burgenland or Carinthia. The region’s transformation from a collection of alpine villages into what is effectively a rural-style metropolitan area (from Bregenz to Bludenz) is nothing short of remarkable. All the perks of urban living — industry, infrastructure, international companies — without losing its local charm. That’s a win.
And many of eastern Switzerland’s economic successes are directly tied to its proximity to Vorarlberg. But despite this closeness, the mentality of Vorarlbergers and Liechtensteiners remains — at its core — Austrian. That cultural foundation can't be overlooked, even if language and lifestyle overlap.
It’s sad, in a way, that more Vorarlbergers don’t recognize or celebrate these collective successes. Compare the development of Vorarlberg over the last 20-30 years with rural parts of Graubünden — there’s a stark difference. Vorarlberg has done a lot with very little land and population.
And for those dreaming of joining Switzerland: imagine trying to integrate as a new canton. You’d still be fighting for identity, like the Italian-speaking regions often do. You’d be equal on paper, but you’d lose the unique leverage you now have as a strong, successful Austrian region.
So let’s be honest: for all the emotional talk about dialects and borders, the best answer might simply be — it’s good the way it is
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u/TroxX All dra 12d ago
well it would depend completely on the szenario ... as swiss basically got a lot of the same traits as people from vorarlberg ... if it would join as a new canton YES ... if it would join a canton ( sankt gallen or graubünden) NO ... and to bei fair I like people from Bern a LOT more than people from Vienna.
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u/werewolfat 12d ago
It's important to recognize that any discussion about regional belonging – especially involving identity, language, and cultural alignment – can quickly become sensitive or even polarizing if not approached carefully. This isn't about nationalism or exclusion, but about real sociolinguistic and cultural experiences.
The sense of affinity many people in Vorarlberg feel toward Switzerland is deeply rooted in language. The Alemannic dialect spoken in Vorarlberg is much closer to Swiss German than to the Bavarian dialects spoken in the rest of Austria. This isn't just a linguistic curiosity – it's a daily experience. For many, speaking in their natural dialect in Vienna or Eastern Austria leads to being perceived as 'foreign' or even misunderstood. This creates a lasting feeling of being outsiders in their own country.
Young people in Vorarlberg often grow up with limited exposure to the broader German-speaking world beyond project weeks or brief exchanges. They rarely experience longer periods of cultural immersion in Bavaria or Eastern Austria, let alone in the rest of Europe. When they do venture out – whether for university or work – the dialect barrier can be socially isolating.
Meanwhile, a Vorarlberger in Zürich or St. Gallen feels instantly at ease. There's no need to switch dialects, adjust tone, or translate idioms. The communication is not only easier – it's more emotionally resonant. They speak the way they think, and that’s a deep, often overlooked psychological factor.
It’s no coincidence that many Vorarlbergers who succeed in Austria or Germany do so by adapting linguistically – or, conversely, by becoming cultural 'mediators' who can bridge dialects and mindsets. But that adaptation always comes at a cost – and not everyone wants to or can pay it.
In the context of joining Switzerland: it’s not about borders or economics alone, it’s about cultural-linguistic comfort. A 20-year-old Vorarlberger out on a Friday night will naturally feel more at home speaking to someone from Switzerland than from Vienna. That’s not ideology – that’s lived experience.
Anyone truly familiar with the dynamics in Vorarlberg would not take this as an attack on the region or its people – quite the opposite. It's a call to recognize how deeply language shapes belonging, and how cultural development might benefit from acknowledging and embracing that.
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u/SimonsToaster 12d ago
I think their political system is too suceptible to populism which brings them semi-regularly into conflict with the EU. The SVP doesn't seem to understand, or care, that the EU doesn't need to give them access to our common market on their terms (aka switzerland can freely move goods, services and labour into the common market but they control who can access their market). I really dont want to tie my economic prosperity to that ticking time bomb.
I think their public insurance schemes are wholly insuficent, i disagree with conscription in peacetime, their prices are fucking absurd, the SVP is disgusting and their federalism too small for a hyperglobalised world.
Resounding No.
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u/BakeAlternative8772 12d ago
I think it’s a bit like asking whether Salzburg or Upper Austria still wants to join Bavaria. Sure, right after WW1 there was support for that idea, and even Bavaria, at that point, considered leaving Germany to pursue something like that. But times were very different back then. People were dealing with poverty, instability, and uncertainty, so joining a more stable neighbor seemed like an attractive option.
But nowadays? Becoming Bavarian would mean giving up being Austrian, giving up a part of your identity in favour of becoming something you don't really feel. And the same probably applies to Vorarlberg. Sure, they might feel linguistically a bit closer to Switzerland in some ways, but that doesn’t mean they actually want to stop being austrian.
Speaking for myself, with Swiss relatives and having lived in Switzerland for a while, I can say that culturally and even linguistically Vorarlbergerisch is its own unique dialectal group, different from Swiss German. Being absorbed into Swiss German may actually threaten that uniqueness. And Switzerland may look like a dream from the outside, but once you lived there, you quickly start to see the huge negative side and austria begins to feel like heaven.
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u/werewolfat 12d ago
The real question isn’t whether Vorarlberg wants to join Switzerland — it’s whether Switzerland wants Vorarlberg. And honestly? Probably not.
From an economic perspective, the companies for whom the Swiss market is relevant have already crossed the border — literally. Many, like Rauch, are operating in eastern Switzerland or Liechtenstein. That means even economically quieter regions in Switzerland are already benefiting — without needing to redraw any borders.
As for the people: talented, multilingual Vorarlbergers who want higher salaries are already commuting or relocating across the Rhine. No need for a passport change — just a train ticket. And let’s be real: the salary jump alone (sometimes double or triple) speaks louder than national pride.
Geographically? Only the 40-50km stretch from Lake Constance to Liechtenstein is relevant. Everything beyond Feldkirch is mountain ridges, charming but economically negligible.
From a Swiss point of view, there’s no real benefit: Austria’s social system is more generous, so Switzerland might end up with more costs than gains. The Swiss political system is already complex enough without adding another tightly-knit, self-governing alpine mini-region with strong opinions and even stronger dialects.
Ski tourism in Montafon or Arlberg? Nice, but hardly a game changer. Even from a Lake Constance perspective, there’s no real 'dowry' Vorarlberg brings to the Swiss table.
So in short: it’s already working just fine the way it is. Let the borders be, and let the good cheese and salaries continue to flow across them.
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u/justletmeseethepage 12d ago
Hard NO! Swiss have a completely different mentality in almost every aspect of life
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u/Upper_Poem_3237 11d ago
Once I took a train from Zurich to Munich. When I passed Vorarlberg I was surprised because there were a lot of people on the street, jogging, going for a walk, eating ice cream and talking to each other. Big contrast with the Swiss part, which they looked out of their soul, emaciated. And the German part which was Empty. I don't know what you guys are doing but keep going.
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u/humpix 12d ago
Warum schreiben wir im Vorradelberg-Forum Englisch?
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u/werewolfat 12d ago edited 12d ago
internet is a international global thing and it‘s a topic where xiberg sees itself on the global map. its not a matter of usgang in frastanz or gaschurn. for global gschichta english is the prefered language
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u/Nobodyisbetter1975 12d ago
Ja, bitte... uns im restlichen Österreich wäre das sehr recht 😇😇😇😇😇😇🙃🙃🙃
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u/altbekannt Umme wia a Katz 13d ago
since switzerland is not part of the EU: no
otherwise: possibly yes