Fribourg : A Catholic University

Extract

The University of Fribourg is a characteristically Swiss institution. It is not merely that it is situated in the capital of a proudly independent canton where two traditions in Switzerland, represented by the French and German languages, meet. The very notion of a University where nearly half of both students and professional staff are foreigners is true to the national tradition of world service. Although the world service consisted for many centuries in supplying mercenaries for the armies of Europe, it is now best represented by the Red Cross and the various organizations concerned with world co-operation. To understand the spirit of the University and appreciate its worth one must understand something of its setting.

Clarity is one of the most striking features of the country: perhaps it is the clarity of the air which produces clarity in other respects. The cleanliness of the trains and the hygiene of the hospitals are well-known. One might ascribe this merely to a passion for neatness, an impatience with lack of order. But I think this would be unjust, in spite of some features which suggest this interpretation. The steely fingers of bureaucracy extend over the land, cutting across even the treasured individualism of the cantons, to an extent which even the obedient Englishman would find difficult to stomach.