Chapter 626: Winter in Switzerland

1845 was a terrible year for Switzerland. There was no snow in winter, floods continued throughout the year, crops failed, and grain imported from Belgium brought potato late blight. In winter, the price of bread rose by 1000% compared to 1844.

People had to look for everything edible in the garbage dump, and many people had to rely on relief to survive. The number of deaths throughout the year was more than twice the number of births.

Switzerland used to be the center of the textile industry in Central Europe, but with the introduction of trade protection policies in various countries, the Swiss textile industry entered a cold winter.

Due to Franz's intervention, the Austrian textile industry emerged suddenly, and the control of the cheap raw material production area also dealt a dimensionality reduction blow to the textile industry in the entire Central European region.

Industries such as watches and machinery manufacturing were also devastated, especially after the opening of trade with Austria and France, the domestic industry was even more wailing.

A large number of foreign industrial products that were so cheap that they were terrible entered the Swiss market. The advanced agricultural tools introduced from Austria liberated the labor force while causing a large number of agricultural population to lose their jobs.

At the same time, due to the profit-seeking nature of capital, a large number of farmlands were turned into pastures, which exacerbated this phenomenon.

In this context, Switzerland's economy is much more fragile than in history. When natural disasters come, the Swiss government and people seem helpless.

Surrounded by powerful countries, Switzerland naturally dares not pass on the contradictions to powerful countries such as Austria, France, and Prussia.

As a result, the states in Switzerland frantically imposed predatory tariffs. Ticino took advantage of its geographical location to frantically increase taxes. There were thirteen types of tolls alone, and a large number of contraband inspections were added. Every box of goods passing by must be inspected.

Berne imposed consumption tax in order to crack down on the wine industry in Vaud. Valais simply banned goods from other states from entering the local area because of its complete industry.

The only industry in Switzerland that has been growing steadily is tourism. Because of its pleasant scenery in the Alps, the emerging bourgeoisie and aristocracy are more willing to pay for it.

In addition, the development of the transportation industry and the influence of romanticism have made the tourism industry develop into an independent industry.

However, it is more appropriate to call the tourism industry travel at this time. After all, most of the tourism is carried out with a strong purpose.

For example, artists go to collect materials and find inspiration, or businessmen go to find business opportunities and negotiate business, or like Archduke Karl, they go to scout and prepare for war.

Franz once set up a travel company with Archduke John, which promoted local economic development by organizing those rich and idle people in Vienna to travel, and they could also make some money by the way.

However, this tourism soon changed. As long as a big shot went there, a large group of people would follow like flies. It was more like political speculation than tourism.

But if there were no big shots, there would be few visitors. Money was made, but the reputation was not spread.

In addition, the first organized commercial tourism in modern European and American history was initiated by Thomas Cook in 1841, and the second one was also organized by Thomas Cook in 1845. In the same year, he established the world's first modern travel agency.

(Some big shots say that China had the concept of tourism during the Shang Dynasty, and there were real travel agencies during the Southern and Northern Dynasties.

In addition, the Arab world's continuous pilgrimage to Mecca since the seventh century can also be regarded as tourism, and many specialized organizations have also emerged in history.

So here we only talk about the first one in modern times.)

However, Vienna has never lacked big figures. In addition to politicians and officials, there are also artists and bankers. Anyway, there are always reasons to travel.

But it was not until Franz took over the Dark Night Theater and the Daylight Theater that this industry got on the right track.

The stars of these "girl groups" are much better at attracting customers than Franz, and because Franz trained some older and less popular actors to become tour guides.

Many "canaries" saw hope for the future, so they paid special attention. Coupled with professional matching, Austria's tourism industry is far ahead of the world.

The cultural courses that no one was willing to sign up for even if they were whipped before have become the most popular topic for these "canaries".

Franz solved the retirement problem of these dancers and actors to some extent. After all, they can't stay young forever, so those who have just entered the industry or have been in the industry for a short time will prefer the two theaters of Dark Night and Daylight.

The addition of a large number of high-quality newcomers has improved the strength and potential of the two theaters to a certain extent, and they will soon win the competition.

Coupled with the head effect, those excellent editors, writers, and musicians have to participate in it. Franz has initially taken over the entertainment industry in Vienna.

In terms of security, some veterans of Umbrella Company were hired as bodyguards, which perfectly solved the employment problem of Franz's personnel.

Back to the book, Switzerland was far from being a peaceful country at this time. Not to mention the turmoil of the civil war, their attitude towards travelers alone was a big problem.

Some local governments even supported the behavior of overcharging tourists in order to solve their own economic crisis. Those legendary luxury hotels often only let tourists live in dirty and cramped spaces.

Then there was forced consumption. Some tourists wanted to drink a glass of goat milk, but in the end they had to buy a sheep.

Some local handicrafts are sold at sky-high prices. For example, a generic mechanical watch that sells for 50 francs in France is sold at a sky-high price of 500 francs locally.

The cost of accommodation and carriages is ridiculously high, and high tips must be paid, so many foreigners who come here say they will not come again.

Of course, some people will choose to travel on a budget. They don't take carriages, rarely stay in hotels or shop, and bring their own food, just to experience the original nature.

The local shepherds will teach them to be human again. Switzerland at this time is similar to Australia in later generations. It is not a big problem to kill a few backpackers at will. After all, no one will stare at their backs all day long.

Clothes and personal belongings will be looted, and the bodies will soon be cleaned up by wild beasts in the mountains. They will really come naked and leave naked.

In contrast, Austria's tourism industry is much more standardized, with a stronger humanistic atmosphere, and there is no shortage of natural landscapes.

The most important thing is that the prices are relatively low. After all, Austrian goods are expensive to export, and the heavy taxes imposed by customs in various countries often make the prices very outrageous.

At the same time, Franz also paid great attention to publicity. In addition to beautifying the Austrian Empire in newspapers and magazines all day long, those visiting artists and scientists would also receive special treatment, and even give them a small amount of money to create some works.

Although it is generally difficult for such commissioned works to produce any masterpieces, it has been proved that as long as the net is cast wide enough, some big fish will always be caught.

Some French people, either because of national integrity or because they did not pay enough, created a group of works that "blackened" Austria.

However, due to the lack of artistic appreciation of most people in this era, it had a counter-effect. Those catchy ballads and popular works became accomplices of Austrian culture invading France.

Of course, there are also natural rebels like Hugo. The more those authorities smeared, the more he wanted to see it.