Confession

After 6 months in Switzerland, I still can't figure out whether to open doors via pushing or pulling.

Can you tell for the above picture? (In case you're wondering, the answer is "push".) The hinge is sometimes hidden, and the door jamb is nonexistent. Fortunately, I know I'm not alone in this problem, based on anecdotal evidence from some of my Swiss and European colleagues and friends as well as the prevalence of labeling on the doors themselves. My question is, why would such an awful design get put into such widespread use?? (Undoubtedly, it arose through the decisions of many committees and put many people into employment.)

Supposedly doors in Switzerland (or at least in my lab) are designed to allow quick departure from a building in case of emergency, which gives a quick-and-dirty method of determining the door direction. It isn't always correct, but it's a starting point if you find yourself at an unlabeled door.

Of course, being in Europe, even labels can't be a simple matter. High German and Swiss German use different types of "push" verbs for their doors! "Pull" is the same in both (ziehen), but High German uses "druecken," which means to push or press, while Swiss German insists that you "stossen" the door, a word for which LEO offers the following suggestions: to butt, to bump, to jab, to poke. Such violence in going through doors! I guess it's representative of the frustration one feels after attempting to pull open the door and then realizing it requires pushing instead (with people watching you all the while, naturally).