The tinkling of cowbells is a sound that reminds many of the idyllic image of Switzerland.
It conjures up images of pastures and majestic snow-capped mountains in the distance. But what if you hear those sounds outside your bedroom window day and night, with 20 or 30 cows clucking loudly as they graze? This is a dilemma many Swiss communities face.
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Arvangen, with 4.700 inhabitants, is a charming village on the banks of the beautiful river Are, while the Bernese Alps can be seen in the distance.
It has a medieval castle, and in the picturesque center are a church and traditional village houses.
Due to its strategic location, it significantly contributes to the success of the Swiss economy.
It is an hour away from the capital Bern, but also Zurich and Basel.
It's a wonderful place to live, especially for city workers who want peace after their daily work.
There are more and more new houses and apartments in the center of the picturesque town.
If you are looking for complete silence, Arvangen and other places in rural Switzerland may not be for you.
Those traditional farmhouses still function, the green fields are still home not only to new houses, but also to milking cows, with bells around their necks.
It is this sound that bothers some of the new residents of Arvangen.
At least two families have formally complained to the village council, demanding that the bells be removed from the cows, at least at night.
Loud protests followed.
Longtime residents and the remaining five or six herders in the village were outraged by what they said was an attack on their traditional culture, Mayor Niklaus Lundsgard Hansen said.
One of the herdsmen stated that this was "a personal insult to him and his cows".
In the spirit of Swiss tradition and way of life, a petition has been launched to gather votes to keep the bells.
"We, the Swiss (want) to preserve and maintain our tradition in the future," it said.
Andreas Baumann firmly believes that bells are an essential part of the Swiss soul.
He points to Zurich Airport's international terminal, where arriving passengers walk to baggage claim through corridors filled with Alpine scenes and the sound of cowbells.
"As soon as I hear them, I know I'm back home."
"Anyone who is disturbed by the bells imagines rural life too romantically," believes Bauman, adding that in that case, those people should really live somewhere else.
In just a few days, the petition was signed by more than a thousand people.
The signatures were handed over to the village authorities at a solemn ceremony, along with traditional sausages prepared by herders and farmers.
Cowbells were once very useful in Swiss rural life.
The herds, especially in summer, grazed high in the Alps, on the steep slopes, and the bells were used to follow them.
Older farmers still recognize cows by the sound of their bells. Cows today have electronic chips and are mostly in fenced pastures.
Disagreements in Arvangen are not the first regarding the question of whether bells are really necessary.
Some Swiss farmers have already removed the bells from their cows, so as not to disturb their neighbors' sleep.
Animal rights activists also question whether animals are harmed if they have to wear a loud bell.
In a country of high immigration, where every fourth resident is not Swiss, there will always be those who see any change in tradition as an attack on their culture and identity.
This is exactly what Arvangen is all about.
In last month's parliamentary elections, the right-wing Swiss People's Party campaigned under the slogan "Let Switzerland remain Switzerland", winning a significant number of votes.
Arvangen residents will hold a public hearing on the future of cowbells in December.
Meanwhile, one of those who objected to the noise withdrew his complaint.
The other moved away.
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