The story of a Christmas carol

Over 200 years ago, ‘Silent Night, Holy Night’ was performed for the first time. Thanks to its moving message and captivating melody, it is one of the world’s most popular Christmas carols.

The whole wide world reflected in Swiss place names. Illustration by Marco Heer.
From Vesuvius to Moscow – without leaving Switzerland

Sibirie, Afrika, Le Brésil, Himalaia – as toponyms go, none of these place names sounds particularly Swiss. And yet they are all to be found right here in Switzerland, where an estimated several hundred such ‘exotic’ names have been borrowed from elsewhere.

Scene in London’s “Change Alley” in 1720
The dream of a quick profit

Trading in goods has been institutionalised and formalised since the Middle Ages. Places such as stock exchanges have become increasingly important. With the formation of the first joint-stock companies during the Early Modern Period, there was a growing need to co-finance these organisations, and new financial instruments found their way onto the trading floors of the world’s financial markets.

Latest posts

All posts

Find blog posts on the map

The number in the circle shows how many blog posts are in the corresponding region. Zoom in with the +/- keys on the right or with Ctrl and the mouse wheel to display the individual articles. Click on a circle without a number to select the blog article.

Suggest a topic

Do you know an exciting story or would you like an article on a specific topic? Write us! If possible, we will implement your suggestion.

Write us at blog@nationalmuseum.ch