Chalet under the Chillon Viaduct in Villeneuve (Canton Vaud), 1985.
How the chalet became a symbol of Switzerland

The chalet symbolises Switzerland more than any other building. But it was visitors from abroad who turned the simple log house into a tourist hit.

Hakoah’s first team in the 1960s.
Power on the pitch

The over 100-year history of Zurich football club FC Hakoah highlights the importance of Jewish sport in the building of identity and the integration of Jews in Switzerland.

Matthäus Schiner in a portrait from 1784. Background: Letter from Bishop Matthäus Schiner to the envoy in Rome, no date.
Matthäus Schiner: A Valaisan at the centre of power

From peasant’s son to almost Pope: Matthäus Schiner (c. 1465-1522), who came from the Upper Valais, was a decisive figure in European politics during the height of Swiss power in Europe. He remains controversial to this day.

Latest posts

The Confederation's policy of concordance

René Roca 02.06.2023 The Swiss Confederation has had a constitution since 1848. Yet the history of this legal document, which is still in force today, dates back much further. It would be almost impossible to imagine the federal state in its current form without this historical prelude.
Helvetia, enthroned in the centre, is crowned with a laurel wreath as she brandishes the new Federal Constitution. Instead of the usual allegories, she is flanked on both sides by citizens depicted in military uniform and in civilian dress, embodying the people as the supreme political authority.

Gull’s big break

Cristina Gutbrod 30.05.2023 Gustav Gull’s design for the Swiss National Museum in the late 19th century marked the start of his rise to become a star architect.
Gustav Gull’s design for the Swiss National Museum in Zurich’s application to host the museum, 1890.

A snapshot of the Swiss National Museum in 1998

Elke Baumann 25.05.2023 While a museum’s job is to showcase the past, that doesn’t mean it can’t evolve. A trip to the Swiss National Museum to mark the centenary 25 years ago was a very different experience than it is today. Join us on a tour of the museum in 1998.
Aerial photograph of the National Museum from the south, taken in 1999

From ‘Uitoduro’ to ‘Winti’: how place names change

André Perler 23.05.2023 Since they were founded centuries ago, place name have undergone constant change. Unsophisticated descriptions of the local landscape, or ownership, have morphed into abbreviations popular among the young. In Winterthur’s case, it has gone from ‘Uitoduro’ to ‘Winti’.
Map of Winterthur and surroundings, circa 1709.
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Popular posts

From ‘Uitoduro’ to ‘Winti’: how place names change

André Perler 23.05.2023 Since they were founded centuries ago, place name have undergone constant change. Unsophisticated descriptions of the local landscape, or ownership, have morphed into abbreviations popular among the young. In Winterthur’s case, it has gone from ‘Uitoduro’ to ‘Winti’.
Map of Winterthur and surroundings, circa 1709.

Divico – a forgotten national hero

Katrin Brunner 13.06.2022 Around 200 years ago, just when there was a shortage of heroes, the myth of Divico was born. As the chief of the Tigurini people of Helvetia, he made history on account of his brave deeds and the often disrespectful way he talked to Julius Caesar.
Julius Caesar parleys with Divico. Painting by Karl Jauslin for the publication «Schweizergeschichte in Bildern» (Swiss history in pictures), 1885.

The encirclement of Geneva by Spanish troops in 1743

Christophe Vuilleumier 09.05.2023 For almost seven years, from September 1742 to February 1749, Savoy villages neighbouring the city of Geneva were occupied and troubled by Spanish troops. Although part of the War of the Austrian Succession and therefore the great history of Europe, the occupation has been all but forgotten by historians.
The city of Geneva and its fortifications, circa 1760.

The history of video games

Alexander Rechsteiner 29.01.2020 Eating dots with Pac-Man, rescuing the princess with Mario and Luigi, or wiping out your opponents in Fortnite: over about three generations now, video games have shaped the childhood of millions of people. A look back at 50 years of gaming history.
Controller for the Nintendo NES from 1985.

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