Aerial photograph of the National Museum from the south, taken in 1999
Aerial photograph of the National Museum from the south, taken in 1999 Swiss National Museum

A snapshot of the Swiss National Museum in 1998

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.

Elke Baumann

Elke Baumann

Elke Baumann (*1931) worked at the National Museum Zurich from 1994 to 2007 and is now a freelance journalist and blogger.

The National Museum in Zurich was officially opened exactly 125 years ago, and exactly 25 years ago, I led a guided tour for a group of tourists from London. The first question they asked me was who the former king or queen of this castle was. After their initial disappointment at the lack of royalty, they were soon fascinated by the impressive exhibits on display. In the intervening years, the museum has been transformed. Work has been rumbling on behind the scenes to convert, extend, expand and reorganise to the sound of hammers and saws. Many objects are now located in different rooms, while others have been transferred to the Collection Centre in Affoltern. Let’s travel back 25 years and join a tour of the museum as it was then. The museum entrance was a doorway elaborately decorated with Gothic tracery next to the Gotthard stagecoach of 1849. Staff members used to clock in and out using a time clock, while guards and tour guides were recorded by security staff in the lodge. Admission was free. Coats, bags and umbrellas were handed in to the manned museum cloakroom. Each visitor was recorded using a hand counter.
The museum foyer in 1998.
The museum foyer in 1998. Swiss National Museum

The giant bell of St. Peter’s

Today’s tour takes us through the sacred art collection and straight to room 3, where the bell of St. Peter’s hangs. From 1294 to 1880 it hung with its five sisters in the belfry of St. Peter’s church in Zurich.
The bronze bell (known as the ‘Glocke der Bürger’) measures 110cm in diameter, is 112cm high and weighs 843 kilos. Photo from 1998.
The bronze bell (known as the ‘Glocke der Bürger’) measures 110cm in diameter, is 112cm high and weighs 843 kilos. Photo from 1998. Swiss National Museum
Because of its weight it was probably cast in close proximity to the parish church. Its hollow sound rung out every evening at 8.30pm. And those who were still out drinking in the guild hall past 9pm or who were trying to find their way home in the dark were fined. Did you know that a good bell should reverberate for over two minutes?

The miller’s tale

We can hear the two-minute-long reverberations of the bell as we head down to the basement to take a look at a mill from the 19th century. Millers long had a bad reputation. It was claimed that behind every mill there was a pile of sand that was added to the grist to make it go further.
Mill from Eggerberg in the Upper Valais, at the time exhibited in room 11a of the National Museum, March 2003.
Mill from Eggerberg in the Upper Valais, at the time exhibited in room 11a of the National Museum, March 2003. Swiss National Museum

A portrait of an honest housewife

On the first floor we come across Regula Rollenbutz (1545–1607), the 38-year-old wife of governor Salomon Hirzel in a portrait captioned ‘an honest housewife’. The white bonnet with veil indicates that she is married. She is wearing a brown dress, zipped right up to the neck, a black jacket and black apron. Silverware hangs from a cord on her belt (a knife and sharpening rod). The carnation in her hand indicates that she is expecting.
Portrait of Regula Hirzel-Rollenbutz, 1583.
Portrait of Regula Hirzel-Rollenbutz, 1583. Swiss National Museum

The Bodmer family at the table

Let’s now walk past the historical rooms and stop at the Hirzel room with its two splendid tile stoves, built in 1698. The painting of the Bodmer family from 1643 is a must-see here.
Hirzel room with stove and painting of the Bodmer family in the centre. Display from 1995.
Hirzel room with stove and painting of the Bodmer family in the centre. Display from 1995. Swiss National Museum
Conrad Bodmer sits with his second wife Anna Barbara Gossweiler at the far end of the dining table. They are saying grace with all their children from previous marriages. But let’s take a closer look at the seating order: six boys are sitting to the right of the father, while six girls are sitting to the left of the mother. Naturally – the man represents order, light, heaven – the good right side. The woman, on the other hand, is darkness, chaos, the Earth – the impure left side.
This is what a bourgeois table looked like in the 17th century. The painting by Johann Jakob Sulzer shows Conrad Bodmer, provincial governor of Greifensee, and his family at the table. It was painted in 1643.
This is what a bourgeois table looked like in the 17th century. The painting by Johann Jakob Sulzer shows Conrad Bodmer, provincial governor of Greifensee, and his family at the table. It was painted in 1643. Swiss National Museum

The armoury

The armoury, measuring 51 by 18 metres and 16 metres high, was the heart of the museum in 1998 and symbolises the honour and glory of the nation. As an adult, it stirs up mixed feelings as it is a little too reminiscent of the often tedious and boring history lessons from our own school days.
The eastern wall of the Ruhmeshalle (hall of fame) in a photo from 1999.
The eastern wall of the Ruhmeshalle (hall of fame) in a photo from 1999. Swiss National Museum
The main attraction in the hall of fame is without doubt Ferdinand Hodler’s fresco Retreat from Marignano on the western wall. The heroic scale of the Swiss defeat is transformed into a moral victory. It’s worth braving the cold of the unheated room – particularly in the winter months – to see the four powerful images and the exhibits on display. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your attention. And when you leave us today, please don’t forget to take all your belongings with you.
Photos of the National Museum from 1998.
Photos of the National Museum from 1998. Swiss National Museum
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Photos of the National Museum from 1998.
Photos of the National Museum from 1998. Swiss National Museum
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Photos of the National Museum from 1998.
Photos of the National Museum from 1998. Swiss National Museum
Image 01 of 08
Photos of the National Museum from 1998.
Photos of the National Museum from 1998. Swiss National Museum
Image 01 of 08
Photos of the National Museum from 1998.
Photos of the National Museum from 1998. Swiss National Museum
Image 01 of 08
Photos of the National Museum from 1998.
Photos of the National Museum from 1998. Swiss National Museum
Image 01 of 08
Photos of the National Museum from 1998.
Photos of the National Museum from 1998. Swiss National Museum
Image 01 of 08
Photos of the National Museum from 1998.
Photos of the National Museum from 1998. Swiss National Museum
Image 01 of 08

Celebrate with us!

10.06.2023 11.06.2023 / National Museum Zurich
The National Museum Zurich celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2023. The anniversary provides an opportunity to look back on the museum's eventful past and at the same time to cast a glance into the future. The highlight of the celebrations is the anniversary weekend on 10 and 11 June.

Published on: 25.05.2023

URL: https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/en/2023/05/a-snapshot-of-the-swiss-national-museum-in-1998/

More of: 20th / 21st centuryCultureWorld of museums

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