![A rough sketch of the first VW camper van: Ben Pon’s notebook from 1947.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/vw-bus-skizze-ben-pon-300x225.jpg)
The VW camper van: an iconic vehicle with a Swiss connection
Nowadays, the VW camper van has cult status. It was invented by a Dutchman named Bernadus Pon who spent a lot of time in Switzerland after building a villa there. In 1965, Pon, who by then had become very wealthy, gifted every schoolchild in a small Swiss village with a savings account.
![Dutchman Bernardus Pon – known as Ben Pon – a resourceful and inventive fellow with Swiss connections.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/ben-pon-210x300.jpg)
![Advertising brochure from 1951: “Undemanding and low maintenance”](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/vw-bus-werbung-300x215.jpg)
![A gift from Ben Pon: Gregor Senn and the other pupils at the primary school in Walchwil were each given 10 Swiss francs.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/das-sparheft-von-ben-pon-300x224.jpg)
![A companion you can take anywhere: VW camper van at an anti-nuclear protest, Lucens, 1978.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/vw-bus-demo-lm-116123-300x225.jpg)
![A multipurpose vehicle: a hippy version from California.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/hippie-bus-vw-300x199.jpg)