The King of Brig used his power mercilessly. Illustration by Marco Heer
Neutrality as a business model

Amidst the turmoil of the Thirty Years’ War, Kaspar Stockalper held three trump cards: the Simplon pass, mercenaries and salt. From the seat of his trading empire in Brig, he developed the cunning yet lucrative strategy of international double dealing.

Caricature entitled La Toilette d’un clerc de procureur, 1816: a lawyer's clerk has his wig generously powdered by a servant or barber.
The power and pomp of the wig

During the Baroque and Rococo periods no self-respecting man or woman would consider themselves properly dressed without one finishing touch: their wig. Fashionable first at the French court, their popularity then spread all over Europe. Coiffed hairpieces long served as a symbol of social status for both sexes.

Bobsleighing has thrilled participants and spectators alike for more than 130 years.
From snob sport to bob sport

Bobsleighing started out as an activity to keep well-to-do foreign tourists entertained. It wasn’t until much later that the sport became popular among the Swiss as well.

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Nüsperli: the indefatigable factory inspector

Stefan Keller 05.03.2026 Edmund Nüsperli, the mechanic, revolutionary and industrialist from La Neuveville (canton of Bern) travelled all over Switzerland from 1878 having been mandated by the Federal Council to implement their (at the time) brand new Factory Act. Nüsperli campaigned against child labour, poor working conditions and lethal doses of a toxic substance.
Child labour was commonplace at the beginning of industrialisation. Among its opponents and campaigners was Edmund Nüsperli, one of the first three federal factory inspectors. Illustration by Marco Heer.

Fighter pilots and the origins of airmail in Switzerland

Nicolas Kessler 03.03.2026 The mass transport of mail by airplane has long been a central component of global logistics networks. But it experienced a difficult beginning in Switzerland. Moreover, the reasons behind the country’s move to airmail are not what you would expect.
Part of a global infrastructure: mail sacks ready to be loaded onto a Swissair Boeing 747 in 1973.

The Reformation in Val Bregaglia

James Blake Wiener 26.02.2026 Val Bregaglia (Bergell) has long been a crossroads, geographically and culturally, lying between Italian, Rhaeto-Romanic, and Germanic Europe. Characterized by trade routes, traditions of local autonomy, and religious ferment, the remote valley transformed into a unique refuge for Italian Protestants during the sixteenth century.
Val Bregaglia as seen from Piz Salacina: The valley emerged in the sixteenth century as a rare centre of Italian Protestantism within the Alps.

A footwear titan with 13 children

Michael van Orsouw 24.02.2026 Franziska Dosenbach from the canton of Aargau was a pioneering footwear retailer who dared to turn her back on the traditional shoemaking and saddlery trade. Instead, she sold simple, factory-made shoes ‒ with resounding success.
Franziska Dosenbach created a Swiss footwear empire in the mid-19th century.
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Popular posts

A footwear titan with 13 children

Michael van Orsouw 24.02.2026 Franziska Dosenbach from the canton of Aargau was a pioneering footwear retailer who dared to turn her back on the traditional shoemaking and saddlery trade. Instead, she sold simple, factory-made shoes ‒ with resounding success.
Franziska Dosenbach created a Swiss footwear empire in the mid-19th century.

Sexuality in the Middle Ages

Valérie Lüthi 13.06.2024 If we hazard a look at the medieval era, we discover a history of sexuality that is far more multilayered than we might at first have imagined. While the Christian church sought to extend its influence into private bedchambers, ‘lascivious’ attitudes and practices stood in the way of its ambitions.
Detail from The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch, 1490-1500.

The hotelier who saw the light

Helmut Stalder 27.01.2026 Johannes Badrutt sought to offer guests at the Kulm Hotel in St. Moritz a truly exclusive experience. He built Switzerland’s first hydroelectric plant and installed its first electric lighting system in the hotel dining room – and all before Edison had invented the light bulb. An historic event with unexpected results.

Switzerland’s most famous midwife

Christophe Vuilleumier 11.02.2025 Marie Colinet, a Geneva native and pioneer in the field of medicine, made history in the 16th century. She initiated a number of innovative procedures as a midwife and doctor – including Switzerland’s first successful caesarean section.
Marie Colinet was not only a skilful midwife, but also an inventive doctor. Illustration by Marco Heer.

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