In the name of justice: a referee checks that the rules are being followed. Illustration by Marco Heer.
Impartial? Refereeing through the ages

Referees are ostensibly portrayed as impartial. At the same time they attract controversy. It’s time for a look back at how the idea of arbiters applying the letter of the law, whether in the courtroom or on the sports ground, all began.

Under pressure: during the Second World War, hostile powers sought to manipulate the Swiss press.
The ‘Trump Affair’

In the summer of 1940, German press attaché Georg Trump attempted to silence critical voices within the Swiss press. Staging a fightback, the country’s newspaper editors found themselves caught between the opposing forces of neutrality and accommodation.

Did King Willem III really appear on the balcony like this? Illustration by Marco Heer.
A royal exhibitionist

Dutch king Willem III came to Switzerland on several occasions. But one particular sojourn by Lake Geneva in 1875 led to uproar when the king repeatedly exposed himself in public.

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Switzerland – a neutral player in the Spanish civil war?

Franziska Zaugg 25.06.2026 When the Spanish civil war broke out in July 1936, it provoked a reaction from Switzerland. Apart from the political aspect, about 800 Swiss volunteers also travelled to the Iberian Peninsula to fight against the forces of General Franco.
In September 1936, government troops stormed a rebel position near Aragon.

Switzerland’s gateway to the world

Jean-Luc Rickenbacher 23.06.2026 The majority of worldwide goods traffic goes by sea. Although Switzerland does not have direct sea access, it is connected to global maritime trade routes via the Rhine. The Swiss Rhine ports in Basel play a key role, as around ten per cent of all Swiss imports are handled there.
A hive of activity in the tri-border region: the port at Basel-Kleinhüningen in July 1965.

Gertrud Woker: trailblazing scientist, pacifist and forgotten heroine

Marilyn Umurungi 18.06.2026 Bernese chemist Gertrud Woker was one of the first women in Europe to research the deadly effect of poison gases. She campaigned throughout her life to prevent the results of her research being used on the battlefield. An object of admiration and derision, Gertrud Woker was ahead of her time.
Gertrud Woker in her biochemical laboratory at the University of Bern.

A little piece of Switzerland in your wallet

Eric Häusler und Jürgen Häusler 16.06.2026 Switzerland’s banknotes were given a makeover in the 1990s. The eighth series (1995–2016) not only met strict security requirements, it was also innovative in its design. A voyage of discovery through the archives and a look behind the scenes reveal how these banknotes were planned, designed and introduced to the public.
We hold banknotes in our hands every day without ever really looking at them: years of work went into developing the eighth series.
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Stewi — Hanging up the washing in style

Thomas Weibel 26.05.2026 Walter Steiner from Winterthur invented the Stewi in 1947. What started out as a folding rotary clothes line was to become a design classic that graced Swiss gardens for decades.
Stewi advert from the 1950s.

The Schwarzenbach Initiative

Dominik Landwehr 05.06.2020 It was probably one of the most controversial votes in 20th-century Swiss history: James Schwarzenbach's ‘excessive immigration’ initiative of 7 June 1970.

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.

From the slate mine to the classroom

Reto Bleuer 21.05.2026 The slate mines around Frutigen provided the material for millions of slate boards used by schoolchildren. Thanks to the hard work of the miners, the product found its way from the remote mines to classrooms in Europe and further afield.
Worker Alois Jeremias and two of his sons sitting on a cart in a slate mine, ca 1960.

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