Queen Elizabeth II plants a tree at Grün80.
A queen among the Green

40 years ago, the second Swiss Horticultural & Gardening Expo, ‘Grün 80’, attracted millions of Swiss people, and one queen: Queen Elizabeth II.

Weapons and flowers: the Carnation Revolution combined the two in a peaceful upheaval.
The Carnation Revolution

In April 1974, one of Europe's oldest dictatorships collapsed in Portugal. In Switzerland, people were worried about the future of Portugal. Not least because of the fragile political balance in southern Europe.

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.

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Längmatthansli and the state crackdown on quack doctors

Patrik Süess 26.03.2026 A healer from Worb in Bern attracted a mass following during the 1840s. However, there was controversy surrounding the methods employed by ‘Längmatthansli’ as he was known and some of his patients even died after being treated by him.
In the mid-19th century, a healer drew crowds to Worb in the canton of Bern. Illustration by Marco Heer

Watches, silk and good offices: the Swiss diaspora in Japan

William Favre 24.03.2026 After Japan was forced to open its economy, Switzerland was keen to establish a commercial foothold in the East Asian country. Yokohama, one of the ports opened to international trade, became the centre of the Swiss diaspora in Japan.
The port of Yokohama, drawn by Sadahide Hashimoto, 1868.

The Swiss alchemist who invented a new shade of blue

Barbara Basting 19.03.2026 Johann Jacob Diesbach was trying to develop a red lacquer. However, to his surprise, he came up with a vibrant blue. This is the story of a Berlin-based Swiss inventor.
Berlin blue, also known as Prussian blue, revolutionised the world of colours in the early 18th century.

Tsunamis on Lake Lucerne

Noah Businger 17.03.2026 Switzerland’s first-ever tsunami hazard map was created for the canton of Nidwalden in 2015. How did this come about?
One of the greatest natural disasters in Swiss history: in 1806, a landslide triggered a giant wave in Lake Lauerz.
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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 case of Einstein, a fake doctor and an unpaid debt

Franziska Rogger 12.03.2026 A landlady from Bern asked for Albert Einstein’s help in taking action against an ex-tenant who had not paid rent. The prominent scientist did not rest until justice was done.
Albert Einstein helped piano teacher Rosa Schmid obtain compensation. Illustration by Marco Heer.

Tsunamis on Lake Lucerne

Noah Businger 17.03.2026 Switzerland’s first-ever tsunami hazard map was created for the canton of Nidwalden in 2015. How did this come about?
One of the greatest natural disasters in Swiss history: in 1806, a landslide triggered a giant wave in Lake Lauerz.

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