The story of a Christmas carol

Over 200 years ago, ‘Silent Night, Holy Night’ was performed for the first time. Thanks to its moving message and captivating melody, it is one of the world’s most popular Christmas carols.

‘Schöne’ Silvesterkläuse, or New Year mummers, doing the rounds in Urnäsch, sometime between 1975-1985.
Silvesterkläuse both beautiful and ugly

Every 31 December and 13 January, bizarre and fantastical figures rove the hinterland of the Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden. Some wear ornate headdresses, others grotesque animal faces. These are the "Silvesterkläuse" that usher out the old year and ring in the new.

The Three Kings bringing the baby Jesus precious gifts, as depicted in the Golden Gospels of Henry III, circa 1220.
From magi to kings

The Three Kings have inspired countless customs and traditions, and no nativity scene would be complete without them. A look at the newborn baby Jesus’ three wondrous visitors and their backstory.

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Marcel Beck and his thoughts on the post-war order

Jakob Tanner 18.12.2025 Marcel Beck was making the case for domestic reform as early as 1940. In 1942, his diary was full of discussions on restructuring Switzerland along democratic lines.
Marcel Beck worked in the National Library in Bern. That is where he formulated his thoughts and did his work during the war.

Hammer and sickle on the Gotthard

Jakob Tanner 16.12.2025 Medievalist Marcel Beck kept a diary throughout his military service. It reveals a different, rarely seen side of active service during the Second World War.
Letter-writing was part of everyday life during the Second World War, as depicted in this photo from 1942. Some people, like Marcel Beck, also wrote diaries.

Where was Jesus born?

Alexander Rechsteiner 11.12.2025 The setting in which Jesus actually came into the world remains a mystery – but the way it has been imagined has shaped Christian Christmas culture for centuries. In art and crib building, the nativity scene has been depicted in various locations, including a stable, a cave, a ruin, and a house, in each case reflecting the values and ways of life of the respective periods.
Detail from the Badia Ardenga altarpiece, painted by Guido da Siena, circa 1270.

Defending Switzerland against attacks that never happened

Juri Jaquemet 09.12.2025 In the early 19th century, Switzerland was traumatised by the French invasion of 1798 and there were fears that France would attack again. In Switzerland’s defence planning, Aarberg was a strategic military location as French armies could potentially cross the River Aare there. An obstacle was therefore needed.
Work was still ongoing in Aarberg long after Napoleon had been defeated and the threat of a French attack had been averted. Illustration by Marco Heer.
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The bombing of the Sihl plain

Adi Kälin 27.11.2025 The damming up of Lake Sihl to create a reservoir started on 30 April 1937. A few days later, the Swiss air force bombed two vacated farmhouses in the area designated for the lake as part of a training exercise. The media interest was huge. Hundreds of people who had been evacuated from their homes to make way for the reservoir also followed the spectacle.
The Sihl plain near Einsiedeln was cleared in the 1930s to make way for a reservoir. The Swiss military conducted tests with aerial bombs before the water came. Picture from a report in the Zürcher Illustrierte.

Where was Jesus born?

Alexander Rechsteiner 11.12.2025 The setting in which Jesus actually came into the world remains a mystery – but the way it has been imagined has shaped Christian Christmas culture for centuries. In art and crib building, the nativity scene has been depicted in various locations, including a stable, a cave, a ruin, and a house, in each case reflecting the values and ways of life of the respective periods.
Detail from the Badia Ardenga altarpiece, painted by Guido da Siena, circa 1270.

Medieval badges and their risqué designs

Jasmin Mollet 23.05.2024 A look at the badges people wore in the Middle Ages reveals many designs that one would not normally associate with the period: fantastic creatures made out of genitalia call into question how prudish people really were in medieval times.
Medieval badges bearing obscene motifs.

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.

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