Fish dying on the upper Sihl, 1971.
Water protection from the bottom up

For a long time, Switzerland's watercourses were severely affected by wastewater, chemicals and hydropower. It was not until the 1950s that a water protection movement developed. How did it achieve its goals?

High heels from Switzerland for the American market: a gleaming selection of Bally shoes from the 1930s.
High heels: from the battlefield to the height of fashion

High heels are a perennially popular fashion accessory. Nowadays, it’s usually women who wear them as the days of men going into battle on horseback with heeled footwear are in the past. The cultural history of the high heel is a mixture of myth, modishness and might.

The Ritterhaus in Bubikon c. 1754.
Bringing in the new faith by subterfuge

Not even the Order of Saint John was immune to quarrelling and intrigues. In 1528, the Zurich authorities succeeded in imposing the new Protestant faith through an intentionally wrongful arrest at the Bubikon Commandery.

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When ‘Schweizer’ meant more than Swiss

Gabriel Heim 01.10.2026 Milkers and dairy workers from Switzerland were so in demand on German farming estates from the mid-19th century that the term ‘Schweizerei’ came to mean dairy farm, while milkers were known as ‘Schweizer’ or ‘Stallschweizer’.
Professional ‘Schweizer’ posing for a photograph in Königsberg, East Prussia.

“As the world was drowning in a sea of hatred,” Switzerland interned the liberators

Jürg Flückiger 29.09.2026 During the Second World War, 166 stricken US bombers landed in Swiss fields and meadows. The story of the more than 1,500 airmen who were subsequently interned in the mountains has been largely forgotten today.
In August 1943, an Allied bomber was forced to make an emergency landing in a potato field near Utzenstorf in the canton of Bern. It was just one of many aircraft that ended up in Swiss territory during the Second World War.

When football clubs included a rowing section

Michael Jucker 24.09.2026 In the past, many sports clubs encompassed more than one discipline. One example was FC Zurich, whose former rowing section had a particularly eventful and successful history.

Commemorating the Swiss who fought for Spain

Moisés Prieto 22.09.2026 In 1976, members of the association for Swiss veterans of the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) unveiled a commemorative plaque in Zurich for the fallen fighters. This was the first small step towards official recognition.
In October 1976, a commemorative plaque was inaugurated in Zurich, dedicated to the fallen Swiss who had fought for the Spanish Republic.
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Napoleon and his memorable alpine crossing

Barbara Basting 10.09.2026 The Great St Bernard Pass has always been known as a major alpine crossing point. Napoleon Bonaparte made skilful use of it for propaganda purposes.
Napoleon Bonaparte had his alpine crossing recorded for posterity.

Mark Twain in Switzerland

James Blake Wiener 30.09.2025 Mark Twain (1835-1910) remains the most-celebrated humorist in the canon of American literature. The well-traveled and curious Twain made two personal trips to Switzerland, recording some of the happiest and most-solemn days of his life in and around the environs of Lake Lucerne.
Mark Twain zog es immer wieder in die Schweiz – besonders Luzern und die malerische Umgebung hatten es ihm angetan.

Swiss mercenaries: flag-flying, fearsome fighters

Maël Roumois 01.09.2026 Swiss mercenaries in foreign service, known by names such as Reisläufer (ones who go to war) or Cent-Suisse (‘Hundred Swiss’; soldiers who guarded the French king), were feared throughout Europe. They began bearing regimental flags with flame-like designs from the 17th century while in the service of France. These flags became synonymous with Switzerland’s illustrious military tradition.

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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