Christian Koller21.07.2026The Olimpiada Popular, or People’s Olympiad, was scheduled to take place in Barcelona in July 1936 as a form of protest against the Olympic Games in Berlin. But on the day of the opening ceremony, the Catalan metropolis became the scene of fierce fighting as the Spanish Civil War broke out. Numerous athletes joined the ranks of those battling to defend the Republic.
Juliane Eberhardt16.07.2026For decades, the financial behaviour of the Swiss was based on filling their Sparkässeli. Those little metal boxes where people kept their savings even shaped society’s relationship with its banks. Today they remain as contemporary witnesses of a bygone era.
James Blake Wiener14.07.2026For nearly a century, no American restaurant stood above Delmonico's in sheer elegance or culinary ambition. Founded in Manhattan in 1827 by Giovanni and Pietro Delmonico, brothers from the Swiss canton of Ticino, Delmonico’s built a legacy of innovation that remains without equal in the history of American fine dining.
Janick Rüttimann09.07.2026Liechtenstein has evolved into an attractive location for domiciliary and fiduciary companies since the 1920s. Although politicians in Switzerland have repeatedly voiced misgivings about this, it has also been a source of profit for the Swiss financial centre. This has resulted in a close, albeit fraught relationship between the two neighbouring states.
Claudia Aufdermauer07.07.2026Around 1860, arsenic was widely known as a poison used in murder cases. Nevertheless, the authorities in Basel were initially oblivious to the potential dangers emanating from its use in dye production. The cantonal chemist alone recognised that the industrial use of the ‘King of Poisons’ could have unintended consequences for both people and the environment.
Murielle Schlup30.06.2026Following Fascist Italy’s invasion of Abyssinia in 1935, the deposed Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie called on the League of Nations in Geneva for support. To no avail; Switzerland regarded him as an “inconvenient guest” and refused him asylum.
Franziska Zaugg25.06.2026When 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.
Jean-Luc Rickenbacher23.06.2026The 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.
