James Blake Wiener15.10.2026Hans Holbein the Younger (c. 1497–1543) came of age in an era reshaped by print culture, humanism, and religious turmoil. After settling in Basel, he created works for the city’s Renaissance elites. His years in Switzerland laid the foundation for the international acclaim he later achieved in Tudor England.
Jelica Popović06.10.2026The Swiss public seem to have forgotten the war that broke out in Yugoslavia in 1991. Nonetheless, it did (and still does) affect people living in Switzerland who came from the war zone. They were stigmatised during and after the war, while the influx of people from ex-Yugoslavia has left a mark on Swiss culture and everyday life.
Barbara Basting10.09.2026The Great St Bernard Pass has always been known as a major alpine crossing point. Napoleon Bonaparte made skilful use of it for propaganda purposes.
Jose Cáceres18.08.2026In 1939 Hans Erni painted the mural "Die Schweiz, das Ferienland der Völker", which was designed to showcase Switzerland to the world. A year later – during the Second World War – he helped conceal alpine military installations from the enemy. Two commissions, one artistic eye.
Nicole Billeter23.07.2026Melancholy was everywhere in the early modern period: in letters, reports and biographies, but also in medical tracts and theological discourse. A diagnosis is speculative, but in some of the descriptions we can recognise what today is referred to as depression.
Marc Ribeli04.06.2026The Interrail pass, which was launched in 1972, allowed young people to travel by train around Europe for one whole month for the price of CHF 275. Summer after summer, it inspired tens of thousands of Swiss youngsters to travel across the continent. For many, this was also their first ever independent trip abroad.
Barbara Basting19.05.2026Composer Franz Liszt created his own image of Switzerland in his famous work ‘Années de pèlerinage’. Poems and illustrations accompanied his music.
James Blake Wiener28.04.2026The life of Rachel Félix was one of contrasting fortunes and artistic passions. Born into a family of impoverished Jewish peddlers in Mumpf, Rachel captivated theater-going audiences from New York to Moscow with her electric acting and stirring voice. She revived the fortunes of the Comédie-Française in Paris and received universal acclaim as the leading actress of her era before dying tragically of tuberculosis at the age of 36.
