Gabriel Heim09.02.2023German theologian Carl August Wildenhahn documented his journey through 19th century Switzerland with humorous observations and comic strip-style pictures.
Menoa Stauffer13.01.2023Comics smoulder, books burn: in Aargau in 1965, mounds of so-called “trashy fiction” ended up on a fire. The campaign was called “Fight the trash", and it was intended to set the scene for further book burnings. But the scheme backfired.
Murielle Schlup09.12.2022Liselotte von der Pfalz’s extensive correspondence gives something of an autobiographical portrait of its writer, provides a no-holds-barred chronicle of the French court at the time of Louis XIV and the Régence, and is one of the best-known German-language texts of the Baroque period.
Andrej Abplanalp28.11.2022Maestro Martino left his Ticino mountain village, and became the first celebrity chef in history. He built his reputation in the kitchens of the powerful and rich in the 15th century, and is one of the co-founders of Italian cuisine!
Andrej Abplanalp29.06.2022From Basel and later from Birsfelden, Anne Frank’s father, Otto, worked to ensure that what is probably the most famous diary in history was read all over the world.
Noëmi Crain Merz22.06.2022Gotthelf’s novel "The Black Spider" explores themes of greed, conflict and the power of the plague. But the author also voices his frustration over unchecked forest clearance in his home canton of Bern.
Noëmi Crain Merz06.04.2022Gottfried Keller’s most ardent desire was to become an artist and paint scenes of nature. In the end he did just that, but mostly in words.
Michael van Orsouw11.02.2022Swedish writer Strindberg suffered such hard times in Switzerland that he took up photography to make ends meet – and during a stay at Lake Lucerne, he produced the first selfies.