Dominik Landwehr07.09.2023In 1960 an unusual camera came onto the market: the Tessina, made in Grenchen. It was the world’s smallest 35mm camera at the time. Although never a bestseller, it proved popular with some of the intelligence services.
Felix Frey29.08.2023In 1915, land surveyors realised that the summit of the Rosablanche mountain in the canton of Valais had moved several metres in the space of just a few years. Today, the cause of the movement is more relevant than ever.
Adi Kälin03.08.2023Over 180 years ago, Switzerland’s first photographer, Johann Baptist Isenring, wowed the public and newspapers with his picture and took the oldest existing photograph of Zurich. Although Isenring was one of the best-known and most prolific photographers of his time, very few of his pictures still exist today.
Michael van Orsouw06.07.2023Nowadays, the VW camper van has cult status. It was invented by a Dutchman named Bernadus Pon who spent a lot of time in Switzerland after building a villa there. In 1965, Pon, who by then had become very wealthy, gifted every schoolchild in a small Swiss village with a savings account.
Nils Widmer16.05.2023Timekeeping is hugely important in modern sport, which is increasingly competitive, professional and international. It has made remarkable progress since its early days. A look at the history of timekeeping at the Olympic Games, and the role of the Swiss watch industry and diplomacy.
Daniel Grütter02.05.2023Winterthur native Jakob Ziegler (1775-1863) is one of Switzerland’s most remarkable industrial pioneers, and is of great importance to the industrial heritage of the Schaffhausen region.
Michael van Orsouw27.04.2023Roman Scherer’s highly specialised factory in Kriens manufactured wood type for the whole world – including for Pravda, the official newspaper of Russia’s Communist party in Moscow.
Thomas Weibel25.04.2023The parking meter is the scourge of the hurried motorist, demanding coins they don’t have on them. It was originally designed less as a way to generate revenue and more to ease parking congestion in cities. The first parking meter in Europe was installed in Basel in 1952.
