Christophe Vuilleumier09.04.2026Following Geneva’s cantonal government elections in 1864, violent clashes took place in the streets of the city. The Confederation ultimately had to intervene and occupy Geneva militarily for several months.
Andrej Abplanalp10.03.2026In March 1945, Karl Wolff negotiated with the Allies in Ascona over a German surrender in northern Italy. After the war, the SS General was shielded from prosecution for war crimes by Switzerland and the United States.
Stefan Keller05.03.2026Edmund Nüsperli, the mechanic, revolutionary and industrialist from La Neuveville (canton of Bern) travelled all over Switzerland from 1878 having been mandated by the Federal Council to implement their (at the time) brand new Factory Act. Nüsperli campaigned against child labour, poor working conditions and lethal doses of a toxic substance.
James Blake Wiener26.02.2026Val Bregaglia (Bergell) has long been a crossroads, geographically and culturally, lying between Italian, Rhaeto-Romanic, and Germanic Europe. Characterized by trade routes, traditions of local autonomy, and religious ferment, the remote valley transformed into a unique refuge for Italian Protestants during the sixteenth century.
Lukas Vogel17.02.2026Heinrich Angst, the first director of the Swiss National Museum, and German socialist August Bebel worked together to prevent the outbreak of the First World War. They failed.
Carmen Bortolin12.02.2026During the Second World War, the Swiss Red Cross brought thousands of war-stricken children to Switzerland from France. Intended to provide humanitarian assistance, this initiative also served political purposes – and not all children were welcome.
Maximilian Spitz05.02.2026When Charles II from the House of Stuart acceded to the English throne in May 1660, a number of Englishmen, including Edmund Ludlow, John Lisle and William Cawley, were forced to hastily pack their belongings and flee the British Isles for continental Europe. These gentlemen were prominent political figures who preferred exile over death. The end of their journey on the continent was the Swiss Confederacy.
Noëmi Crain Merz29.01.2026Switzerland’s population and economy grew like never before in the 1960s, partly due to the influx of foreign labour that made this record economic boom possible in the first place. At the same time, fear of ‘excessive immigration’ was on the rise. Tapping into the zeitgeist, the Swiss Trade Union Federation called for limits on immigration in a move that would leave a lasting mark on the political debate.
