Around 1,600 years ago, the Roman Emperor Valentinian I had the Rhine and Danube borders extended by a substantial amount. He wanted to protect the empire from the onslaught of the peoples of the north.

Especially in times of scarcity, smuggling has been an important activity for people in the tri-border area. The complicated lines of the border separating Germany, France and Switzerland made the illegal transport of goods easier.

In the Middle Ages, pleas for divine assistance were often incorporated directly into and on the knights’ weapons. So the knights were fighting in the name of the Lord…

In 1871, two Swiss men were sent on a mission, rushing to the aid of Swiss citizens trapped in Paris. To do so they had to cross the Prussian siege line, and talk their way past the French.

There have been children’s ski camps in Switzerland since 1940. The origins of these camps go back to World War II, and there were serious reasons for them: the camps were intended to prepare young people for a winter campaign.

Upon the outbreak of World War II, Switzerland immediately set about securing its borders. Including the line along the Rhine. Diaries give an insight into the everyday life of the border guards.

In December 1602, the Duke of Savoy attempted to take the city state of Geneva with a surprise attack. Referred to as the ‘escalade’ because of the wooden ladders used to scale the city walls, the attack was thwarted and the city finally became independent.

In 1914, men marched off in a rush of euphoria to join the fighting in World War I. They were following an ideal of masculinity that would be torn to pieces in a blaze of automatic gunfire. The ideal of the glorious knight turned out to be a cruel mirage.