As the decades of the Cold War ticked by, society was defined by the antagonism between East and West and the fear of communism, and this influence even extended to culture.
Discovered in a museum storeroom, a magnificent portrait of a horseman proves to be witness to a life straight out of an adventure novel: Fribourg mercenary leader Franz Peter König’s wild gallop through the Thirty Years’ War.
Hidden amidst the single-family homes, blocks of flats and public facilities in Switzerland are approximately 360,000 shelters designed to offer protection in the event of war breaking out. The protective structures, which today are used as wine cellars, hobby rooms or storage areas, were for the most part built during the Cold War.
The war between Russia and Ukraine is driving people westwards. But Switzerland is an old hand at helping refugees from Eastern Europe, as a look back at the past shows.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the general enthusiasm for aviation also found its way into the military. After a tentative start, in 1914 Switzerland began to assemble a fleet of its own.
In the Middle Ages, forces were distributed unevenly. On one side, the armour-clad knight; on the other, the simple peasant farmer. But with the invention of the halberd, the tables were turned…
