During the Counter-Reformation, Switzerland’s Catholic cantons cultivated strong ties with Spain to counter Protestant ambitions. The “Spanish Road” – a vital artery for the Spanish war effort during the Eighty Years› War – ran directly through Switzerland for a brief period of time.

The Old Swiss Confederation won a stunning military victory over France at the Battle of Novara in June 1513. Following up on their successes in Italy, the Swiss and their Swabian allies successfully besieged the city of Dijon in September 1513, which marks the apex of Swiss power across Western Europe.

It’s hard to miss the red flag with a white cross, perched on the building of the Swiss embassy in Berlin’s government district. Thanks to good luck, the historic Stadtpalais acquired by Switzerland in 1919 hasn’t burned down, been demolished or sold on in the last 100 years. Its story is full of twists and turns.

In the 1940s, Jews in Europe found themselves in increasing danger. This situation benefited a number of individuals who issued false passports for exotic countries such as Honduras and Paraguay.

Gilberte Montavon continued to be a unifying force in Switzerland during World War II. No longer in person now, but on the theatre stage, in bookshops and on the cinema screen.

During World War I Gilberte Montavon from Courgenay was a ray of light for Swiss-German soldiers, easing the drudgery of their day-to-day life on the border.

Although not officially permitted, Swiss mercenaries were active in North America during the late Baroque period. Swiss fighters of the Karrer Infantry Regiment lost their lives in Mississippi during the war between France and the Native American tribes.

Schang Hutter, who died in 2021, created a memorial to the Holocaust in 1996. Two years later, his sculpture Shoah stopped many people in their tracks on its journey around Switzerland, but the piece also came in for harsh criticism.