Eva Carlevaro14.04.2026Gladiatorial fights were among the bloodiest spectacles of the Roman world. They were also extremely popular on the territory of what is now Switzerland.
Michael van Orsouw31.03.2026A strange alliance of capitalism and Catholicism allowed children to be exploited on a massive scale – not that long ago, but in the 19th century, in the heart of Switzerland. Up to 16-hour working days were completely normal.
Patrik Süess26.03.2026A healer from Worb in Bern attracted a mass following during the 1840s. However, there was controversy surrounding the methods employed by ‘Längmatthansli’ as he was known and some of his patients even died after being treated by him.
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.
Sophie Dänzer22.01.2026‘Outsider art’ is now an established term in the field of art history. In the early 20th century, works by people who stood outside established social and artistic conventions began to gain recognition. A patron of this art was Bernese psychiatrist Walter Morgenthaler.
Pascale Meyer08.01.2026From LSD and Largactil to Valium, psychotropic drugs fundamentally changed the treatment of mental disorders in the 1950s and quickly became marketing-driven products. Swiss pharmaceutical companies played a key role in this.
Hans Egli30.12.2025The production of matches using white phosphorus brought work to the impoverished area around Frutigen in the second half of the 19th century. The region subsequently evolved to become the centre of a match manufacturing industry characterised by child labour and hazardous working conditions. The worst effect was phosphorus necrosis of the jaw, a horrible disease that eroded the jaw bones.
Géraldine Lysser23.12.2025Often unseen, but rich in history: Christmas tree stands show how practical necessity spawned a wealth of innovation – from the wooden cross, to cast iron stands and the clamping technique.
