James Blake Wiener24.04.2025The Battle of Bicocca marked a turning point during the long Italian Wars (1494-1559). The inability of the French to control their Swiss mercenaries contributed to their loss, while the success of Spanish arquebusiers signaled the rise of Spain as a major European power. The battle additionally heralds the end of the era in which Swiss pikemen were the scourge of the medieval European battlefield.
Barbara Basting22.04.2025The Rhine Falls in Schaffhausen has been a popular subject matter in the art world for centuries. English painter J.M.W. Turner captured the power of the water on canvas particularly impressively in the early 19th century.
Noëmi Crain Merz17.04.2025In the early 20th century, Benito Mussolini caused a stir in Switzerland as a rebellious socialist. Some decades later, he became a threat to the country as a fascist dictator.
Nadja Ackermann15.04.2025The ‘Loeb-Egge’, as the locals call the corner on which Loeb department store stands, is still Bern’s main meeting point – even though the telephone booth from where people used to call to say they’d be late coming home was removed in 2007. Nonetheless, Loeb’s colourful window displays are still there to help pass the time while waiting.
Michael van Orsouw10.04.2025King Albert I of Belgium was a keen and experienced mountain climber. He scaled many Swiss peaks and even completed a first ascent in 1907. Tragically, despite his mountaineering skills, a climbing accident ended his life.
Lionel Gauthier08.04.2025Alfred Bertrand (1856-1924) and Emilio Balli (1855-1934) embarked on their round-the-world trip on 1 August 1878 in Marseille. They were among the first five Swiss tourists to circumnavigate the globe.
Aaron Estermann04.04.2025The Locarno kiosk was much more than a small booth for the display and sale of goods. At various times throughout its almost 100-year history it was a newspaper kiosk, an information point for tourists seeking adventure and an internet café. All of which makes it a witness to economic and social change in all its facets.
Noemi Steuerwald02.04.2025Ponies as the silky-smooth projection of feminine sensitivity; riding as a girl’s pink, heart-shaped dream. This cultural image, although common today, only emerged around the mid-20th century.
