📍 Landesmuseum Zurich
⏳ Permanent exhibition – 1,000 m² of living history
What has it meant to be Swiss throughout the centuries? This vast question is answered by the permanent exhibition at the Landesmuseum Zurich, simply entitled ‘History of Switzerland’. Covering more than 1,000 m², this chronological fresco spans 550 years of political, social and cultural evolution, from the end of the Middle Ages to our contemporary challenges.
From the old Confederation to the modern federal state
The exhibition begins in the 15th century with the first alliances between cantons and lordships, based on military solidarity and collective management of conquered territories. A multimedia station traces these origins, while pikes and halberds physically embody the beginnings of Swiss unity.
Each century is revealed through emblematic works and objects:
- 16th century: the religious tensions of the Reformation, Josias Murer’s stained glass windows bearing coats of arms, and the Treaty of Fribourg mark a diplomatic turning point.
- 17th century: the rise of Swiss mercenaries and the urban bourgeoisie, illustrated by the monumental tapestry The Renewal of the Alliance (1663) and the armour of Hans Konrad von Werdmüller.
- 18th century: Geneva becomes a centre of the Enlightenment, with Rousseau, Voltaire and the emergence of home-based work – the beginnings of industrialisation.
From the 19th century to the present day: towards a modern Switzerland
The second part of the exhibition explores institutional transformations: the birth of the federal state in 1848, the industrial revolution, rural exodus, emigration to the Americas, then the world wars, armed neutrality, and finally the post-war economic boom.
Clothing, objects, models, and interactive devices punctuate the journey:
- A model of the Federal Palace, a Brown Boveri generator, Elisabeth Kopp’s dress, Toni Vescoli’s jacket and a solar-powered car from 1985 reflect the changes that Swiss society has undergone.
Thinking about the present, imagining the future
Unusually for a museum, the exhibition dares to question the history of the present. The challenges of the 21st century are laid out bluntly: artificial intelligence, climate change, migration, sovereignty, life expectancy… It is up to each of us to reflect on what freedoms we want to preserve, and at what cost.
🧭 An essential visit to understand Switzerland’s past and future
✔️ A rich, immersive and chronologically structured journey
✔️ A lively reflection on symbols, institutions and the limits of living together
✔️ A modern, accessible and captivating scenography for all audiences
🎟️ Infos & bookings : www.landesmuseum.ch