Thematic dossiers

Nico’92, Zürich 1993, Cover

1992. A la recherche de la Suisse – Georg Kreis

Il y a 25 ans, Ben Vautier remettait la Suisse en question, le peuple votait sur les NLFA et refusait l’adhésion à l’EEE. Nous donnons un coup de projecteur sur cette année peu ordinaire à travers une série sur internet. L’historien Georg Kreis présente 1992.

The Swiss National Anthem

The Swiss Psalm “Trittst im Morgenrot daher” (“When the morning skies grow red”) has been Switzerland’s national anthem since 1961. The original manuscript is held by the Swiss National Library.
Friedrich Rosenberg und Charles-Melchior Descourtis, Gotthardpasshöhe mit Hospiz und See, ca. 1788, NB, Graphische Sammlung, Sammlung Gugelmann, GS-GUGE-WOLF-7-32

The Gotthard in historiography

Publications in the Swiss National Library’s collections show that it was not until around 1900 that the Gotthard acquired its legendary status, which was reinforced by Switzerland’s spiritual defence in the Second World War.
L’hospice du Gothard après rénovation, photo : © Ruedi Walti, in: Hochparterre. Zeitschrift für Architektur und Design 23 (2010), p. 30–33, ici p. 31

The Gotthard in newspapers and periodicals

The Gotthard’s importance for Switzerland is clear from the coverage it receives in Swiss newspapers and periodicals. A selection of articles illustrates the construction of the rail tunnel, the motorway tunnel and the Base Tunnel as well as the national legend surrounding the Gotthard.
C. Wolf, C.M. Descourtis, [A.] Carré, « [Teufelsbrücke] », ca. 1787-1788.

Old views of the Gotthard

Discover historical views of the Gotthard, a subject that has been popular with artists for centuries. Overcoming the obstacle of the Alps, and in particular the infamous Schöllenen Gorge, has always been an awe-inspiring experience.
Cardinaux, Emil, “Jungfraubahn, Jungfraujoch, 3457 m.ü.M. Schweiz“, [1918?], 1 poster, 101,1 x 63,5 cm (from the Swiss Poster Collection)

The Jungfrau Railway

The Jungfraujoch is a popular destination for foreign tourists. The Jungfrau Railway has been taking them there since 1 August 1912. Construction began in 1896. The 1903 brochure “The Jungfrau Railway”, which was published in three languages, can be viewed online.
Leupin Herbert, Pelikan, Qui écrit emploie Pelikan, 1952, Lithographie en couleurs, 128 x 90,5 cm

The Swiss poster: history

Seven chapters offer a brief overview of the development of the poster and Swiss poster art, which for many years exerted a global influence.
https://www.nb.admin.ch/content/snl/en/home/publikationen-forschung/thematische-dossiers.html