The Swiss National Museum in Zurich features a permanent collection of some 850,000 objects that tell the story of Switzerland’s history from prehistoric times to the present. This book selects twenty-six items from the collection, one from each of Switzerland’s cantons, that together offer a mosaic of Swiss history. The items include a gold Celtic bowl made more than three thousand years ago, a miniature electric motor that helped propel NASA’s Spirit rover on Mars, a medieval Madonna sculpture, a clock that once belonged to Napoleon, the first Swiss snow gun, and many more. Beautifully designed and richly illustrated, this book is a wonderful, compact companion to the appreciation of Switzerland’s long history.
Table of Contents
1 | Perforated baton
Magic in Palaeolithic times
Canton of Schaffhausen
2 | Golden bowl
The gold-digger of Altstetten
Canton of Zurich
3 | Mercenary’s helmet
It’s all in the shape
Canton of Ticino
4 | Disc fibula
How the “Röstigraben” came to be
Canton of Solothurn
5 | Madonna and Child
An unusual Sleeping Beauty
Canton of Valais
6 | Battle shield
Oh for the good old days! Or not?
Canton of Uri
7 | Gradual
A heavyweight of cultural history
Canton of Thurgau
8 | Foot reliquary
A window on a supernatural helper
Canton of Basel-Landschaft
9 | “Hortus Conclusus” church tapestry
A medieval riddle
Canton of Schwyz
10 | Chronicle of the Swiss Confederation
The Swiss foundation legend
Canton of Lucerne
11 | Stained glass window with cantonal coat of arms
A display window in the 16th century
Canton of Zug
12 | Celestial globe
An ingenious timekeeper
Canton of St. Gallen
13 | Renaissance chamber
If you’ve got it, flaunt it!
Canton of Nidwalden
14 | “Ratsrose” painting
Teamwork
Canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden
15 | Jardin potager
Gardening stories
Canton of Waadt
16 | Breguet travel clock
Napoleon was a fan of Breguet
Canton of Neuchâtel
17 | Dufour map
The birth of modern cartography
Canton of Geneva
18 | Char-de-côté, stagecoach
Bumpy conditions on Switzerland’s public transport
Canton of Jura
19 | Whitework embroidery
Stitch by stitch
Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden
20 | AC generator
Pioneers of electricity
Canton of Aargau
21 | Cailler’s Swiss Milk Chocolate
The dark side of chocolate
Canton of Fribourg
22 | Beach chair
Classic design
Canton of Glarus
23 | Watch Speedmaster
A Swiss watch on the moon
Canton of Berne
24 | Snow cannon
Out of the blue sky
Canton of Graubünden
25 | DC motor RE 25
From Oberwalden straight to Mars
Canton of Obwalden
26 | LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide)
Albert Hofmann’s high-speed bicycle trip
Canton of Basel-Stadt
Magic in Palaeolithic times
Canton of Schaffhausen
2 | Golden bowl
The gold-digger of Altstetten
Canton of Zurich
3 | Mercenary’s helmet
It’s all in the shape
Canton of Ticino
4 | Disc fibula
How the “Röstigraben” came to be
Canton of Solothurn
5 | Madonna and Child
An unusual Sleeping Beauty
Canton of Valais
6 | Battle shield
Oh for the good old days! Or not?
Canton of Uri
7 | Gradual
A heavyweight of cultural history
Canton of Thurgau
8 | Foot reliquary
A window on a supernatural helper
Canton of Basel-Landschaft
9 | “Hortus Conclusus” church tapestry
A medieval riddle
Canton of Schwyz
10 | Chronicle of the Swiss Confederation
The Swiss foundation legend
Canton of Lucerne
11 | Stained glass window with cantonal coat of arms
A display window in the 16th century
Canton of Zug
12 | Celestial globe
An ingenious timekeeper
Canton of St. Gallen
13 | Renaissance chamber
If you’ve got it, flaunt it!
Canton of Nidwalden
14 | “Ratsrose” painting
Teamwork
Canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden
15 | Jardin potager
Gardening stories
Canton of Waadt
16 | Breguet travel clock
Napoleon was a fan of Breguet
Canton of Neuchâtel
17 | Dufour map
The birth of modern cartography
Canton of Geneva
18 | Char-de-côté, stagecoach
Bumpy conditions on Switzerland’s public transport
Canton of Jura
19 | Whitework embroidery
Stitch by stitch
Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden
20 | AC generator
Pioneers of electricity
Canton of Aargau
21 | Cailler’s Swiss Milk Chocolate
The dark side of chocolate
Canton of Fribourg
22 | Beach chair
Classic design
Canton of Glarus
23 | Watch Speedmaster
A Swiss watch on the moon
Canton of Berne
24 | Snow cannon
Out of the blue sky
Canton of Graubünden
25 | DC motor RE 25
From Oberwalden straight to Mars
Canton of Obwalden
26 | LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide)
Albert Hofmann’s high-speed bicycle trip
Canton of Basel-Stadt