Dodis

Swiss National Museum Blog

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Outwardly open, inwardly closed

01.01.2025, Thomas Bürgisser

The degree to which Swiss domestic and foreign policy are intertwined has seldom become so apparent as in 1994. That year, the electorate repeatedly opposed the Federal Council’s pursuit of international openness.
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The story of the Universal Postal Union

8.10.2024, Madeleine Herren

On 9 October 1874, the Universal Postal Union was established in Bern, laying the foundation for modern communication. To this day, it allows the global exchange of letters and parcels and is a cornerstone of global postal traffic.
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The Carnation Revolution

25.04.2024, Mattia Mahon

In April 1974, one of Europes oldest dictatorships collapsed in Portugal. In Switzerland, people were worried about the future of Portugal. Not least because of the fragile political balance in southern Europe.
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Ogi’s European charm offensive

01.01.2024, Thomas Bürgisser

In 1993, the Federal Council launched a charm offensive, fronted by Switzerland’s president Ogi, to pave the way for bilateral negotiations with the EU following the historic outcome of the EEA referendum of 6 December 1992.
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Switzerland’s high hopes at the 1992 Earth Summit

01.12.2023, Dominik Matter

Federal Councillor Flavio Cotti travelled to the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio with high hopes, but he failed to return with much in terms of tangible results.
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Parting company the neutral way

03.10.2023, Thomas Bürgisser

At the end of the Cold War, the concept of neutrality lost something of its relevance. This in turn led, at the beginning of the 1990s, to the breakup of the grouping that had brought together Europe’s four neutral nations: Switzerland, Sweden, Austria and Finland.
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A fateful year in European politics

02.01.2023, Annina Clavadetscher

1992 was a fateful year for Switzerland, which set the country on its current European political course.
Blog (FRA | DEU)

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The Dalai Lama’s long journey to Bern

19.08.2022, Thomas Bürgisser

For 60 years, Switzerland has been home to the largest Tibetan community in Europe. But it wasn’t until 1991 that the Dalai Lama was received by the Federal Council for the first time.
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Mitterrand exacerbates the Federal Council's discord

07.06.2022, Mattia Mahon

On 7 June 1991, François Mitterrand accepted the personal invitation of President Flavio Cotti and travelled to Lugano. The talks were friendly, but caused friction within the Federal Council.
Blog (FRA | DEU)

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Non-political political reception

12.01.2022, Jonas Hirschi

Every year, the President of the Swiss Confederation invites the foreign diplomatic corps to a New Year’s reception in Bern. This purely ceremonial event was instrumentalised during the Cold War to convey political messages.
Blog (FRA | DEU)

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Between openness and withdrawal

17.11.2021, Annina Clavadetscher

On 17 November 1991, Switzerland looked back on an eventful year. The «final bouquet» of the 700th anniversary celebrations of the Swiss Confederation in Basel was characterised by the openness towards Europe – just like the entire anniversary year, which gave  pride of place to the international dimension of Switzerland.
Blog (FRA | DEU)

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The First should be the Last

8.9.2021, Thomas Bürgisser

For decades, the communist regime in East Germany made great efforts to establish closer relations with Switzerland. Three weeks after a GDR prime minister visited Bern for the first time, the East German state ceased to exist.
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Poet-President in a snowstorm

22.11.2020, Thomas Bürgisser

When Václav Havel made a state visit to Switzerland in 1990, it was a minor sensation. Diplomatic documents shed light on the event from a variety of perspectives.
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