Exhibition
The permanent exhibition at the Forum of Swiss History by the title of ‘Switzerland in the Making. Through the 12th to the 14th Century’ focuses on the foundation and early development of the Old Swiss Confederacy in the Middle Ages. Designed as an adventure tour to address our senses, the exhibition appeals to children and adults alike. The extraordinary scenography over all three floors makes a visit to the museum an event to remember.
No country or nation has existed forever; this holds true for Switzerland, too. The history of the Swiss Confederation goes back more than seven hundred years. The beginning of Switzerland is still a heatedly debated issue: when, where, and how did the history of our country commence? These are just some of the questions the permanent exhibition at the Forum of Swiss History tries to answer.
The tour through the exhibition sets out from the top floor, where the visitor encounters an impressive, life-size knight astride his horse. He stands for the topic of this first part of the show: what was the relationship between king, church, aristocracy, and peasantry? How did the spread of literacy and the growth of universities change the way of life in the Middle Ages. The replicas of a scriptorium, a chancellery, and a university lecture hall give the viewer an impression of this age of profound change.
The Alps play a key role in the exhibition, symbolized by an impressive mountain range that rises within the museum from the ground to the top floor. The topic on the upper floor is the growth of mobility and trade in the alpine region during this era: what products were sold at fairs and markets? How did you pay for what you purchased? How heavy were the loads that humans and mules carried on their backs across the steep mountain passes? The replicas of a mountain hostel, a freight station, a market booth, as well as highly innovative media stations provide insight into the world of medieval merchants and freight haulers.
On the ground floor the visitor almost stumbles over the body of a dead cow killed wilfully. Around the year 1300, conditions in central Switzerland were a bit like the ‘Old Wild West’. Robbery, murder, and devastation were common methods for dealing with troublesome opponents. What lay behind the widespread practice of feuding, and how did the communities come to grips with these unbearable conditions. On a stroll through an artificial forest the visitors learn more about the communal associations the people inhabiting the valleys around the Lake of Lucerne established, the significance of the treaties they entered into with the growing towns, and the role that the early rural assemblies played.
Finally, the exhibition deals with William Tell, Arnold von Winkelried, and the Rütli legend. How and when the myth of the legendary foundation of Switzerland emerged is shown with the aid of images and literary sources in the last section.
The Forum of Swiss History offers a variety of events and guided tours.
Book a private tour for yourself, as a group or for your company, and get fascinating background information on the current temporary exhibition or on our permanent exhibitions. Our cultural mediators will be delighted to accompany you through the area that interests you.
The programme includes a combined 90-minute guided tour of the Forum of Swiss History in Schwyz and the Museum of Federal Charters. This is followed by a self-guided orienteering course (CO) in the centre of Schwyz, during which the pupils are divided into groups and given a map with a questionnaire, and set off on their own to discover the historical traces.
Total duration: 150 minutes (90 min. combined visit and 60 min. orienteering course.
Meeting point : Forum for Swiss History, Schwyz
Registration: two weeks in advance
Entrance and guided tours are free of charges for Swiss school classes.
Coûts : pour les classes suisses l’entrée et la visite guidée sont gratuites.
Durée : 60 minutes, autres offres sur demande
Inscription : deux semaines à l’avance
Horaire : mardi - dimanche entre 10h00 et 17h00
Visite autonome pour ecoles sur inscription préalable.
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Guided tours for Swiss school classes are free.
The exhibition provides the opportunity to explore the emergence of the Old Swiss Confederacy on your own with the aid of an audio guide.
Languages: English, German, Italian, and French
Fee: CHF 5 per audio guide, plus the deposit of ID card or driving licence
With the free app «Forum Schwyz» you can listen to the audio guide to the permanent exhibition on your own Smartphone. An innovative guide navigates you through the museum.
App Store Google Play Huawei AppGallery
A knight on horseback welcomes the pupils on the top floor. Important topics on this floor are: the he relationship between king, church, aristocracy and the spread of literacy and the growth of universities. The second floor takes the pupils to the Alpine region: he growth of mobility and trade in the alpine region during the middle age. Finally, on the ground floor, the focus is on Central Switzerland: here, the Landsgemeinde in the middle of a forest conveys how various alliances and feuds led to the formation of the Swiss Confederation.
The overview tour is adapted to the respective school level (Age: from 8 - 19 years).
Duration: 60 min.
For guided tours and indipendents visits for school groups, please contact us 14 days in advance.
Entrance and guided tours are free of charges for Swiss school classes.
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