Safe refuge

When Napoleon Bonaparte was overthrown in 1815, his stepdaughter, Queen Hortense de Beauharnais, was forced to flee France with her seven-year-old son Louis Napoleon. In gratitude for providing refuge upon her exile, Queen Hortense gave Einsiedeln Abbey some precious jewellery. The exquisite hydrangea brooch is believed to have been worn by her mother, Empress Joséphine, at the latter’s coronation. Silver brooch with diamonds and rubies was designed and created by Marie-Etienne Nitot for the jewellery company Chaumet in Paris around 1807.

Einsiedeln Abbey

Napoleon’s Ring

This gold ring with topaz probably belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte, the stepfather of Queen Hortense de Beauharnais. In gratitude for providing refuge upon her exile, Queen Hortense gave Einsiedeln Abbey some precious jewellery.

Einsiedeln Abbey

Improper photographs

King Ludwig II of Bavaria was so enthusiastic about Friedrich Schiller’s William Tell that he travelled incognito to Central Switzerland in 1865 and 1881. The trip concluded with a visit to a photographic studio in Lucerne in 1881. The resulting photographs broke all rules of courtly etiquette. That actor Josef Kainz rested his hand on the seated king’s chair was deemed so inappropriate that the offending hand was removed by retouching.

Elegant in the saddle

Empress Elisabeth was an icon of fashion and horsemanship. She favoured stylish riding habits – in grey, dark blue or dark green – fashioned from fine fabrics and often trimmed with fur. Following the suicide of her son, Crown Prince Rudolf, in 1889, the empress wore only black as a sign of mourning, even on her trips to Switzerland. Riding costume belonging to Empress Elisabeth of Austria, with top hat, riding boots and crop.

© Stiftung für Kunst, Kultur und Geschichte, Winterthur

Last photograph

This photograph shows Empress Elisabeth (left) on the day before her assassination in Territet near Montreux. She is accompanied by her lady-in-waiting, Countess Irma Sztáray. The Swiss authorities had offered her police protection, but the empress did not heed their advice.

Bibliothèque de Genève

Murder weapon

This is the file used by Luigi Lucheni to stab Empress Elisabeth in Geneva on 10 September 1898 – he could not afford a knife. The file was subsequently kept as evidence at the City of Geneva’s forensic medicine department. It was donated to the University of Vienna in 1965, on the occasion of the institution’s 600th anniversary.

Josephinum – Medizinhistorisches Museum Wien, MedUni Wien

Outpouring of sympathy

In Geneva, over 30,000 people accompanied the coffin of Empress Elisabeth of Austria to the station on 1 September 1898. Emperor Franz Joseph and the Swiss Federal Councillors were among those present. Representatives from the realms of politics, business and the military formed a guard of honour as church bells tolled. It was the same in Lausanne, Fribourg, Bern, Aarau, Baden and Zurich.

Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Vienna

Profound sadness

The world was shocked by the tragic death of the beloved Queen Astrid of Belgium. ‘Switzerland is also profoundly saddened’, wrote the Schweizer Illustrierte magazine, while the federal government demanded ‘an immediate and detailed police report’ on the cause of the accident.

Heimatmuseum Küssnacht am Rigi

Enthusiastic reception

The Ethiopian Haile Selassie emperor visited Bern, Zurich and Geneva at the end of November 1954. The international press celebrated him as a political star. The attention attracted by this distinguished visitor was immense, with newspapers carrying daily reports on the trip. Tens of thousands of onlookers lined the streets, cheering the emperor as he passed.

Swiss National Museum

Royal gardener

During her state visit, Queen Elizabeth II visited the ‘Grün 80’, the Swiss Exhibition of Garden and Landscape Design in Basel on Mai 1st 1980. She planted a tree in the presence of 80,000 onlookers. Meanwhile, dissatisfied youths nearby were chanting, ‘Join the march, flambé the Queen!’

Swiss National Museum

The state visit of the Queen

Federal Councillors Georges-André Chevallaz (left) and Hans Hürlimann (right) accompany Queen Elisabeth II in Zurich on the 3rd May 1980.

Swiss National Museum

The state visit of the Queen

Federal president Georges-André Chevallaz and Queen Elizabeth II at the parade of the Guard of Honour at Zurich-Kloten Airport on 29 April 1980.

Swiss National Museum

The state visit of the Queen

The British monarch Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip had a full schedule during their state visit to Switzerland at the end of April 1980. Strict security measures were in place for the visit, which took the royal couple to Bern, Montreux, Lucerne, the Rütli meadow and Zurich. In Lausanne, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are received by the President of the British Community in front of the Palais de Beaulieu.

Swiss National Museum