Swiss National Museum


Traveling through Switzerland , be sure to visit the famous Landesmuseum - a place in which the whole past of the country has focused. In the walls of the museum you will see authentic things that belonged to long-past eras, you will get acquainted with the history and peculiarities of Switzerland in detail.

Architecture of the museum building

The Swiss National Museum is located in the center of Zurich , the largest city on the territory of the country, although originally the museum was planned to open in Bern , the actual capital of the state. An unusual building can not be overlooked, because it looks exactly like an ancient castle. No wonder, since in the distant 1898 architect Gustav Hull planned to build a building in the form of a city chateau (a castle or a palace in our own way) from the era of the French Renaissance. The architectural style of one of the best museums in Zurich is eclecticism (historicism). here you can stumble upon fragments of very different architectural styles. Such diversity does not spoil the museum, and even on the contrary, it creates the necessary historical atmosphere at the first glance at it.

Exposition of the museum

The scale and splendor of the building is really impressive: in addition to the castle itself, there are many courtyards, dozens of towers and a chic park between the rivers Zil and Limmat. However, architecture is not the only thing the museum can boast of; his exposition deserves no less admiration. Here is stored a huge number of all sorts of artifacts and other things that tell the history of the state.

The permanent exposition of the museum occupies as many as four floors. The first, quite expected, is devoted to the ancient history of the country, and demonstrates the monuments of material culture of that mysterious time for us. The second floor was occupied by a gallery, which, of course, is devoted exclusively to the history of Switzerland . On the third there is a collection of coats of arms, and on the fourth there is a collection of different exhibits, according to which one can judge the way of life of local residents in different historical epochs. The collection includes household items and handicrafts, various types of weapons and clothing, 17th century porcelain and 16th century glass.

Much attention in the museum is given to knightly and Celtic cultures, Gothic and sacred arts. There are also collections of Christian sculptures made of wood, carved altars and even panels. The museum complex also includes the Gallery of Collections, consisting of the Armory Tower, an impressive number of Swiss furniture, the diorama of the famous Battle of Murten in 1476 and the Coin Cabinet, where you can find medieval and XIV-XVI centuries coins. It is worth visiting the exhibition, dedicated to the history of Swiss watch production.

The Swiss National Museum has the largest cultural and historical collection, so it's no accident that he has as many as 7 branches in the country.

Helpful information

You can get to the museum by bus number 46 (stop Bahnhofquai) or by trams under numbers 4, 11, 13, 14. The museum works from 10.00 to 17.00 every day, on Thursdays to 19.00. Monday is the day off. On holidays the museum is always open. Ticket price for adults is 10 CHF. fr., with a discount of 8 CHF. fr .; Children and teenagers under 16 years old are free of charge. Entrance to special exhibitions, which take place twice a year and last from 3 to 6 months - up to 12 Swiss francs. fr.

Of the additional amenities open a cafe. On request, you can visit the library of the museum, which stores a lot of curious materials. The reading room of the library works in the following mode: from Tuesday to Thursday - 8.00-12.00, 13.30-16.30; on Wednesdays and Fridays only from 13.30-16.30.