The Swiss National Museum in Zurich is one of my favourite museums in Switzerland. They have interesting special exhibitions (most recently Nuns. Powerful women in the middle ages) and permanent collections that give an insight into Swiss history, art and culture.
My most recent visit was early on a Tuesday morning and I pretty much had the galleries to myself. Although I enjoy visiting museums with friends I often choose to visit them on my own. I like being able to go at my own pace, to spend time taking pictures and above all to have some ‘thinking time’. For me a museum is a place to recharge my batteries and to escape everyday life. I love losing myself in an exhibition whether it be contemporary art or a historic theme.
In the newly renovated West Wing twelve historic rooms date from the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Baroque periods (15th to 17th centuries). These rooms have been at the heart of the museum since it was founded in 1898. They have been painstakingly restored to look how they would have originally appeared. Most of the interiors are from private houses, monasteries and town halls. It feels a little like travelling back in time and getting an insight into how people lived. Even the smell is evocative. I think this is due to the amount of wood in the rooms. But whatever the reason, it adds to the experience.
This richly decorated room is my favourite. Its panelled walls are full of intricate decoration and detail. The focal point of the room is the beautiful, tiled stove. Half of the room has a mirrored floor, which makes the room appear larger and gives more exposure to the detail in the panels and the stove.
There is no doubt that the owner of this room wanted to impress. Antonio Pestalozzi, an ancestor of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi the Swiss educational reformer, was a textile merchant in 16th Century Chiavenna (located on the border of Italy and Switzerland). This room was located on the upper floor of his town mansion.
To help bring these rooms to life the museum has made good use of technology. This also means that the rooms are not crowded with text panels and labels. This is a particular challenge for the museum as it produces information in four languages. Instead, tablets are placed around the room for visitors to pick up and use.
In this room, I used the tablet to discover the identity of the people, painted in portraits, displayed around the top of the room. It couldn’t be easier to use, you simply point the tablet at a portrait, click on it and then it gives you information about the subject.
The majority of the furniture comes from Muri Monastery in Canton Aargau. Such apothecaries were vital at this time as they were not only used by the religious order but also the local population.
Replica of the wooden ceiling, Church of St Martin, Zillis GR, 1100-1125 Of the 153 original paintings in the ceiling, 65 are displayed here 
Original tiled floor from Rosenburg, Stans NW, 1566 Half of the tiles are original (16th century) and the other half restored (2019). 
Tile from a stove, from a small castle, Wiggen, Rorschach SG, 1582
I love the details that can be seen in these galleries from painted wooden ceilings to tiled floors and stoves.
The museum has a very impressive collection of jewellery and in particular rings. Every size, shape, material, style and time period imaginable are displayed in a large oval case. Unbelievably all these rings come from just one collection and all of them are displayed here! It was started over a century ago by a german jeweller from Frankfurt called Louis Koch along with his wife Alice. Their family have continued to expand the collection and it now includes 20th and 21st century rings from designers in Europe, Asia and America.
Clever use of technology allows you to view information about the rings without the distraction of hundreds of physical labels.
These are just some of my highlights and there’s still lots more to discover. For example there is a permanent exhibition devoted to the history of Switzerland. I’ll be back soon to visit the next special exhibition (The Exhausted Man) which opens on 16 October 2020.
There is also a wonderful shop which is a great place to find interesting gifts alongside a very extensive book selection. Many of the key books about the museum and its collections are also available in English. But be warned, it can be dangerous for your bank balance!
The museum is located next door to the train station and I often fit in a quick visit before heading back to Bern. Having a Swiss Museums Pass comes in handy too as I can visit as many times as I like for no additional cost.
