Are Swiss Museums Still Alive?
Switzerland has one of the highest museum densities per capita in the world. But what does that mean for its cultural impact?
This is a data-driven exploration of Switzerland’s museum landscape, analyzing their types, spatial distribution, and insights backed by statistical and survey data from the federal government.
Swiss Museum Types
This interactive visualization showcases the diversity of Swiss museums, with a focus on their types, distribution, and popularity.
The first section, Statistics provides the most updated statistics about Museums from the BFS (more details see Methodology). The second section, Museum Distribution shows how museums are spread across the 26 cantons. In the third section, Types & Popularity, the focus is on the various types of museums, their distribution, popularity in terms of visits and the number of museums in each category.
The main visualization has two distinct views: a grid and a map of Switzerland, allowing users to explore the museum data interactively.
Both, the grid and the map view present small pie charts representing each canton.
Each colour in the pie charts corresponds to a distinct type of museum.
Each canton is represented by a pie chart. The colour of each pie chart corresponds to a distinct museum type. Multiple segments in the pie chart indicate the presence of various museum types in a canton, and the size of the segments represents the number of museums in each category. This allows users to quickly grasp the museum diversity in each canton.
The grid visualization below displays the circle segment for each museum type. Each chart is colour-coded based on the museum type, and the size of the segments in the pie reflects the number of museums in that category.
This allows users to compare the museum types across different cantons, giving a clear overview of museum distribution in Switzerland.
The interactive sections of the visualization provide the following modes of interaction. In the explanatory sections, interaction is more static: users can hover over any canton to see a detailed number of types of museums from that canton.
In the exploratory section, users can toggle between grid and map views, filter by museum type, and explore the museum landscape at their own pace.
The statistical Data
Contrary to popular belief, museum visits are increasing in Switzerland.
In 2023, nearly 15 million museum admissions were recorded by the Federal Statistical Office (BFS) in Switzerland.
This represented an increase of 5% compared with 2019, the last year before the pandemic.
According to the 2019 cultural survey, around 70 % of the Swiss population said they go to the Museum and it ranks third among the top cultural activity attendance after Monument and Concert.
While the number of visits increased in 2023, the number of museums and events decreased.
The number of museums open to the public in 2023 was 1,104, 3% less than in 2019 when there were 1,141.
The total number of events organized by museums in 2023 was 32,513, 6% less than in 2019 when there were 34,714.
The total number of temporary exhibitions in 2023 was 1,523, 8% less than in 2019 when there were 1,651.
So what makes Swiss Museums interesting?
The most common type of museum in Switzerland is historical, followed by art and regional museums.
Museum Distribution
In the Swiss Plateau, where population density and economic activity are high, cantons such as Zürich, Bern, Vaud, and Aargau host the largest concentration of museums.
Zürich, in particular, stands out as a cultural hub, which is unsurprising given its status as Switzerland’s largest city, home to prestigious institutions like ETH Zurich and significant cultural funding.
In contrast, smaller mountain cantons like Uri, Glarus, Obwalden, and Nidwalden have fewer museums, primarily dedicated to history and regional heritage. Their limited population and geographic isolation contribute to this.
Appenzell Innerrhoden, with its rural economy and strong oral traditions, has few museums.
Interestingly, the Southern Alps regions of Ticino and Graubünden exhibit a different trend.
Graubünden, the largest canton in Switzerland, is sparsely populated, but unlike other cantons, it has many museums. This is due to the rich history and culture of the region.
The canton of Ticino has a high number of museums, largely influenced by its rich heritage and its proximity to Italy.
Museum Distribution
In Switzerland, the distribution of museums is influenced by factors such as population density, historical significance, and cultural influence.
Types of Museums and Popularity
Let's go a bit deeper into the types of museums and which are more popular in Switzerland.
Historical Museums
Historical museums are the most common type in Switzerland, with 417 institutions spread across all cantons.
Among the ten most visited museums in Switzerland, the Swiss National Museum in Zürich ranks at the top.
Regional and Local Museums
Like Historical museums, Regional and Local museums are found in nearly all cantons.
However, they typically attract fewer visitors and are not the most visited museums.
Art Museums
Art museums are the third most common type in Switzerland. The highest concentrations are in Zürich, Bern, and Ticino.
Among the top ten most visited museums are the Kunsthaus Zürich, the Beyeler Foundation, and the Kunstmuseum both in Basel.
Despite being a small canton with relatively few museums, Basel is home to some of Switzerland’s most historically and internationally significant institutions.
The country’s oldest university, attracting scholars worldwide.
But also the Art Museum of Basel (Kunstmuseum) is the world's oldest public art collection.
Technical Museums
Switzerland is well-known for its engineering, watchmaking, and precision technology, which significantly shape its museum landscape.
Cantons such as Aargau, Vaud, and St. Gallen have strong industrial historiesthat influence their museums.
The country’s most visited museum in this category is the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne (Verkehrshaus der Schweiz).
Science Museums
Science museums are primarily located in Zürich and Valais.
The most visited among them is the Swiss Science Center Technorama in Winterthur, Zürich canton.
In recent years, natural science museums in Geneva and Lausanne have also grown in popularity.
Thematic Museums
Thematic museums focus on unique subjects. As you can imagine the most popular ones in Switzerland’ are the chocolate and cheese museums, located in traditional dairy-producing cantons rather than highly populated regions.
Chaplin’s World in Vaud and two museums in Fribourg the Maison Cailler, a chocolate museum and La Maison du Gruyère, a cheese factory museum.
Archaeological Museums
Not all cantons have archaeological museums, with the highest concentrations in Zürich, Aargau, and Vaud—regions rich in Prehistoric, Roman and medieval sites.
In Zürich, you can visit all the different sites around the city for free by exploring the archaeological windows (Archäologische Fenster).
Folklore and Ethnology Museums
Folklore and ethnology museums are among the least common.
These museums focus on foreign cultures and are typically linked to universities.
Switzerland’s role as a global financial and diplomatic centre has led to the establishment of international museums.
Institutions like the Red Cross Museum, Olympic Museum, FIFA Museum, and Swiss Finance Museum reflect the country’s neutrality and global influence.
Funding also plays a major role in shaping the museum landscape. Around 70% of Swiss museums are privately funded.
Institutions like ETH Zürich, EPFL Lausanne, and universities in Bern and Basel have brought renowned figures to Switzerland.
For example, Charlie Chaplin, who fled to Switzerland during political turmoil, is honoured in Chaplin’s World Museum.
Albert Einstein formulated his theory of relativity in Bern while working at the Swiss Patent Office.
All these factors shape the types of museums in Switzerland, reflecting the country’s history, culture, and industries.
Ultimately, their value is reinforced by the people who visit and support them.