Swiss National Exhibition 1914

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Poster for the 1914 national exhibition by Emil Cardinaux

The third Swiss National Exhibition of 1914 opened on May 15th in Bern and lasted until October 15th . Official Switzerland demonstrated with the army pavilion the will to armed neutrality. The exhibition coincided with the outbreak of the First World War . It was also from the Romandie criticized where the architecture of the exhibition buildings was called the "Style de Munich", which the German friendliness of the German Swiss turned prove and the intended effect integration into question. On July 7th, the Belgian King Albert I was a guest.

General

Catalog for the 1914 national exhibition in Bern

The state exhibition was initially planned for 1913. Since delays were expected when the Lötschbergbahn began operating and the organization of the exhibition progressed more slowly than planned, it was decided to postpone it to 1914.

The climate on the eve of the First World War was shaped by the contrast between France and Germany. The architecturally modern face should be uniform and thus characterize the state exhibition. The "Village Suisse" of the 1896 exhibition in Geneva, with its colorfully mixed houses in the architectural styles of all regions, had to give way to a uniform village in the Bernese style. Instead of kitsch, rural life close to nature should be shown. Instead of junk, the traditional women only sold valuable rural handicrafts, which the jury found favor. It was a time to return to rural culture.

Even in the run-up to the state exhibition, the industry threatened to boycott. The reason for this was the culture-critical attitude of the tradespeople who turned against profit-oriented industry and, above all, wanted to cultivate Swiss culture. The government's pro-workers attitude, which was expressed in the revision of the new factory law , was also criticized .

The national exhibition was visited by 3,196,000 people, which corresponded to a population share of 84 percent, and closed with a profit of 34,000 francs. An entrance fee of CHF 1.50 was required (a kilogram of bread cost 36 cents at the time).

The First World War broke out in the middle of the national exhibition in Bern. The exhibition was closed for two weeks. On August 1 that was in Switzerland mobilization proclaimed. The exhibition director Emil Locher considered a closure. The Federal Council showed the way. He wanted a continuation. The “Trade Fair for Export Promotion” became a forum for sharpening national buyer and consumer awareness.

“The Swiss National Exhibition was not created for the sake of abroad and not for the sake of pecuniary profit. The main thing is that it has achieved its great and first goal: to raise the Swiss people and to strengthen their self-confidence, in their belief in their strength, which lies in the ability of a nation to work ”, wrote the Neue Zürcher Zeitung in a review on April 4 November . And further: "We have not only known today that the longer, the more quality work determines our economic future, that with it alone we are able to withstand ever-growing competition on the world market."

Attractions

  • For the national show, the Dörfli was built in Bern's Länggass district according to the plans of the architect Karl Indermühle .
  • The mosaist Gottfried Künzi created a 5-part mosaic for the Dörfli church based on the designs of the painter Albert J. Welti .
  • On the upper floor of the Dörfli tavern “Zum Röseligarten”, the Heimatschutztheater played plays by Otto von Greyerz . Other members of the theater jury such as Josef Reinhart and the later Nobel Prize winner Hermann Hesse ensured that the quality of the popular theater improved.
  • Agriculture presented itself on the field of four with the dairy sector at the center. The dairy industry was experiencing an extraordinary boom at this time.
  • One of the exhibits, the Dammahütte of the Swiss Alpine Club , has been preserved in its new location to this day.

literature

  • Emil Locher, Hans Horber: Swiss National Exhibition in Bern 1914: Administrative report. Bern 1917.
  • Eduard Boos-Jegher: The national exhibitions in Switzerland with special consideration of those in Geneva and one to be held later in Bern. Bern, 1897.
  • Claudio Jörg: The Swiss National Exhibition in Bern in 1914: between belief in progress and cultural criticism. Bern 2000.
  • Jakob Bürki: The Vettergötti a d'r Landesusstellig z'Bärn 1914 . Langnau i. E., 1916.
  • Central Committee of the Swiss National Exhibition in Bern 1914: Swiss National Exhibition Bern 1914. Catalogs A, B, C, D and E. Bern 1914.
  • Georges Schild, Hansjörg Fankhauser: State exhibition 1914. Postal stationery, postmarks, postcards and vignettes. J. Müller, Bern 1994. (= publication series of the Swiss postal stationery collectors association SGSSV, issue 1).

Web links

Commons : Swiss National Exhibition 1914  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Swiss National Exhibition in Bern 1914. Administrative report, Bern 1917, p. 5.
  2. ↑ 1914. The Swiss Exhibition Commission. The Bern Week in words and pictures: a sheet for local art and art, accessed on June 27, 2020 .
  3. ↑ Expo.02, May 15, 1914, http://www.expo-archive.ch/ger/html/index.html@sitesect=1200.htm ( Memento from August 9, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ↑ Expo.02, May 15, 1914, http://www.expo-archive.ch/ger/html/index.html@sitesect=1200.htm ( Memento from August 9, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  5. ^ The state exhibitions in 1883, 1896, 1914, 1939 and 1964, PDF
  6. ^ The state exhibitions in 1883, 1896, 1914, 1939 and 1964, PDF
  7. ↑ Expo.02, May 15, 1914, http://www.expo-archive.ch/ger/html/index.html@sitesect=1200.htm ( Memento from August 9, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  8. ^ Neue Zürcher Zeitung, November 4, 1914. Archived from the original on August 9, 2014 ; accessed on November 22, 2015 .