Swiss Museum of Transport
Experience the past, present and future of mobility in Switzerland's most-visited museum.
A wealth of interactive attractions brings its road, rail, water, air and space focal points to life. With its boating pool and numerous activity areas, the large arena is a great place to linger – whatever the weather.
Locomotion on rails
What would Switzerland be without rail transport, locomotives or rolling stock? Or to put it another way: in what way has rail transport shaped the development of industry and, with it, that of Switzerland? The Swiss Museum of Transport presents an extensive collection of Swiss rail exhibits, ranging from steam and cog railways to electric locomotion and the mobility of the future. Taking you on a journey into the fascinating world of railways are a legendary scale model of the Gotthard railway, reminiscences of a train driver, films, railway simulators, an awe-inspiring model of the Gotthard Base Tunnel and, last but by no means least, the impressive original locomotives and rolling stock.
Road transport
The Road Transport Hall with its famous traffic sign façade presents historical and current vehicles on two, three and four wheels. The centrepiece of the hall is the imposing display store with its 80 exhibits culled from road transport history. The crash test facility and mirror maze present road safety from a new perspective. Particular focus is placed on the history of the motor vehicle in Switzerland, including the legendary Monteverdi marque.
Navigation
The history of waterborne vessels is almost as old as that of mankind. A number of marine engines representing Swiss navigation history are displayed against the backdrop of a steamship engine room. The Nautirama uses light and sound to guide you through the history of navigation in Central Switzerland as you encounter the turbulent events heralding the era of the steamship. Also in the exhibition are original vessels and submarines, marine engines and a model of a waterways lock.
Aviation
Humans have always dreamed of being able to fly like a bird. Two original Swissair aeroplanes – a CV-990 Coronado and a DC-3 – point the way to the Aviation Hall. Historical aeroplanes, helicopters and spectacular flying machines as well as numerous original items, models, dioramas, experiments and simulators take you to new heights.
Space travel
What did the first rockets look like? What do astronauts have to take with them to survive in space? What's the surface of Mars like? You'll find the answers to all these questions in the unique exhibition called simply "Space". Amongst its highlights are a "Space Transformer" (a walk-in cube revolving at slow speed), a multi-axis trainer that simulates rotating in a space capsule, and a walk-on Mars landscape complete with three full-size Mars rovers.
Aerial cableways
The aerial cableways exhibition – the only permanent exhibition to document the pioneering role played by Switzerland in opening up the Alps to tourists – showcases the speed with which one can travel from the valley to the highest mountain peaks using a cableway – from the first-generation manually operated transport contraptions and ski lifts to the latest large-capacity cabins.
Tourism
The tourism pinball machine showcases the achievements of tourism in Switzerland. The creative pinball attraction by artist Charles Morgan incorporates all the elements set in motion when a guest stays in Switzerland for a holiday. The adjacent "Livemap Switzerland" shows the country from above – with a huge walk-on aerial map supplemented with augmented reality technology.