Information about the museum’s collection
The collection of the Museum of Communication aims to archive the history of communication in Switzerland for future generations. It is therefore an important store of Swiss cultural heritage. Overall, it comprises some 3 million postage stamps, 500,000 photographs, 50,000 three-dimensional objects, 50,000 posters and plans as well as 5,000 films. The world of communication in all its diversity, from the history of the postal services to telecommunication and digital data (Internet and social media) is carefully maintained, unlocked and made accessible. The collection is divided into six main categories.
![[Translate to English:] Restaurator:in reinigt ein historisches Mobiltelefon mit einem Wattestäbchen. - enlarged view](/fileadmin/_processed_/e/f/csm_Restaurator_an_Arbeit_FotoGehrig_9c895003fc.jpg)
Post & Transport
Thousands of objects tell the lively history of the Swiss postal service: from 19th-century military uniforms worn by stage-coachmen to the colourful cycling jerseys of the professional “Swiss Post” cycling team in 2000, and from the 1894 horse-drawn coach that operated along the Meiringen - Gletsch route to the articulated busses travelling under the Swiss Post banner from 1973.
CONTACT
Nora Haldemann
Curator of collections in postal- and transportation history
Nicolas Kessler
Curator of collections in postal- and transportation history
Email: ppv(at)mfk.ch
Philately
Basle Dove or Penny Black, William Tell or Princess Diana, Globi or Mickey Mouse? Every stamp tells a story and is a reflection of its time. The Museum of Communication is home to one of the world's largest and most valuable collections of national and international stamps. The publicly accessible part of the philately collection also has an international appeal. The collection has many rarities which are integrated into the exhibition in the study room on the second basement floor.
CONTACT
Nora Haldemann
Curator of the Philately Collection & Libraries
Nicolas Kessler
Curator of the Philately Collection & Libraries
Email: ppv(at)mfk.ch
Telegraphy & Telephony
Since Samuel Morse linked the cities of Baltimore and Washington with his electric telegraph in 1844, a plethora of new devices has revolutionised communication between people. The collection, with its thousands of items, documents the stages in the development up until today’s information society.
CONTACT
Juri Jaquemet
Curator of the Information and Communication Technology Collection
Phone: 031 357 55 44
Email: j.jaquemet(at)mfk.ch
Radio & TV
In addition to rare radio and TV sets, early TV broadcasting vans and studio equipment highlight the history of Radio and TV. The collection documents how radio became a “window to the world” in the 1930s and how in the 1950s TV brought the world into the living room.
CONTACT
Juri Jaquemet
Curator of the Information and Communication Technology Collection
Phone: 031 357 55 44
Email: j.jaquemet(at)mfk.ch
Computer & Digital Culture
It is not so long ago that electromechanical mainframe computers were fed punch cards to deal with mathematical problems involving large sets of numbers. Today, communication without the help of incredibly light micro computers would be unthinkable. The collection documents the technological changes from the mid-20th century up to the present day.
CONTACT
Juri Jaquemet
Curator of the Information and Communication Technology Collection
Phone: 031 357 55 44
Email: j.jaquemet(at)mfk.ch
Art & Communication
The art collection highlights the multi-faceted dialogue between art and communication. The collection is made up of both national and international works of art from the area of visual arts and from the realm of New Media. This also includes the area of Mail art and the archives of Swiss artists H.R. Fricker and Marcel Stüssi.
CONTACT
Johannes Sauter
Head of Collections
Phone: 031 357 55 12
Email: j.sauter(at)mfk.ch
