Cultural Programme

Symbolbild_Kulturvorschau2024

Cultural Programme 2025

Which music influenced Friedrich Dürrenmatt? What do collages from 1975 tell us about the realities of women’s lives? What new perspectives are opening up on Hermann Hesse? Experience exhibitions, spoken word, soirées, and much more – a varied cultural program awaits you in 2025.

Annual Report

Annual Report 2023

Annual Report 2023

The development of the NL's vision and strategy, as well as its construction projects, were the focus of the year under review. The Annual Report 2023 provides information on these topics and many other activities of the institution.

Opening hours 

Monday–Friday
9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

 

Discover the National Library’s collections

Bibliothekssammlungen

Library collections

The collections of the Swiss National Library consist of books, newspapers and periodicals, websites, maps and atlases, university and corporate publications, official publications and printed music.

Image documents

The collection of the Prints and Drawings Department includes prints from the 17th to 21st centuries, photographs, postcards, posters and artists’ books, as well as documents on historic monument preservation since the end of the 19th century.

Literary estates and archives

The National Library’s Literary Archives are home to the leading collection of literary estates, libraries and archives from authors of the 20th and 21st centuries.

 

Audio documents

The Swiss National Sound Archives in Lugano collect sound recordings and preserve them for posterity. They have been archiving Switzerland’s audio heritage and making it available to anyone with an interest since 1987.

Gems

In search of…

Grundsteinplatte

In search of the traditional laying of the foundation stone at the NL

During the construction of the NL from 1929–1931, no foundation stone was laid. Thus, the ceremony was held later in 1995: a loud and smoky affair that took place in the 26-metre-deep foundation pit for the library’s new underground stacks.

Visual treasures

Collage 1974

I’m not an angel by profession

‘Feminist collages’ from 1974 give us an insight into perceptions of women at the time.

Insights – outlooks

Schriften zum IRRI-Projekt

Schreiben mit vier Händen

Von 1986 bis 1993 verfolgten Ilma Rakusa und Rada Iveković ein vielsprachiges literarisches Projekt, das im Schweizerischen Literaturarchiv Spuren hinterlassen hat.

Press releases

Java script is required to display press releases. If you are unable or unwilling to activate Java script you may use the link below to access the Federal Administration News Portal, where you can read the announcements.

To the Federal Administration News Portal

https://www.nb.admin.ch/content/snl/en/home.html