Switzerland

The award ceremony of the Swiss History Competition 2013-2015 took place on 30 May 2015 in the City Museum of Aarau. This recently re-opened museum was the perfect location to celebrate the awarded works because one of the exhibitions called “From the French Revolution to the Facebook Like-Button” is questioning the development of democratic values and citizenship with a special focus on the Swiss way of democracy.

Fifty participants handed in 32 works on this round’s topic “Typically Swiss”. The entries dealt with the image of women in Swiss television, the history of a cheese factory, the importance of forestry as well as squatters in Zurich in the 1980s.

During the afternoon the students presented their works in small groups to other participants, teachers and parents. They also discussed their findings and talked about difficulties in the work process.

Among the awarded works was also a cook book with Swiss cuisine during the Second World War. It showcased favourite recipes of people living and cooking during that time.

The first prize was given to Yamina Maggetti from Lugano. She started her research with wondering about the history of the tracks on the main square of Lugano that seemed to go nowhere, and she ended up with the history of the first tram in Lugano.