Association for
Industrial Heritage and
Technical History Switzerland
Associations, foundations and public collections of technical history and industrial heritage need a national voice to receive the necessary support for their activities. These collections and archives are part of Swiss identity.
Kilian T. Elsasser, Owner of the Museumsfabrik and Founding President of VINTES, Lucerne
The legacy of the Swiss industrial age
Switzerland has a rich heritage of movable and immovable artefacts that bear witness to over 200 years of successful industrial development. At the end of the 18th century, a new era dawned for Switzerland, which had been predominantly agricultural until then: the use of hydropower, the introduction of the division of labour, rational production methods and numerous technical inventions paved the way for the industrial transformation of Switzerland.
There are many efforts to preserve, collect and research this legacy of the Swiss industrial era. Various private and public institutions focus on industrial culture and the history of technology. Some of these efforts are well advanced and deserve national, if not international, attention. However, there are also many hidden treasures that have yet to be uncovered. Moreover, important relics of Swiss industrial history have, unfortunately, been lost, while other objects and important collections are also at risk.
Association for Industrial Culture and Technical History Switzerland VINTES
The tax-exempt Association for Industrial Culture and Technical History Switzerland VINTES is an umbrella organisation of public institutions dedicated to collecting and preserving objects, as well as to the public outreach about industrial culture and technical history. VINTES establishes networks, offers further training and reports annually on its own activities as well as the work of its members.
VINTES pursues the goal of establishing a sustainable framework in which the legacy of industrial culture and technical history is given the attention it deserves with regard to cultural policy.
The association has the following objectives:
- Preserving the rich heritage of Swiss industrial and technological history and making it accessible to a broader public.
- Establishing a network of affiliated institutions to promote mutual exchange;
- Compiling an overview of institutions in the fields of industrial culture and technological history and raising their profile through electronic and/or traditional media;
- Improving conditions for institutions of industrial culture and technological history;
- Promoting understanding of the above-mentioned issues among school children, apprentices and students;
- Acting as a partner and point of contact for universities, technical colleges, and schools