Swiss Museum Pass Hits Record 1.5 Million Admissions in Anniversary Year
The Swiss Museum Pass kicked off its 30th anniversary year on a high note, surpassing 1.5 million admissions in 2025 — a record for the foundation, and a jump of more than 6% on the previous year.
The celebrations launched on 30 April 2026 at the Kunstmuseum Bern, where Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider gave the official start signal with a personal tour, sharing her favourite work by Sophie Taeuber-Arp. Foundation president Christina Hanke used the moment to highlight the pass's growing role as an economic factor for Swiss cultural institutions, while Baume-Schneider emphasised its contribution to knowledge transfer and cultural access.
What started in 1996 as a joint pioneer project between the Federal Office of Culture, Switzerland Tourism, and the Association of Swiss Museums now connects more than 500 museums across the country.
The anniversary year brings a few new initiatives: a "The Other Gaze" tour series featuring Swiss personalities sharing their perspectives on artworks, expanded cooperation with Caritas, Pro Senectute and the Reka Foundation to lower access barriers, and a digital campaign under #IloveSwissMuseums. The headline event will be the first-ever Swiss Museum Prize, awarded in November based on a public vote.
Basile
