Swiss National Museum

What Swiss National Museum does

The Swiss National Museum (Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum, SNM) is a public-law institution owned by the Swiss Confederation, operating since 1898 and reorganised under the Federal law on museums and collections (MSG) effective 1 January 2010. It comprises four establishments: the National Museum Zurich, the Forum of Swiss History Schwyz, the Château de Prangins (serving the French-speaking region), and the Collection Centre in Affoltern am Albis. The institution holds a unique collection of more than 870,000 objects divided into 14 collection groups, documenting Swiss cultural history and craftsmanship from its beginnings to the present day. It serves general visitors, researchers and scholars, educational institutions, and media professionals through exhibitions, a public library, a study centre, and an image archive service.

The SNM operates a digital infrastructure built on its own servers in Switzerland, using open-source Matomo for web analytics, mailXpert for newsletter management, Visitate GmbH for ticketing, and Worldline for payment processing, with Dachcom Digital AG as design partner. Digital offerings include the Sammlung Online collection database, a multilingual Swiss History Blog published in German, French, English, and Italian, an e-commerce shop for tickets, annual passes, vouchers, posters, and merchandise, and an image archive licensing service. Pricing for ancillary commercial services is unit-based: CHF 40 per graphic/historical photograph reproduction, CHF 80 per object photograph, and CHF 30 per started quarter hour of research services, with a 100% surcharge for unauthorised use. Museum admission pricing is not publicly disclosed.

The institution is supervised by the Federal Council, which sets four-year strategic objectives, and funded by Parliament through the government's cultural policy statement (Kulturbotschaft), most recently approved at the end of 2024 for the period 2025-2028. Governance is exercised through a Museum Council of eight members chaired by former Federal Chancellor Walter Thurnherr, with operational management led by Director Denise Tonella and a Management Board that includes dedicated heads for Museum Operations, the Collection Centre, Chief Curator, and Digital Transformation and Innovation. The SNM employs approximately 130 staff and operates without subsidiaries, external funding rounds, or M&A activity.

Name

Swiss National Museum

Legal name

Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum

Website

https://nationalmuseum.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Swiss National Museum is a publicly funded Swiss Confederation institution operating four establishments (three museums and a collection centre) holding over 870,000 objects on Swiss cultural history. It serves visitors, researchers, educators, and media through exhibitions, digital collection access, library, and image archive services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Heritage Museum

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Historical Sites (712120)

akta.pro primary industry

History Museums (THAJADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Art Museums (THAJADAA), Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

Keywords

• Cultural history museum
• National heritage collections
• Museum exhibitions
• Historical artifact conservation
• Public museum institution

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich, ZH

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Swiss National Museum operates three physical museums (National Museum Zurich, Forum of Swiss History Schwyz, Château de Prangins) and a Collection Centre in Affoltern am Albis that together present Swiss cultural history through permanent and temporary exhibitions drawn from a collection of more than 870,000 objects across 14 collection groups. It also provides research and study services, a public library, an image archive and licensing service, an online ticketing and shop platform, and digital content (Sammlung Online database and Swiss History Blog).

Product overview

The Swiss National Museum is a public-law institution comprising three physical museums (National Museum Zurich, Forum of Swiss History Schwyz, Château de Prangins) and a Collection Centre in Affoltern am Albis, unified under one organizational umbrella. The museum holds a collection of over 870,000 objects across 14 collection groups. Digital offerings include the Sammlung Online database for browsing collections, the Swiss History Blog featuring historical articles, an online ticketing and shop system, and an image archive service for researchers and publishers. Supporting services include a public library and study centre.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• National Museum Zurich (Landesmuseum Zürich): National Museum in Zurich showcasing Swiss cultural history
• Forum of Swiss History Schwyz
• Château de Prangins
• Collection Centre (Sammlungszentrum)
• Sammlung Online
• Blog Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum

Products and services

• National Museum Zurich Flagship museum located at Museumstrasse 2, 8001 Zürich, showcasing Swiss cultural history from its beginnings to the present day through permanent collections and temporary exhibitions on current topics. Open to the general public, tourists, schools, and researchers.
• Forum of Swiss History Schwyz Museum located at Zeughausstrasse 5, 6430 Schwyz, presenting the history of Switzerland from its beginnings to the present day. Open to the general public and educational groups.
• Château de Prangins Museum located at Avenue du Général Guiguer 3, 1197 Prangins, focusing on Swiss cultural history and heritage and serving the French-speaking region of Switzerland. Open to the general public.
• Collection Centre (Sammlungszentrum) Central collection storage and management facility located at Lindenmoosstrasse 1, 8910 Affoltern am Albis, housing more than 870,000 objects across 14 collection groups. Provides conservation, storage, and object consultation services.
• Sammlung Online (Online Collection Database) Online database enabling users to browse the 14 collection groups of the Swiss National Museum and order images directly from the study centre. Available to the general public and researchers globally.
• Swiss History Blog Blog featuring historical articles and stories about Swiss history, written by historians, cultural experts, and curators, published in German, French, English, and Italian with RSS feeds. Free content resource for the general public.
• Image Archive Service Specialist photography documentation centre providing images of collection objects, exhibitions, architecture, and events for order and licensing. Unit-priced at CHF 40 per graphic/historical reproduction, CHF 80 per object photography, and CHF 30 per started quarter hour of research services. Serves researchers, publishers, and media.
• Public Library Publicly accessible library focused on Cultural History, History, and Art History, offering current exhibition catalogues, journals, and workspaces with views of the Limmat and Platzspitz Park. Open to the general public.
• Study Centre Public study centre including study collections, library reading room, image archive, and collection documentation. Objects and documents available for on-site consultation by prior arrangement. Serves academic researchers, historians, and students.
• Online Shop and Ticketing E-commerce platform for purchasing museum admission tickets, annual passes, vouchers, posters, and merchandise. Hosted by Visitate GmbH (Berlin) with payment processing via Worldline. Available to general public and tourists.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Social Media Platforms (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSocial media networks connected to SNM website through social plugins. Used for content sharing and audience engagement. Elements configured to be deactivated by default for privacy.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Smithsonian National Museum of American History: Large national history museum under federal charter; serves as a comparable benchmark for collection scale (millions of objects), governance via a federal board, and multi-site national museum operations.
• British Museum: Global benchmark national museum with comparable digital collection infrastructure, traveling exhibition program, and image-licensing revenue model that SNM's Sammlung Online and image archive aspire toward.

Direct peers

• Deutsches Historisches Museum: Germany's federal museum of German history, structurally analogous as a state-mandated national history museum operating central and outlying sites under federal supervision — directly comparable to SNM's role and statutory setup in Switzerland.
• Musée national d'histoire et d'art (Luxembourg): A small European nation's state-mandated museum of national history and art, comparable to SNM in scale, role as sole national history institution, and public-law governance.
• Nordiska museet: Sweden's national museum of cultural history, a state-funded institution focused on national cultural heritage and identity — closely comparable in mission, funding model, and curatorial scope.
• National Museum of Scotland: Scotland's national museum, a multi-site, publicly-funded institution covering cultural history and identity with a comparable mandate to interpret national heritage for domestic and international audiences.

Others

• museum.ch (Swiss Museums Association): Umbrella association representing Swiss museums including SNM; relevant as the ecosystem/industry body for partnership, ticketing interoperability (e.g., Swiss Museum Pass), and sector advocacy.

Regional players

• Kunsthaus Zürich: Leading Swiss art museum in the same city as SNM's flagship; competes for cultural-tourism spend in Zurich and provides a useful benchmark for visitor scale and exhibition programming in the same local market.
• Historisches Museum Bern: Major Swiss cantonal history museum with overlapping cultural-history focus; serves a regional/cantonal rather than federal mandate but operates in the same Swiss competitive landscape for visitors and exhibitions.
• Château de Prangins peer: Musée cantonal d'archéologie et d'histoire (Lausanne): Director Lionel Pernet sits on SNM's Museum Council, indicating close institutional overlap; this cantonal museum serves the same French-speaking Swiss audience for archaeological and historical content.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/schweizerisches-nationalmuseum

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Swiss National Museum