Musée International de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge

What Musée International de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge does

The Musée International de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge is a private foundation established in 1981 and opened in 1988 in Geneva, Switzerland, operating as a cultural institution dedicated to preserving and presenting the history of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The museum serves a diversified audience including individual tourists, school and university groups, corporate clients, and members of the 191-country Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, while its primary outputs are exhibitions, collections stewardship, and educational programs. Its core products include the permanent exhibition ("Humanitarian action, here and now"), rotating temporary exhibitions (e.g., the Angélica Serech show, 2025–2026), an annual artist residency, guided tours in six languages, Café HINIVUU, space rental for events, a "Solidarity Sundays" community access program, and the "Histoires d'objets" podcast. The underlying technology is a conventional digital collection management system, an e-commerce ticketing platform, and basic Google Analytics for visitor tracking; there is no proprietary technology stack or AI component. Revenue is generated through a mix of ticketed admissions (CHF 15 full / CHF 10 reduced; extensive free categories including children, members, ICRC/IFRC staff, and multiple cardholders), a tiered "Friends of the Museum" membership program (CHF 100–1,500/year), individual donations, solidarity ticket purchases, space rental, and proceeds from the externally operated Café HINIVUU, supplemented by institutional support from the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Canton of Geneva, ICRC, IFRC, and a long-standing donor base including Rolex, Credit Suisse, Loterie Romande, and Ernst Göhner Stiftung.

Name

Musée International de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge

Legal name

Musée International de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge

Website

https://www.redcrossmuseum.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum is a Geneva-based foundation operating a permanent collection of over 30,000 humanitarian objects, exhibitions, and educational programs serving tourists, school groups, corporate clients, and the global Red Cross Movement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Museum / Humanitarian Heritage

NAICS

Museums (712110), Historical Sites (712120)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)

Keywords

• Humanitarian museum exhibitions
• Cultural heritage preservation
• Educational museum programs
• Multilingual guided tours
• Museum venue rental

Headquarters

HQ city

Genève

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Admission fees for permanent and temporary exhibitions. Standard tickets at CHF 15, reduced at CHF 10. Free admission for under 12, members, and various card holders.
2. Museum Membership (Friends of the Museum): Annual membership program with two tiers: Individual (CHF 100) or Couple (CHF 150) for basic membership; Individual (CHF 1,000) or Couple (CHF 1,500) for Supporting Member status. Includes free admission, event invitations, and other perks.
3. Donations: Individual donations from visitors and supporters who find their visit meaningful and wish to support the museum's mission.
4. Space Rental: Rental of museum spaces (Henry Dunant Room, L'Atelier, Café HINIVUU) for events, talks, seminars, screenings, and receptions. Catering provided by Café HINIVUU.
5. Café HINIVUU Operations: On-site café operated by external founders (Nour Khadam, Omar Alkheja, Julien Clivaz), serving food and beverages with proceeds supporting museum operations.
6. Solidarity Tickets: Purchased tickets donated to Geneva Red Cross or local associations for redistribution to beneficiaries, creating social impact and community goodwill.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum is a cultural foundation that preserves and exhibits the history of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement through a permanent exhibition, rotating temporary exhibitions, and an artist residency program. It manages a collection of over 30,000 objects including the world's largest humanitarian poster collection and UNESCO-recognized WWI Prisoners-of-War Agency archives, and operates a ticketed venue offering guided tours, an on-site café (Café HINIVUU), event space rental, and education programs for schools and groups.

Product overview

The Musée International de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge operates as a unified museum experience with a core offering of exhibitions and collections. The main products include the Permanent Exhibition ('Humanitarian action, here and now') exploring past, present, and future of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement; Temporary Exhibitions featuring rotating contemporary themes; and an annual Artist Residency Program. Supporting offerings include Guided Tours (6 languages), Café HINIVUU restaurant, Space Rental for events, Solidarity Sundays community outreach, Thursday Afterworks social events, and a Podcast series. The museum also houses over 30,000 collection objects including the world's largest humanitarian poster collection. Admission is ticketed (CHF 15 full/CHF 10 reduced) with free entry for members and various cardholders. The museum is undergoing Vision 2028 transformation to redesign its permanent exhibition with sustainability principles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Café HINIVUU: An on-site café operated by Nour Khadam, Omar Alkheja and Julien Clavaz, serving food and beverages. It embodies the seven Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

Products and services

• Permanent Exhibition - Humanitarian action, here and now The museum's main exhibition exploring humanitarian action through three temporal lenses: Past (formation and transformation of the Movement since the 19th century), Present (current work, challenges, and ground realities), and Future (challenges ahead for humanitarian action). Features The Agora, a participatory community space at the heart of the exhibition.
• Temporary Exhibition - Angélica Serech Pach'un Q'ijul (Temps entrelacés - Deep time) Temporary exhibition featuring works by Maya Kaqchikel artist Angélica Serech, exploring the relationship between textiles and humanitarian action through weaving individual and collective memory. Runs from October 2025 to August 2026.
• Artist Residency Program 2026 Annual participatory residency program (March-August) hosting artists trained at HEAD – Genève to explore the question 'How does humanitarian action affect us all, here and now?' Part of Prix Art Humanité award.
• Museum Collections Over 30,000 objects including the world's largest humanitarian poster collection (10,000+ posters from 120+ countries), 10,000+ photographs, 1,780 objects including 450 POW artifacts, 300+ drawings, 200+ medals, 535 digitized films, and the archives of the International Prisoners-of-War Agency.
• Guided Tours Guided tours of the permanent exhibition available in 6 languages (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese). CHF 130 per group (up to 25 people), 1-hour duration, requires 14-day advance booking.
• Admission Tickets Full-price tickets CHF 15, reduced tickets CHF 10 (ages 12-22, 65+, disabilities, unemployed, Movement members), free for under 12, Friends members, ICRC/IFRC staff, and various cardholders. Audio guides available for CHF 2.
• Friends of the Museum Membership Annual membership program with two tiers: Individual (CHF 100) or Couple (CHF 150) for basic membership; Individual (CHF 1,000) or Couple (CHF 1,500) for Supporting Member status. Includes free admission, event invitations, and other perks.
• Café HINIVUU Museum café operated by Nour Khadam, Omar Alkheja, and Julien Clivaz. Serves hearty, sweet, and savory dishes. Open Tuesday-Friday 10am-5pm, Thursday until 9pm. Closed Saturday-Monday. Embodies the seven Fundamental Principles of the Movement. Catering provided for events.
• Space Rental (Henry Dunant Room, L'Atelier) Event venue rental including Henry Dunant Room and L'Atelier spaces for talks, drinks receptions, seminars, and screenings. Catering provided by Café HINIVUU. Entrance level renovated in 2024.
• Solidarity Sundays First Sunday of each month with reduced rates for all, generating extra tickets donated to local nonprofits for redistribution to beneficiaries. Includes workshops and activities for children and families.
• Thursday Afterworks Weekly Thursday evening events at Café HINIVUU with curated music playlists, local artists, and DJ sets. Museum open until 8pm. Occurs every Thursday from 6pm to 9pm.
• Solidarity Ticket Program Visitors can purchase solidarity tickets that are collected by the Museum and donated to Geneva Red Cross or local associations for redistribution to beneficiaries, making culture more accessible.
• Podcast Series - Histoires d'objets Audio podcast series exploring museum collection objects and their histories. Multiple episodes available covering items from the museum's holdings.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 120,000 annual visitors
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Swiss Federal Department of Foreign AffairscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner supporting the museum's operations and mission to promote humanitarian values and international humanitarian law.
• Canton of GenevacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional government partner providing institutional support and recognition, including the 1+ pour tous label for employment practices.
• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICRC is represented on the Museum's Foundation Board and is a core institutional partner. The museum preserves and displays the Movement's heritage and history. ICRC provides admission vouchers for official visits.
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFRC is represented on the Museum's Foundation Board and is a core institutional partner. The Federation digitised 535 films (16mm) between 2021-2023 for the museum's collection.
• HEAD – Genève (Geneva University of Art and Design)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtist residency program partner. The residency is part of the Prix Art Humanité award focused on the relationship between art and humanitarian action. Winner Marc-Arthur Sohna is a graduate of HEAD – Genève.
• HEPIA (Haute École du Paysage, d'Ingénierie et d'Architecture)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for garden development. Starting 2025, landscape architecture students undertake a three-year cycle to transform the gardens into a real garden through observation, biodiversity studies, and research.
• EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInitial academic partner for garden development, preceding the current partnership with HEPIA.
• Prix Art HumanitécoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward focused on the relationship between art and humanitarian action. The 11th edition winner Marc-Arthur Sohna conducts the 2026 artist residency at the museum.
• Comedy de GeneveminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCultural partner offering discounted rates for performances to Friends of the Museum members.
• Geneva Red CrosscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRecipient of solidarity tickets donated through the museum's Solidarity Sundays program, redistributing tickets to beneficiaries.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Imperial War Museums: A multi-site UK museum network (including IWM London, Churchill War Rooms, HMS Belfast, IWM Duxford, IWM North) covering conflicts from WWI onward. Directly comparable as a war/humanitarian history museum of similar institutional scale, with similar educational programming, comparable visitor volumes, and a comparable reliance on a combination of admissions, memberships, donations, and government support.
• Deutsches Historisches Museum: Germany's national history museum in Berlin, covering German and broader European history from antiquity to the present. Comparable as a large-scale European history museum with a similar mix of permanent and temporary exhibitions, comparable educational programming for schools and universities, and a similar institutional/government funding structure. Broader in scope but a relevant peer for exhibition programming and visitor development benchmarks.

Direct peers

• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: A federally chartered, non-profit memorial museum in Washington, D.C. dedicated to Holocaust history and humanitarian lessons. Closest functional peer: comparable mission-driven history museum of similar size, similar visitor scale (1–2M annually, larger than the Geneva museum but structurally analogous), similar revenue mix (free admission with timed-entry passes, donations, memberships), and similar reliance on permanent collection of historical artifacts tied to a specific humanitarian movement.
• Mémorial de Caen: A French museum and war memorial in Caen dedicated to 20th-century conflict and the pursuit of peace. Directly comparable as a mid-sized European humanitarian/war history museum with similar thematic scope (WWII to present-day humanitarian action), comparable ticketing and educational program model, and a comparable reliance on tourism traffic to a single site.
• Anne Frank House: A small independent museum in Amsterdam at the site where Anne Frank hid during WWII. Closely comparable as a single-site, mission-driven heritage museum of similar small-to-mid scale, with comparable ticketing model (timed-entry, online booking), similar educational outreach to schools, and a comparable donor/membership revenue mix anchored by a unique historical archive.

Emerging players

• International Slavery Museum: A Liverpool-based museum on the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade and modern slavery. Comparable thematic framing (human rights heritage) and similar mid-scale museum operating model with public-sector affiliation. Slightly different scope (slavery/human rights rather than humanitarian action), but a similar educational and visitor model for school groups and human-rights-oriented tourism.
• Museo Memoria y Tolerancia: A non-profit museum in Mexico City focused on memory, tolerance, and human rights. Comparable as a mid-sized, mission-driven human rights museum with a similar thematic framing (humanitarian history and values), similar reliance on educational group visits, and a similar mixed revenue model (admissions, donations, corporate events, café). Smaller scale but analogous mission and operating model.

Regional players

• Swiss National Museum: Switzerland's national history museum in Zurich, with affiliated sites. Directly comparable as a domestic Swiss cultural institution of similar visitor scale (200,000+), similar ticket pricing (CHF 10–15 range), similar membership model, and overlapping institutional/educational audiences—making it the most relevant regional peer for Swiss museum benchmarks.
• Palais des Nations / UN Museum Geneva: The UN Office at Geneva and visitor experience offerings at the Palais des Nations, adjacent to the Red Cross Museum in Geneva. Comparable as a co-located Geneva-based international institution offering tours and visitor programming with a humanitarian/international affairs mission—drawing from overlapping tourism, school, and diplomatic audiences.
• Museo Nazionale del Risorgimento Italiano: An Italian national museum in Turin dedicated to Italian unification and humanitarian/political history. Comparable as a single-site European history museum of similar small-to-mid scale, with similar ticketing, membership, and educational programming. Less directly comparable on humanitarian mission but a relevant European peer for visitor development and event-rental benchmarks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/redcrossmuseum
• Facebookfacebook.com/redcrossmuseum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/redcrossmuseum

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Musée International de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge