Thousands of Swiss people were living in Russia when the revolution broke out in 1917 – among them business owners, farmers and teachers. At the same time, Russian intellectuals, artists and socialists were also living in Switzerland at the beginning of the year – including Lenin, who was based in Geneva, Bern and Zurich when he was preparing for the revolution. Marking the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, the exhibition in the National Museum Zurich tells the story of the ties linking the two countries at a time of upheaval and provides an overview of Russia’s political and cultural development during this period.

The exhibition at the National Museum Zurich was created in partnership with the Deutsches Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum) Berlin.