2019

For its overall new concept and design, the Museum of Communication was awarded the 2019 Council of Europe Museum Prize by the President of the European Council in Strasbourg (F) in April 2019. The prize is considered one of the most important awards in Europe and this was only the third time that it was won by a Swiss museum. 

The museum reached a new record with over 115,000 visitors.

2018

The Museum of Communication was awarded six prizes for its in-house exhibition Sounds of Silence (9/11/2018 – 7/7/2019) – one for the overall exhibition (Gold Brandex Award for the Best Thematic Exhibition), one for its soundscape (International Sound Award 2019), two for its scenography (iF Design Award, bronze medal for good design by the German Design Club) and two for the poster (100 best posters and German Design Award).

2017

After five years of preparation work, the new Museum of Communication opened its doors in August 2007. The museum also invented a new occupation: communicators now introduced visitors to its core exhibition which covered an area of almost 2000 square metres.

2007

The permanent exhibitions entitled “As Time Goes Byte” and “Images that stick” opened in May 2007.

2003

In May 2003, Federal President Pascal Couchepin opened the permanent exhibition “Near and far: people and their media”. The exhibition was very popular with visitors until it closed in 2016.

2001

For the first time in its history, the museum recorded more than 50,000 visitors in a single year.

1996

In December 1996 the PTT Museum became a foundation and in March 1997 it was renamed the “Museum of Communication”. This marked the beginning of a new era in the museum’s concept of uniting historical awareness with new and current issues.

1990

The museum moved to its new building at Helvetiastrasse 16.

1949

From 1949 onwards the museum was known as the “Swiss PTT Museum”; the telecommunications collection was added.

1933

Due to a lack of space in the Bollwerk post office building, the museum moved to the new building of the Swiss Alpine Museum at Helvetiaplatz square. Following a lengthy period of renovation and refurbishment of the new building, the Museum opened its doors to some 12,000 visitors every year.

1907

On 22nd June 1907 the first Postal Museum was established in the Bollwerk post office building in Bern. It was only the third museum of its kind in mainland Europe.

1893

The Swiss Postal Administration began to collect objects and documents related to the postal and transport systems and to philately.