MOVING MOUNTAINS
ALPS – Swiss Alpine Museum is all about people and mountains. It focuses on issues wherever society is on the move. There might not be any easy answers, but we still need to talk about things: about the environment, nature, and climate change, and about the relationship between the urban and alpine worlds. Its exhibitions and events extend far beyond the scope of the Alps as a region. While ALPS is open to all points of view, it is anything but neutral: its aim is to inspire lifeworlds that are creative and constructive – not just for society but for every single one of us too. ALPS wants to get people – and things – moving.

ALPS: A MUSEUM
Instead of hosting a permanent exhibition, the ALPS’ approach is to present three temporary exhibitions simultaneously at the main venue in Bern accompanied by a programme of events. Innovative and unexpected elements are the name of the game: this includes everything from projects with an artistic twist to participatory exhibitions focusing on current events while playfully adopting experimental forms. “Culture vultures” and those who know their way around the mountains will be able to relate to the material as much as younger visitors, families, and school groups. ALPS has a collection of Alpine cultural objects, operates its own restaurant, and is a partner in the future-oriented urban development project Museumsquartier Bern.

ALPS: MORE THAN A MUSEUM
ALPS is more than a museum. It is also a place where people and organizations that are active in the mountains – ranging from science, culture, tourism, spatial development, and NGOs through to mountaineering – can engage in a process of exchange. The role of the institution as a “platform” is to be expanded even further in the future. Yet ALPS is also a presence in various (mountain) regions thanks to its exhibition projects.

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