Hidden parts of Switzerland revealed

Ausgestopfte Tiere — Collection of stuffed animals and curiosities belonging to an illusionist and collector of rare things in Zurich Maros

Pilzregal in klinisch weissem Raum — A climatised mushroom production room belonging to the company Kernser Edelpilze in central Switzerland Kastas Maros

Aufgehängte Rinder um auszutropfen — The cool room of the halal slaughterhouse in Buckten, northern Switzerland Kostas Maros

rosarote Beruhigungszelle mit schmalem Bett — A pink cell in a regional prison in Burgdorf Kostas Maros

Unzählige Damenschuhe in Kasten nach Farben geordnet — Costume shoes stored at Zurich opera house Kostas Maros

Raum mit herumliegenden Protesen — The machine room at Hueskes Orthopaedics, Basel Kostas Maros

Spitalbetten in Reih und Glied alles in Weiss — Bed storage at Basel University Hospital Kostas Maros

Sitzungstisch mit Stühlen vor violetter Wand und Wendeltreppe im Hintergrund — Meeting Room 325 in the federal parliament, Bern Kostas Maros

Düsterer Gang mit halben Puppen und EXIT zeichen — Goods entrance and exit at the Avatarion company, Zurich Kostas Maros

Kabinen um Sucgthandlungen zu verrichten — Room for administering illegal drugs at the addiction contact point for the region of Basel Kostas Maros

rotes Licht - Sexraum mit verschiedenen Utensilien — Darkroom in Basel Kostas Maros

Mit Tüchern abgedeckte Geräte — The dome of the Sphinx observatory at the Jungfraujoch research station Kostas Maros

Schallgedämpfter Raum mit Tonstudios — Recording studio for Swiss public television and radio, SRF, in Basel Kostas Maros

Bachbett — A gold-prospecting area near Lucerne Kostas Maros

What do a pink “pacification cell” in a high-security prison, the Federal Council’s secret meeting room, Dignitas’s room where people carry out assisted suicide and the research station inside the Jungfraujoch mountain ridge have in common? They are all inaccessible to most people.

This content was published on June 23, 2018 - 11:00

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Kostas Maros & Catherine Iselin, Ester Unterfinger (picture editor), swissinfo.ch

As part of the art project HIDDENExternal link, art historian Catherine Iselin and photographer Kostas Maros looked into what makes hidden places so fascinating. They found 25 places across Switzerland that are closed off to most people, unknown or known but unphotographed.

Iselin and Maros say they hunted for the unusual, the strange and the unique. The resulting images have been displayed in an exhibition and a bookExternal link.

All of the locations share the quality of arousing curiosity or leaving a deep impression.

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