The Swiss associate the birth of their country with 1848 rather than 1291

The Swiss associate the birth of their country with 1848 rather than 1291 Keystone-SDA

A majority of Swiss people believe that the country came into being in 1848 with the creation of the federal state, rather than in 1291. They also regard William Tell as a legendary figure rather than a historical hero, according to a poll published ahead of the National Day on August 1.

More than one in two Swiss people (52%) believe that Switzerland became a state with the creation of the federal state in 1848. Only 21% date this founding event to 1291. The year 1848 is overwhelmingly favoured in German-speaking Switzerland, whilst opinions are more divided in French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino, according to the Cohesion in Switzerland survey, conducted by the Sotomo Institute on behalf of Swiss brewery Feldschlösschen and published on Sunday by the German-speaking Sunday newspaper NZZ am Sonntag.

The survey also shows that William Tell is perceived more as a figure from legend or literature than as a historical figure. Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed regard him primarily as a legendary figure (37%) or the hero of Friedrich Schiller’s play (28 %), whilst only 27% see him as a freedom fighter against the Habsburgs. This latter view is more widespread among young people, in French-speaking Switzerland and amongst supporters of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party.

Preserved through self-interest

When asked about the reasons that enabled Switzerland to escape the devastation of the Second World War, respondents primarily cited economic and geopolitical factors. A majority (56%) believe that Nazi Germany had an interest in preserving Switzerland because of its role as a neutral financial centre. The National Redoubt (22%) ) – the country’s wartime strategy of retreating into heavily fortified Alpine defences to deter invasion – and neutrality (23%) were cited significantly less often as key explanations.

Finally, when discussing the main dividing lines in Swiss history, respondents cited class struggle (28%) and the urban–rural divide (25%) more frequently than religious (18%) or linguistic (13%) conflicts, despite these having been the source of deep divisions in the past. According to the authors of the study, these results show that the Swiss tend to reinterpret history through the lens of contemporary concerns.

The survey is based on responses from 2,495 people aged 18 and over, interviewed between late October and early November 2025 across Switzerland.

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Translated from French, reviewed by an English Department journalist.