In Freemasonry, the rough stone (ashlar) symbolises a person's imperfect, natural personality, which is to be refined through work on oneself. Just as a stone is hewn and smoothed to fit into a building, the Freemason should mould and improve his character traits. This symbolic process stands for personal development, ethical education and the constant search for (self-)realisation and perfection.

Freemasonry is banned in many totalitarian states because it advocates individual freedom, humanity and freedom of expression - values that authoritarian regimes often see as a threat. As Masonic lodges are independent and do not accept state influence, they are seen as potential opposition groups in dictatorships. In addition, totalitarian regimes mistrust the discretion and international connections of Freemasonry, which is why they often categorise it as subversive or anti-state.

As early as the 18th century, women were accepted into so-called adoption lodges with a Masonic initiation ritual, especially in aristocratic circles. With the French Revolution and the idea of equality, mixed lodges also emerged in which women were ritually accepted into men's lodges. Since then, there have been both women-only lodges and mixed lodges worldwide alongside the traditional men's lodges.

After a pilot phase in 2017 that was only open to freemasons, the then Mayor of Bern, Alec von Graffenried, officially opened the Masonic Museum Switzerland to the general public on 3 November 2018.

On 24 June 1717, four lodges met for the first time in the tavern ‘Goose and Gridiron’ in the parish of St. Paul in London to found the ‘Grand Lodge of London and Westminster’.

Freemasonry consists of various obediences (grand lodges) that are organised independently of each other and maintain different rituals and traditions. Some emphasise spiritual and philosophical aspects, while others are more socially committed. There are also all-male, all-female and mixed obediences, which differ in their structure and orientation, but all share the fundamental principle of masonic work on themselves and society.

In Freemasonry, light symbolises knowledge, truth and spiritual enlightenment. A newly initiated brother is referred to as a seeker of light, as he symbolically steps out of the darkness of ignorance into the light of knowledge. The ritual initiation into the light marks the beginning of his Masonic path, on which he works on himself through knowledge, ethical endeavour and self-reflection. This motif of enlightenment runs through the whole of Freemasonry and is reflected in its rituals, symbols and teachings.

Freemasonry is traditionally divided into three degrees: Apprentice, Fellow Craft and Master. The Apprentice degree represents the beginning of the Masonic journey and the work on oneself, while the Fellow Craft degree symbolises further development and the pursuit of knowledge. The Master degree symbolises the completion of basic Masonic training.

The motto ‘Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité’ (Liberty, Equality, Fraternity) became a central motto during the French Revolution and is still the national motto of France today. It reflects ideals that are also important in Freemasonry, as it advocates personal freedom, social equality and fraternal solidarity. Many revolutionaries, including the Marquis de Lafayette and Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, were Freemasons, but the movement itself was not driven by Freemasonry. Rather, both shared ideas of enlightenment and progress.

The ‘Grand Lodge Alpina of Switzerland’ was founded in 1844 by 15 Swiss lodges as their umbrella organisation and is one of the few national grand lodges to have its own name.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), English physicist, writer and detective storyteller who invented the character of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson, was a member of Phoenix Lodge No. 257 in Portsmouth.

Masonic values are universal and based on the principles of the Enlightenment, which is why they appeal to different political spectrums. Liberty, equality and fraternity appeal to liberal and social movements, while tolerance and humanity also play a role in conservative and Christian ideologies. As Freemasonry is not a political party, but conveys ethical principles, its values can be taken up and interpreted by different political movements.

Masonic lodges are organised as associations and are subject to the respective national association laws. They are mainly financed by membership fees, which are used to cover running costs such as rent or administration. In addition, they can be supported by donations or legacies, which are often used for charitable purposes or the preservation of lodge buildings. A central component of every meeting is also the collection for charitable purposes, which is used to support charitable projects and aid organisations.

Even though the essence of Freemasonry is discussed in the conversations in Thomas Mann's ‘The Magic Mountain’, Mann himself was not a Freemason.

Carl von Ossietzky was a member of the Hamburg lodge ‘Menschentum’, Lessing of the Hamburg lodge ‘Zu den drei Rosen’ and Tucholsky of the Berlin lodge ‘Zur Morgenröte’.

There is no historical evidence that Napoleon Bonaparte himself was a Freemason. However, he had close ties to Freemasonry, and his father and several of his brothers were members. During his reign, he promoted Freemasonry in Europe by bringing it out of secrecy and uniting the French lodges under the Grand Orient de France.

The Masonic secret does not lie in hidden knowledge, but in the personal experience of the initiation ritual, which each brother experiences and interprets individually. Through symbols, rituals and inner reflection, a profound realisation emerges that cannot be fully grasped in words and can only be understood through personal experience. This ‘secret’ is therefore not something that can be passed on, but something that each Freemason discovers for himself.

Ballotage (from the French ballotte: small ball, or ballot: ballot ball) is a secret ballot with white and black balls on the admission or non-admission of someone to a society: white means approval, black rejection.

Ballotage, which is still common in Freemasonry today, was introduced in the early Middle Ages by the Benedictines for the election of abbots.

Even though the foundation of the Nobel Prize has certain parallels with Masonic ideals, Alfred Nobel (1833-1896) was not himself a member of a lodge. Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923) was a member of a lodge of the Grand Orient de France, Theodor Tobler (1876-1941) was a member of the Bernese lodge ‘Zur Hoffnung’ and André Citroën (1878-1935) of the lodge ‘La Philosophie positive’ of the Grand Orient de France.

The idea of a united Europe is not new and was taken up by thinkers and Freemasons such as William Penn, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Victor Hugo, Giuseppe Mazzini and Giuseppe Garibaldi.

After the Second World War, it gained new significance, based on human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Pioneers such as the Freemason Winston Churchill, Konrad Adenauer, Robert Schuman, Paul-Henri Spaak, Alcide de Gasperi and Ernest Bevin drove European integration forward, for example with the founding of the Council of Europe in 1949 and the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1957.

Jonas Furrer was the first Federal President of modern Switzerland from 1848 and the first Grand Orator in the Directorate of the Grand Loge Alpina of Switzerland, which was founded in 1844. Hottinger was the first Grand Master, Druey was a Freemason, but not a member of the Directorate of the Grand Lodge, and Munzinger was not a Freemason.

The following seven Federal Councillors were Freemasons:

• Jonas Furrer (‘Akazia’, Winterthur) from 1848
• Henri Druey (‘Espérance et Cordialité’, Lausanne) from 1848
• Eugène Borel (‘La Bonne Harmonie’, Neuchâtel) from 1875
• Louis Ruchonnet (‘Liberté’, Lausanne) from 1893
• Emil Frey (‘Zur Freundschaft und Beständigkeit’, Basel) from 1897
• Marc Ruchet (‘Liberté’, Lausanne) from 1899
• Adrien Lachenal (‘Fidélité et Prudence’, Geneva) from 1899

In ‘War and Peace’, Leo Tolstoy describes Russian Freemasonry at the time of the Napoleonic Wars and links it to his protagonist Pierre Bezukhov's search for meaning. During a journey, Pierre meets the Freemason Osip Alexeyevich Basdyev, who familiarises him with the ideas of the society.

Tolstoy gives a particularly impressive account of Pierre's ceremonial initiation into the lodge, which is associated with symbolic trials and profound conversations about truth and knowledge. This passage reflects Tolstoy's interest in philosophical and spiritual questions and shows Freemasonry as a path of inner development.

The first Asian Masonic Lodge was founded in Calcutta, India, in 1729. Captain Ralph Farrwinter, an officer of the East India Company, was appointed Provincial Grand Master for the East Indies and granted the patent for the first Indian lodge ‘East India Arms, No. 72’, based in Fort William, Calcutta. This marked the beginning of the long Masonic tradition on the Asian continent.

The Capitol in Washington, D.C. was originally designed by William Thornton, built by Benjamin Latrobe and later completed by Thomas Walter, all three Freemasons. The cornerstone of the Capitol in Washington, D.C. was laid by President George Washington in 1793 according to the Masonic rite. The Marquis de La Fayette ceremonially presented him with the Masonic apron made for him by the Grand Lodge of Maryland.