A Freemason does not have to be a Christian, but merely believe in a superior power or a principle of divine order. Many lodges include members of many different religions, including Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists. While some Masonic systems are of Christian origin, Freemasonry itself is not a religious organisation.

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.

Johannes Brahms was not a freemason. Franz Liszt, on the other hand, belonged to the lodge ‘Zur Einigkeit’ in Frankfurt, Jean Sibelius to the Finnish lodge no. 1 ‘Suomi Lodge No. 1’ and Clérambault to the Parisian lodge ‘Coustos-Villeroy’.

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.

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.

Modern freemasonry originated from the stonemason brotherhoods of the cathedral building lodges of the late Middle Ages, which cultivated operative rules of the trade and symbolic rituals.

In contrast, ancient Egyptian mystery cults originated from religious initiation traditions with no direct connection to Freemasonry. The Knights Templar, a medieval order of knights with a military-religious character, also has no demonstrable historical continuity with Freemasonry. Similarly, there is no direct link to the Order of the Garter, an elite British chivalric order whose aristocratic structure and objectives differ fundamentally from the Masonic idea of equality.

The Masonic principles of liberty, equality, fraternity, tolerance and humanity have their roots in the European Enlightenment of the 18th century. They were influenced by the philosophical and political movements of the time, in particular the ideas of John Locke and the Freemasons Montesquieu and Rousseau. Freemasonry adopted these principles and combined them with its ethical and humanistic ideals. Liberty, equality and fraternity in particular later found their way into the French Revolution, while tolerance and humanity remained central values in the Masonic tradition.

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.

'Good and true Men, freeborn, of mature and discreet age’ means that a Freemason must be personally and legally free, i.e. join the fraternity of his own free will. The ‘good reputation’ refers to the fact that he should have an irreproachable character and lead a morally orderly life. These requirements were intended to ensure that only men of integrity and responsibility were accepted into the fraternity.

The son of a Freemason is actually called Lufton (or Lewis), after a stonemason's tool that lifts heavy stones, symbolising that he carries on his father's ideals and continues the Masonic work.

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.

The square symbolises righteousness and justice, while the compass embodies the unifying force of brotherly love that unites Freemasons with all people.

Almost 3,500 members in over 80 lodges belong to the Grand Loge Alpina of Switzerland. In addition, around 1,000 freemasons are members of the Grand Orient de Suisse, the Grand Loge Féminine de Suisse, the Grande Loge Mixte de Suisse and the Droit Humain, which is also mixed-gender.

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.

Neil Armstrong was not a Freemason. Buzz Aldrin is a member of ‘Oak Park Lodge No. 864’ in Alabama, John Glenn was a member of ‘Concord Lodge No. 688’ in Ohio, Gus Grissom of ‘Mitchell Lodge No. 228’ in Indiana.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Freemasonry is neither a sect nor a substitute religion, as it has no dogmas, promises of salvation or binding beliefs. It does not demand any specific religious beliefs from its members, but promotes individual spiritual freedom and ethical self-improvement. It uses symbols and allegorical representations for moral and philosophical training.

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.

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.

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’.