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.

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’.

To become a Freemason, you have to register with a lodge or grand lodge independently, as Freemasonry does not actively recruit members. Motivation and personal suitability in relation to Masonic values are assessed in an examination procedure involving several interviews. Neither inheritance nor family connections or financial means are decisive for admission - only the personality and inner attitude of the candidate are decisive.

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.

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.

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.

Freemasonry is considered a secretive society because it does not publicise the personal experiences and exchanges between members or its rituals and symbols. This discretion serves to protect individual development and the free expression of opinions within the lodge. At the same time, its values and goals are open to public scrutiny, which is why it is not a secret society but a discreet community.

The Grand Master and the Directorate are elected every four years by the Assembly of Delegates of all Swiss lodges.

Freemasonry is an ethical organisation dedicated to personal development and humanitarian values. Its structures are decentralised, and each grand lodge acts independently without a superordinate global leadership. In addition, its principles are open to public scrutiny and its members come from a wide range of social backgrounds, which would make the idea of a centrally controlled power structure contradictory

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

The Temple of Solomon is the educational image of the Freemasons. The Freemasons are building a temple that is still unfinished. It is the temple of humanity, symbolising a world in which people live together peacefully in a spirit of tolerance, in all the diversity of their cultures and world views.

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.

As a memento mori, the skull in Freemasonry symbolises the transience of human life and reminds the brothers that their existence is finite. As Freemasonry is not a religion and makes no promises of the afterlife, Freemasons are encouraged to work in the here and now. This symbolism is intended to encourage him to lead a conscious, virtuous life and to place wisdom and humanity above material transience.

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.

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’.

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.

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 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.

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.

Even though many famous composers such as Mozart, Clérambault or Sibelius composed Masonic music or music for their lodges, and these are also regularly played in the lodges, there is no actual Masonic hymn.