An essential prerequisite for the founding of the Grand Lodge Alpina of Switzerland in 1844 by the founding lodges was that the lodges were able to retain their rituals, i.e. the freedom of ritual, which is still unusual internationally today.

There are no district grand lodges in Switzerland and each lodge conducts its ritual in the language that suits it. Nationality plays no role in lodge membership, the only requirement is that the member must live or work in Switzerland.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

‘The Magic Flute’ contains numerous symbols and themes based on Freemasonry. The figures of Sarastro and his priests symbolise wisdom, humanity and enlightenment, while the Queen of the Night stands for darkness and superstition. Tamino, the hero of the opera, has to pass trials by fire and water, which symbolises his inner maturing process and the search for truth. The music also reflects this symbolism, for example through the recurring motif of the number three and the rhythmic hammering in the overture, which is reminiscent of manual labour.
Sarastro's aria ‘In diesen heilgen Hallen kennt man die Rache nicht’ is well-known as the quintessence and moral guide for all temple work in Masonic lodges.

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.

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.

'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.

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’.

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.

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.

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.

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 first paper dollar banknotes were put into circulation in 1861/1862 to finance the Civil War. On the reverse side, the front and back of the Great Seal of the United States are depicted, which was designed in 1782 by the US writer Charles Thomson, who was not a Freemason. Some conspiracy theorists believe they can recognise signs of the Freemasons, the Order of the Illuminati or other supranational powers in the symbols of the seal.

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.

The Illuminati (lat. illuminati - ‘the enlightened ones’) were a short-lived order founded by Adam Weishaupt in Ingolstadt in 1776. Their aim was to create a society through enlightenment and moral perfection in which the rule of man over man would become superfluous. The order only existed until 1785, when it was banned in the Electorate of Bavaria.

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.

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.

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.