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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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’.

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.

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’.

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.

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

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.

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, 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.

John Wayne was a member of Marion McDaniel Lodge No 56, in Tucson, Arizona.

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.

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.

Since the office was founded in 1789, 45 people have held the office of US President. Of these, 15 are known to have been Freemasons, beginning with George Washington as the first president. The last undisputed Freemason among them was Gerald Ford. Ronald Reagan received an honorary membership in 1988, and Joe Biden was proclaimed a ‘Mason at Sight’ by the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of South Carolina in 2025, although it is disputed whether he actually accepted the membership.

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.

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.

The Roman Catholic Church prohibits its faithful from becoming members of Freemasonry, as it considers its principles to be incompatible with church doctrine. The 1983 declaration of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith emphasises that Catholics who become Freemasons are living in a state of grave sin and are not admitted to Holy Communion. The main reproach lies in the Masonic world view, which is regarded as relativistic and contradicts the exclusive truth of the Church.

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.