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.

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.

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 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

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.

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.

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’.

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

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.

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 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.

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.

The charitable commitment of Freemasons is reflected in regular donations and support for charitable causes, which are collected at lodge meetings. Many lodges support social projects, educational initiatives or charitable organisations at local, regional and international level. The focus here is on helping quietly, without public self-promotion or missionary intentions.

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.

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’.

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

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

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 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.

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