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.

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’.

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.

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.

'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.

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’.

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.

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 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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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 ‘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.