permanent Exhibition The political
mountain

With the emergence of nation states in the second half of the 19th century, mountains were ideologized and politicized.

Suddenly, political borders were drawn through mountains, summits, and pass regions. Mountains became symbols, creating a sense of national identity. Mountains were considered a symbol of strength, of the triumphant man, of conquerers. Political movements turned into surrogate religions and claimed the “holy” mountain for their own purposes.

Conflicts and disputes arose over mountains; absurd wars were waged in the mountains, flags were raised, summits claimed. The powerful enjoyed basking in the majestic radiance of the mountains, and they still do …