120 years of design, society and politics

1) The Museum of Swiss Bicycle License Plates thanks …

When the vague idea of a Museum of bicycle license plates emerged in 2010, no one could have imagined the dimensions this project would take on in the following 15 years. Without the years of active support of the staff of countless institutions and dozens of private individuals in Switzerland and abroad, the Museum of Swiss Bicycle License Plates would not exist in its current form. In September 2025, we introduced the “Podcasts” section. It covers 120 years of design, society, and politics. But we want to use this first podcast to audibly thank at least some of these important people. Thanks also to the many other people who have supported us in one way or another and who are not mentioned by name here.

2) The Bicycle License Plate: A Swiss Cultural Asset

How does the bicycle license plate claim to be a “Swiss cultural asset”? What defines it as the most Swiss of all prescribed everyday objects? What does the honor from the Pro Patria Foundation mean? What relevance do historians and the Swiss National Library attach to the bicycle number?

3) Swiss Bicycle License Plate Design: Diversity unique worldwide

Why is the development of Swiss design unique worldwide? What role does federalism play in this? What are the two major eras? What are the milestones of this 120-year development? Which materials, shapes, dimensions, colors, techniques and graphic elements were used? Who were the trendsetters for Swiss design standards? How have society and politics influenced design?

4) Why a Museum of Swiss Bicycle License Plates?

How did the Museum of Swiss Bicycle License Plates come about? How does it define its mission and how does it strive to fulfill it? How does it continuously expand its collection? What does the museum offer its visitors? What is its relationship to the Swiss Museum of Transport and the Pro Patria Foundation? Why did the museum give away the most valuable part of its collection? What official significance does the museum have?

The events surrounding bicycle license plates reflect the true history of Switzerland!

5) Wikipedia: Poor Article “Bicycle License Plates (Switzerland)”

What are the weaknesses of Wikipedia’s brilliant achievement? How does this spiral of information errors arise? What is the «pleasure principle»? Why is Wikipedia’s requirement for citation so widely ignored? What fundamental role do first-class sources play in research? What important events are missing from the article? What are the results of contacting Wikipedia authors? What are the specific errors and inaccuracies in the Wikipedia article “Bicycle license plates (Switzerland),” in the “History” chapter?

The “pleasure principle”: There are plenty of sources. However, you have to have the “pleasure” to seek them out. 😉

6) 2023-2025: Does Switzerland need a Bicycle Tax?

Did you know that cyclists in some Swiss cantons had to pay a luxury tax more than 100 years ago? Why are there now proposals at the cantonal and federal levels to introduce a bicycle tax? What are the arguments for and against? Which cantons have already passed resolutions on this? What is the position of the bicycle associations? What efforts are underway beyond 2025? And what does all this have to do with bicycle license plates?

7) 1817-1891: The Backstory of Swiss Bicycle License Plates

What were the first vehicle license plates in the world? What role did the bicycle play in its early days? What social, technological, and political developments paved the way for the invention of the first bicycle plates? What cycling regulations were already introduced in the 19th century?

8) 1869-1883: The World’s first Bicycle Clubs

Where and when was the world’s first bicycle club founded? What were the bicycles ridden back then like? What were the goals of these early bicycle clubs? What kind of people joined together to form a bicycle club? What was their club life like? To what extent did these clubs have anything to do with the introduction of the first bicycle license plates? When were the first bicycle clubs founded in Switzerland?

9) 1869-1876 Munich: The World’s first Bicycle License Plates

How were the world’s first bicycle license plates discovered? What role did King Ludwig II play in this? Which 16 people were honored with the world’s first bicycle license plates? What did the special night-time license plates look like? What are the consequences for the history in Switzerland? By what coincidences, how, where and by whom were the original documents relating to this historic event discovered?

10) 1883-1960: Influence of Cycling Clubs and Associations

When was the first cyclists’ association founded in Switzerland? Which were the most important associations? Did you know that the Touring Club of Switzerland (TCS) was founded by cyclists? Why did cyclists’ associations prevent the first bicycle numbers in Switzerland in Fribourg in 1893 and then propose them in Zurich? Did you know that cyclists’ associations were the first lobbyists for national traffic law, before automobile associations? How did the associations overturn the first Swiss traffic law? What profound and long-lasting effects did their success have across Switzerland? What influence did the associations have on the introduction of liability insurance? How did cyclists’ associations settle a 27-year dispute between the federal government and the cantons?

11) History of Switzerland from 1892 to 1894

This podcast summarizes the most important circumstances of the years 1892 to 1894 surrounding bicycle license plates. Following the small object through society, these events become a real history of Switzerland.

In fact, they are the common thread of a 120-year-long, unexpectedly eventful and emotional journey that leads us through the technical, social, political, economic, cultural and design developments surrounding the bicycle, as well as through the extremely interesting and equally astonishing mechanisms of Swiss federalism. Time and again, authorities, parliaments, courts, the army’s general staff, and even the Federal Council have had to deal with bicycle license plates.

12) 1869-1904 Density Stress: People enforce Bicycle Plates in Cities

How did density stress arise at the end of the 19th century in Switzerland? What impact did the newly emerging bicycles have on urban traffic? How did city dwellers experience the situation with these new machines? How did cyclists gain a bad reputation? Were cyclists perpetrators or victims? How were the authorities put under pressure? What attempts were made to solve the problem?

13) 1869-1893: Canton imposes a license plate ban on city of Fribourg!

How did the very first bicycle regulations in Switzerland come about in the city of Fribourg in 1869? Why were these regulations expanded 1893 to include mandatory bicycle license plates? How did the interventions of cycling clubs and the canton prevent what were possibly the first bicycle license plates in Switzerland? What is the government council’s justification for the ban on license plates? How can this entire process be fully traced and documented? By what circuitous route were bicycle license plates eventually introduced in the city of Fribourg?

14) 1892: The Lucerne Myth is debunked!

Why is the question “who invented it” so important in Switzerland? How did this myth arise and persist for so long? How was it finally clarified? When did Lucerne finally introduce bicycle plates? Where were the first bicycle plates in Switzerland actually issued?

15) 1872-1894 Canton of Basel-City: The Bicycle Plate Odyssey

What’s the big bang in the Swiss bicycle license plate universe? How did the idea for the Swiss license plate for bicycles come about? What is the demand for the cycling associations’ petition? How does the long process of consultation between government and parliament work? When will the first bicycle license plate be issued? Who will receive the number “1”?

16) 1893: City of Zurich introduces Switzerland’s first Bicycle Plates

How did the idea for the Swiss license plate for bicycles come about? Why do the citizens of Zurich demand bicycle license plates? Why do cycling clubs propose introducing them? How does the city council react? Why are there delays in issuing them? Why is the city of Zurich no longer allowed to issue license plates since 1902?

17) 1887-1898: Geneva introduces the first cantonal Bicycle Plates

How did the idea for the Swiss license plate for bicycles originate? Why did the government impose a bicycle ban in downtown Geneva in 1887? What was the process behind the ordinance and the issuance of the first cantonal bicycle license plates? Why did women receive special mention in the press in this context? What was new about the Genevan method of mounting bicycle license plates? Why did bicycle license plates have to be exchanged as early as 1898?

18) 1893-1914: Importance of Cities in the Introduction of Plates

Why were these cities off our radar for so long during our research? Why did Swiss cities introduce bicycle license plates before the cantons? What was the role of large cities like Bern, St. Gallen, and Zurich? Why were there no municipal signs in Geneva, Basel, and Lucerne? When did cities and municipalities like Lausanne, Winterthur, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Biel, Schaffhausen, Lugano, Burgdorf, and St. Moritz introduce their own bicycle license plates? How long did these municipal bicycle license plates last?

19) 1893: Federal Council decides on Seizure of Army Bicycles

Why did unpaid bills from cyclist Corporal Robert Manni lead to a Federal Council decision in 1893? How did the bicycle become seized? How did the army intervene? What happened after “Les Fils de Peugeot Frères” appealed the lifting of the seizure? What did the Federal Council base its final decision on?

20) History of Switzerland from 1895 to 1900

This podcast summarizes the most important circumstances of the years 1895 to 1900 surrounding bicycle license plates. Following the small object through society, these events become a real history of Switzerland.

In fact, they are the common thread of a 120-year-long, unexpectedly eventful and emotional journey that leads us through the technical, social, political, economic, cultural and design developments surrounding the bicycle, as well as through the extremely interesting and equally astonishing mechanisms of Swiss federalism. Time and again, authorities, parliaments, courts, the army’s general staff, and even the Federal Council have had to deal with bicycle license plates.

21) 1893-1903: Introduction of Luxury Taxes on Bicycles!

What is the difference between bicycle fees and the luxury tax? What is the connection between luxury taxes and bicycle license plates? How did the idea for this unusual tax originate? Where were luxury taxes first introduced? Why is the military intervening against the luxury tax?

22) 1893-1904: Turbulence and Scandals in Geneva

Why is Geneva the first canton with its own bicycle license plates? In what context are women mentioned? Why do these plates need to be replaced soon? How did the scandal surrounding the canton’s coat of arms come about? Why does the bicycle plate deposit cause confusion?