Unternavigation

Customs Museum

The Swiss Customs Museum presents the tasks performed by Customs and explains the different functions of the Swiss border as they are today and as they were in the past.

Welcome

Dear friends of the Customs Museum

Following the winter break, the Customs Museum is beginning the new museum season with renewed vigour. Over the past few months, the museum has been revamped with a number of new features.

We are delighted to present our new photo exhibition on migration, and to welcome you to the museum on the beautiful shores of Lake Lugano from Easter Sunday, 31 March 2024. The exhibition is part of the celebrations to mark the 30th anniversary of IOM Switzerland.

Your Customs Museum Team

Flyer Migration IOM (PDF, 783 kB, 09.04.2024)

RSI «Il Quotidiano 28.03.2024»

International Organization for Migration Switzerland

Start of season: Easter Sunday, 31 March 2024
End of season: Sunday 20 October 2024

Currently in the Customs Museum

In focus: Migration – a photo exhibition by Darrin Zammit Lupi

To mark the 30th anniversary of the International Organization for Migration, IOM Switzerland, the Customs Museum in Cantine di Gandria is presenting a fascinating photo exhibition on migration.

Im rechten Teil des Bildes steht mit weissen Buchstaben auf schwarzem Grund der Titel der , sowie einen Hinweis auf den Inhalt der Ausstellung. Es handelt sich dabei um das Thema «Schmuggel und Flüchtlinge zwischen Italien und der Schweiz im zweiten Weltkrieg». Im Linken Teil des Bildes sieht man zwei Männer, die hintereinander durch ein Dickicht gehen. Der Hintere trägt dabei einen Leinensack über der rechten Schulter

100 years of the Switzerland Liechtenstein customs treaty

The Liechtenstein NationalMuseum in Vaduz and the Swiss Customs Museum in Gandria are celebrating the 100th anniversary with a joint exhibition.

Reconstruction of the pint-sized submarine of Ceresio

In November 1948, just offshore from Porto Ceresio (Italy) in Lake Lugano, Italian border guards discovered a rudimentary submarine made of timber encased in metal. The pint-sized submarine of Ceresio was 3m long and could carry 450kg –and was propelled using pedal power!

A border between poverty and persecution

The border with Italy was by far the area which saw the most intense levels of smuggling.

Lebensgrosse Puppe trägt alte GWK-Uniform

Permanent Exhibition: a 1,935 km border in a museum

Over 2.2 Million people and around 1.1 Million vehicles and 24,000 lorries cross the Swiss border every day. What is the work of Customs? And what were things like when the Swiss border was first set up?