Transport Museum opens exhibition on Swiss Rhine ports

With around 300 guests from business and politics, the Swiss Museum of Transport today opened the new exhibition „Rheinhäfen – our gateway to the world.“ The event was moderated by Nik Hartmann, while Guggenmusiken from Basel and Lucerne provided musical accompaniment.

Economic Importance of the Rhine Ports

The exhibition highlights the central role of the Swiss Rhine Ports (SRH) for Switzerland’s supply security. Large quantities of grain, mineral oil products, and containers enter the country via the Rhine. As Europe’s most important waterway, the Rhine directly connects Switzerland with international trade routes. Inland shipping transports goods efficiently, relieving roads and railways. Particularly noteworthy is the combined freight transport, where goods are transferred between ship, truck, and train. Today, the SRH serve as a central transport hub for Switzerland in the international freight corridor between Rotterdam and Genoa. In addition to cargo ships, tourist passenger vessels also operate on the Rhine, with the ports in Basel often serving as starting and ending points for many river cruises.

Statements at the Opening

Kaspar Sutter, member of the government of the Canton of Basel-Stadt, emphasized the importance of the Basel Rhine Ports at the opening: „The Basel Rhine Ports give our landlocked country direct access to the sea and connect Switzerland with the world. They play a central role in supplying our country. I am very pleased that we can present ourselves as a modern and interactive port city of Basel within the framework of the new exhibition, highlighting the national significance of shipping.“

Martin Ettlinger, director of the Swiss Museum of Transport, added: „Everyone knows that Switzerland is a landlocked country, but hardly anyone thinks about how goods still reliably enter the country. The exhibition provides answers to this question and makes you want to experience the world of Rhine shipping for yourself.“

Interactive Experiences for Visitors

The exhibition at the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne invites visitors to discover the infrastructure and the people behind Rhine shipping. It offers a variety of exhibits, including a walk-in passenger cabin, a modern wheelhouse, simulators, and interactive stations. Video portraits provide insights into the daily life of Rhine shipping. Interested visitors also have the opportunity to throw a rope around a bollard or steer a ship through Basel. The exhibition „Rheinhäfen – our gateway to the world“ is now accessible to all visitors in the Shipping, Cable Cars, and Tourism Hall.

www.verkehrshaus.ch