The city that gave birth to the International Red Cross is home to a museum dedicated to its work and humanitarian issues.
Devote a few hours to exploring the International Museum of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. Through interactive displays and installations learn about global humanitarian action and come face to face with people affected by conflicts.
The museum’s permanent exhibition The Humanitarian Adventure is organised into three areas that explore major challenges facing the world today. Go to the Chamber of Witnesses, where you will see life-size projections of people who have experienced war and natural disasters. Touch your palm on theirs to hear their stories. In Defending Human Dignity, observe the massive foot trampling on images of people affected by disasters. This exhibition space also contains the original document of the Geneva Convention of 1864. These are the rules that govern humanitarian treatment during times of war.
Watch the three optical theatres to discover how simple measures can prevent or alleviate the effects of natural disasters. Experience what it’s like to make key decisions during times of floods and earthquakes when you play the interactive game. It stimulates the difficulties of coping with natural disasters.
In Restoring Family Links walk through a room of hanging chains to get to the shelves lined with prisoners of war files from World War I.
To keep up to date with current Red Cross operations, go to the On the Spot exhibit. Find out where in the world they are working by looking at the large moving globe. The screens below it provide lots of information about the humanitarian movement’s activities.
The International Museum of the Red Cross and Red Crescent is approximately 2 miles (3 kilometres) from the city centre. There is limited parking in the area, but many visitors come by bus from Geneva’s main train station.
The museum is open every day except Mondays and some major holidays. Admission charges apply, with reductions for children and families. On the first Saturday of every month you can pay what you wish to enter the museum. Temporary exhibitions can sometimes attract a supplementary charge.
