Technical images
The technical images, as they are known, taken from the 1880s onwards are the oldest sub-collection in swisstopo’s image collection. It includes about 40,000 photographic objects. The photos predominantly show points in the national triangulation network. This sub-collection also documents how people used to work. It thus tells the story of the adventurous life of national topographers.

Technical images are a particular sub-collection of swisstopo’s image collection and are of great documentary value. The oldest photos date back to the 1880s. The focus on fields has varied over the decades. At the beginning, the collection mainly contained photographic documentation of points in the national triangulation network, especially church towers. Besides site and landscape photos, the collection also includes documentation of the working methods of the surveyors and topographers of the time, with their measurement instruments and tools for creating maps. The collection includes portraits of all staff members of the Federal Office of Topography since approx. 1920, as well as high-ranking personnel from approx. 1870.
Importance of the collection for the history of photography
The technical images collection impressively documents how the photographic medium was already used by the Federal Office of Topography at the end of the 19th century for documentation purposes and, shortly afterwards, for reproduction purposes too. This was a good 30 years before photography found what is still its primary use today at the Federal Office of Topography: photographic images of the landscape in the form of mapping photographs used as a basis for the process of topographic measurement.
The sub-collection is thus closely connected to other important historical documents pertaining to Switzerland, so-called “Helvetica”, since it documents the activities of a national institution that goes beyond the actual product in the form of numerous maps, mapping photographs and other basics. The way in which Switzerland was measured and mapped can be seen in these photographs.The photos in this collection show its staff, their instruments and their activities. They are a unique combination of impressive landscape and architectural images with photos of people working in the environment of their day, which in part no longer exists today. This means that this collection is extremely interesting in terms of the history of technology, besides its importance for the history of photography.
swisstopo's historical images on Memobase
The first set of 2,800 images has now been released on Memobase, and high-resolution digital copies are available free-of-charge. The images may be used outside of Memobase, but must credit the “swisstopo image collection”. The “Focus on space” online gallery provides an overview of the collection, and introduces select topics and objects to discover in the technical images. Memobase is the national research and access portal operated by Memoriav, the centre of expertise on Switzerland’s audiovisual heritage. Memoriav comprises a network of institutions and specialists with a commitment to preserving Switzerland’s audiovisual heritage and making it accessible.
Technical images on Memobase (in German)P.O. Box
3084 Wabern
- Tel.
- +41 58 469 01 11
Relevant authority
Infodesk history