ETH Zurich and EPFL Lausanne

4 July 2024

The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, ETH Zürich, or ETHZ) has been in existence since 1855.

It was founded as a polytechnic institute (Eidgenössische Polytechnische Schule) in 1855 with five departments: architecture, civil and mechanical engineering, chemistry, forestry, and mining.

ETH Zurich (not to be confused with the cantonal University of Zurich) currently comprises sixteen departments, some of which are among the world’s most prestigious institutions.

L’École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). Foto: L’École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)

The École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) is the successor to the institute, which was founded in 1853. The university received its present-day name and status in 1969.

These two institutions would not have enabled the country’s rapid industrialisation, permanent innovation, and the development of railways, road networks, tunnels, and bridges over the past one and a half centuries.