The Four Centuries-Old Reading Societies of Switzerland
10 November 2025
In many major European cities, from the 18th century to the early 19th century, reading societies were prevalent. Remarkably, Switzerland remains the only country to host this type of organisation in its four principal cities: Basel, Geneva, Lausanne, and Zurich.
For over two centuries, members have been able to read or borrow a large number of national and foreign newspapers and magazines, literary works, scientific publications, maps, dictionaries, and various other writings, all gathered in spacious reading rooms.
Salon in la Société de lecture de Genève
Moreover, these organisations originally also had a social function as meeting centres, with billiard rooms, a bar, and more. Today, this social role is fulfilled by a varied program of literary, musical, and cultural events.
Until the end of the 19th century, membership was reserved exclusively for men. Afterwards, the process of emancipation accelerated, and today, women and men participate equally in the life of the reading societies.
Le Cercle de littérature de Lausanne
Until the First World War (1914-1918), members were mainly from the bourgeoisie, just like the founders. After 1918, and especially after 1945, this distinction largely disappeared.
Smoke-filled rooms (from cigars) are as much a thing of the past as “men-only clubs,” but what still characterises these reading societies after more than two centuries is their quality, continuity, good management, and their ability to innovate and adapt to social changes.
In this respect, they also symbolise Switzerland in a certain way. Below you will find a brief chronological overview (by year of foundation) of the country’s four reading societies (the Allgemeine Lesegesellschaft Basel, the Société de lecture de Genève, the Cercle de littérature de Lausanne, and the Verein Museumsgesellschaft in Zürich).
The Allgemeine Lesegesellschaft Basel
The Allgemeine Lesegesellschaft in Basel
Basel is not only renowned for its prestigious university, founded in 1460 (the first in the country), or its public art collection, established in 1671 and considered one of the world’s foremost museums. It is also the birthplace of Switzerland’s first reading Society, the Allgemeine Lesegesellschaft, founded in 1787 by a group of enlightened notables.
It was the age of the Enlightenment, marked by salons, societies, and the works of Voltaire, Rousseau, and Diderot, as well as the rise of the ‘cultured bourgeoisie’. Although the aristocracy did not play a significant political role in Switzerland, the wealthy upper class was mainly oriented towards French culture (and language).
In Basel, near the French border, it was no different. With its prestigious university and dynamic economic elite, the city had all the ingredients necessary for the founding of a reading society: a cultured public and the resources to bring the initiative to fruition. From its inception, the reading society’s building was located on Münsterplatz.
Reinacherhof 18
Until 1832, the Reinacherhof housed the library and reading rooms. At that time, the reading society was also a ‘Casino-Gesellschaft’ with a social function and a meeting place. However, in 1826, Basel constructed a Stadt-Casino for concerts, and in 1831, a Stadttheater was built. These institutions increasingly assumed the social role of the Casino-Gesellschaft.
In 1830, an opportunity arose to respond to the changing Society. That year, the building at Münsterplatz 8, which remains the current location of the reading society, was up for sale.
The building is not only situated on the banks of the Rhine, but also adjacent to the Münster and its Romanesque Gallus Gate. Until the Reformation (1529), it belonged to the canons. After that, it served as a warehouse for a long time.
The reading society tackled the project with enthusiasm, appointing a building committee, and the first renovation work began as early as 1830. Perhaps the prestigious buildings of the reading societies founded in Geneva (1818) and Lausanne (1819) provided additional motivation. These cities were the capitals of the new cantons of Geneva and Vaud, and (unacknowledged) competition between the cantons served as a catalyst.
The coffeeroom
In any case, it was during this period that the Neo-Gothic decorative style took shape, integrated into a classical architectural design. Two figures in particular left their mark on the renovation: Johan Huber (1767–1832) and Marquard Wocher (1760–1830), best known for the Thun Panorama, but who also left his neo-Gothic mark on Basel.
This building is one of the first neo-Gothic buildings in Switzerland. The inspiration for this neo-Gothic style is also linked to the proximity of the Gothic cathedral. Even the colour matches the cathedral.
The Gothic bay window (1528) in the large reading room
After the festive inauguration of the new building on 26 October 1832, various adaptations, renovations and modifications were still necessary. However, the character remained unchanged. Many authentic details have been carefully preserved, some dating back to the time of the canons.
The small reading room
The main reading room
Initially, the Lesegesellschaft was exclusively reserved for men; it was not until 1901 that women were admitted as full members. Today, the reading society has around 1,300 members, who can not only use the library, café, and reading rooms but also regularly attend lectures, literary readings, and other cultural events.
The owl, symbol of the goddess of wisdom Athena – and therefore also of the reading club – is stamped on the cover of every book.
For the second time, the Lesegesellschaft is also organising an open night with accommodation for children (Kindernacht am Münsterplatz) on 21 November. Because for this nearly 240-year-old organisation, young people are the future.
The library has around 80,000 publications and plenty of seating with a view
(Source and further information: Allgemeine Lesegesellschaft Basel; Doris Huggel, Haus der Allgemeinen Lesegesellschaft in Basel, Bern, 1996)
La Société de lecture de Genève
The Société de Lecture de Genève
Geneva had been established for centuries as a city of merchants, industrialists (including watchmakers), theologians, lawyers, writers, scientists, and publishers when the Geneva Reading Society was founded in 1818. From 1536 onwards, the city was even the Calvinist capital of Europe, with an academy (the precursor to the university) and at the heart of a vast European intellectual network.
The Enlightenment found particularly fertile ground here, and France, especially Paris, was a source of artistic and cultural inspiration. Although French-speaking, Geneva remained independent: the bishopric (until 1536) and then the sovereign republic (until 1798) were never under French control. Only the Duchy of Savoy posed a threat for centuries, with the Escalade of 1602 as its last assault.
However, Napoleon’s annexation (1798-1813) considerably reduced enthusiasm for France, and in 1815, citizens even voted overwhelmingly to join the new Swiss Confederation.
However, this did not mean that French culture and the ideals of the Enlightenment had lost their importance. On the contrary, even after 1815, close cultural, social and economic ties with France continued.
In addition, many French exiles found refuge in Geneva or its surroundings, but many had already arrived before 1789 (the French Revolution) and after Napoleon (the restoration of the French monarchy). In Geneva, the idea of a reading society was already familiar; in 1818, the time seemed right to make it a reality.
The reading society is housed in an 18th-century city palace. Today, the library has a collection of 200,000 books. This collection has been assembled over the centuries through purchases and donations since 1818, including unique editions such as the first edition of “Un Souvenir de Solférino” (1862) by member Henry Dunant (1828-1910), l’Histoire universelle by Théodore-Agrippa d’Aubigné (1616), le Discours de la méthode by Descartes (1637), l’Histoire naturelle by Buffon (1749) and De la démocratie en Amérique by Tocqueville (1835). The collections also include books annotated by John Calvin and Lenin.
Its international reputation was quickly established. Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte (1808-1873), the future Emperor Napoleon III (1852-1870), met there in 1835 with Camillo Benso di Cavour (1810-1861), one of the founders of Italian independence and unification in 1861. Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (1870-1924), better known as Lenin, became a member in 1904. He was a regular visitor to one of the reading rooms, which was filled with magazines and newspapers in German, English, and French.
The Reading Society organises two literary gatherings per week and, for the past three years, a children’s literature festival called ‘Croque-Livres’ during the first weekend of November.
The jury of the prestigious Europa Nostra Award justified its decision in 2020 as follows:
“This universal library and place of discussion has existed without interruption for 200 years. Throughout this time, the Reading Society has remained faithful to its original objectives of bringing together people interested in literature, science and the arts.
It has become a centre for the most enlightened representatives of different European cultures, and its activities express a spirit of openness and a willingness to innovate, qualities that the Society continues to promote within its walls.
The Société de Lecture’s contribution to the promotion and dissemination of cultural values in their various forms is recognised as an exceptional example of Swiss multilingualism, also relevant at a broader European level”.
(Source and further information: la Société de lecture)
Le Cercle littéraire de Lausanne
The Cercle littéraire de Lausanne
The Geneva Reading Society had been in existence for less than a year when the Cercle littéraire de Lausanne was founded on 24 January 1819. The new canton of the 1815 Confederation was bursting with energy and new momentum after centuries of Bernese domination. Like Geneva, Lausanne was a cosmopolitan city:
‘Frequented by the elite and inhabited by distinguished families who led a sophisticated social life, the capital of the Département du Léman displayed an intellectual and artistic cosmopolitanism that was exciting for the mind and likely to fuel both conversation and dreams’ (Maurice Denuzière, Helvétie, Paris 2010).
For centuries, the canton had been a European crossroads of cultures, trade and science. Nyon and Avenches were important towns in Roman times. Lausanne became an episcopal city shortly after the departure of the Romans, and the diplomat Frédéric-César de la Harpe (1754-1838) served as the governor of the young Tsar Alexander I (1777-1825) for many years. He maintained close relations with Napoleon during the Helvetic Republic (1798-1803) and played an essential role for Switzerland and the canton at the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815).
French cultural influence in the French-speaking canton was also undeniable. Social and economic ties with France and the Duchy of Savoy (the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia) were close.
Cercle littéraire de Lausanne, 1955. Archive: Cercle littéraire de Lausanne
For centuries, viticulture shaped the landscape along the shores of Lake Geneva. Trade and maritime traffic flourished between Montreux, Vevey, Nyon, Lausanne and Geneva on the one hand, and the French and Swiss shores (Saint-Gingolph, canton of Valais) of Lake Geneva on the other.
In addition, Madame de Staël’s (1766–1817) salon in Coppet was one of Europe’s most famous meeting places for scientists, writers (including historian Edward Gibbon, 1737–1794), politicians and exiles. Other women also left their mark on literary life in Lausanne, notably the writer Isabelle de Charrière (1740-1805), who lived in Colombier.
Salon in the Cercle littéraire de Lausanne, 1955. Archive: Cercle littéraire de Lausanne
In short, the time had come to create a reading society in Lausanne, too, called Le Cercle littéraire. The aim here was also to provide members with newspapers, magazines, books, and specialist works in the main languages, in reading rooms and a library.
Since 1821, Le Cercle littéraire has been housed in the Saint-François building on Place Saint-François, opposite the church of the same name, a few steps from the cathedral. This building also holds symbolic value for this literary organisation, as it is the birthplace of Benjamin Constant (1767-1830).
Today, the library manages over 70,000 publications, including several unique items dating back to previous centuries, spanning various fields, as well as magazines and newspapers in multiple languages. Today, the building also hosts conferences and various other cultural events.
(Source and further information: Le Cercle littéraire)
Die Museumsgesellschaft Zürich
The Museumsgesellschaft Zürich
Since 1834, the country’s largest city has been home to the Museums Society, also known as a reading society. At the time of its founding, ‘Museumsgesellschaft’ was a common name for a reading society. ‘Museum’ did not primarily refer to an exhibition space, but to a place where scholarly activities took place.
The commercial city was not only on the cusp of an industrial revolution. It was also inspired by Alfred Escher (1819–1882), who founded the Schweizerische Kreditanstalt, which would later become Credit Suisse, as its main financial backer.
Excerpt from the first annual report of the Museum Society from 1934. Collection: Archiv Museumsgesellschaft
In 1830, the canton had recently undergone a democratic revolution, introducing constitutional freedoms and guarantees for citizens that were unique for the time. Additionally, the university was founded in 1833.
Like Basel, Lausanne and Geneva, Zurich had always been a cosmopolitan city and a refuge for political refugees from other European countries, much to the chagrin of its authoritarian neighbours. During the First World War (1914-1918) and the Second World War (1939-1945), the city was also a centre for (political) emigrants and refugees.
The main reading room. Photo: Verein Museumsgesellschaft
In 1834, there was a need for a place to house an extensive collection of domestic and foreign newspapers, magazines, specialist works in various fields and literature. Anyone could become a member, regardless of their religion, profession or political views, including women from 1894 onwards.
Sophie Heim (1845–1916), joined the Museum Society in 1894 and was the first female doctor in Switzerland. Image: Verena E. Müller, Marie Heim-Vögtlin, die erste Schweizer Ärztin (Baden, 2008).
In keeping with the liberal spirit of the cantonal constitution, the reading rooms and library also reflected a wide range of (political) opinions, (social) backgrounds and religions. Various foreign personalities had joined the Society and were regular visitors to the reading rooms and libraries.
Gotffried Keller (1819-1890), a renowned German-speaking author from Zurich, was a notable member and visitor to the reading room and library. Foreign personalities, including (again) Lenin, Kurt Tucholsky (1890-1935), Stefan Zweig (1881-1942), James Joyce (1882-1941), Lev Bronstein alias Trotsky (1879-1940) and the Dadaists were also members.
Collection: Archiv Museumsgesellschaft
In the 1860s, the Museumsgesellschaft commissioned the construction of its own building on Limmatquai, which opened in 1867. The Museumsgesellschaft then expanded in 2000 with the creation of a literature house (Literaturhaus). It broadened its offering to include lectures and other events.
(Source and further information: Museumsgesellschaft and Literaturhaus Zürich)