Exhibiting Switzerland
Once every generation, Switzerland treats itself to a National Exhibition - the last one was in Lausanne in 1964. Commissioned by the Swiss Confederation, preparations for the next Expo in the year 2002 started in the mid-nineties. For the first time, the exhibition is being held not at a single venue, but spread out over a whole region: the Land of the Three Lakes.
Expo.02 combines the multi-faceted interests and energies of our country more effectively than any other project. Architects, scenographers, and people from the worlds of culture, politics and economics work together to make the National Exhibition at the beginning of the new millennium a unique experience for its visitors: 4.8 million guests and over 10 million admissions are expected on the shores of the lakes of Biel, Murten and Neuchâtel.
Like its predecessors, the National Exhibition is a kind of up-to-the-minute snapshot of Switzerland and throw light on topical questions and problems. But Expo.02 offers not only food for thought, it is also a huge festival, an unforgettable happening. In a nutshell: for 159 days, it is be the cultural capital of Switzerland.
Expo.02 took place from 15 May to 20 October 2002 in a spectacular but ephemeral architectural setting - by autumn 2003 all the buildings had disappeared again. What remained was the Three Lakes Region and unforgettable memories.