# Museum für Kommunikation Bern
The Museum für Kommunikation Bern (Museum of [Communication](https://www.edgepedia.org/communication)) is a museum of communication in Bern. It stands at Helvetiaplatz and is run by the Swiss Foundation for the History of Post and [Telecommunications](https://www.edgepedia.org/telecommunications), a foundation of Swisscom AG and Swiss Post, created after the stepwise dissolution of the federal PTT enterprise (Post, Telefon, Telegraf).[1](https://stage.werkstattgeschichte.de/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/WG77_103-110_BERTH_VONNIEDERHAEUSERN_MUSEUM.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 22 June 1907 as a postal museum in the Bollwerk post office, Bern, only the third museum of its kind in mainland Europe[2](https://www.mfk.ch/en/about-us/history) |
| Renamings | Swiss PTT Museum from 1949; Museum für Kommunikation since 1997[2](https://www.mfk.ch/en/about-us/history) |
| Governance | Swiss Foundation for the History of Post and Telecommunications (Swisscom AG and Swiss Post)[1](https://stage.werkstattgeschichte.de/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/WG77_103-110_BERTH_VONNIEDERHAEUSERN_MUSEUM.pdf) |
| Collection | ~3 million stamps, 500,000 photographs, 50,000 objects, 50,000 posters, and plans, 5,000 films[3](https://www.mfk.ch/forschen/museumssammlung) |
## From postal museum to Museum für Kommunikation
The institution began as the Schweizerisches Postmuseum, established on 22 June 1907 in the Bollwerk post office building in Bern.[2](https://www.mfk.ch/en/about-us/history) In 1949, when a telecommunications collection was added, it became the Schweizerisches PTT-Museum.[2](https://www.mfk.ch/en/about-us/history) In December 1996 the PTT Museum became a foundation, and in March 1997 it was renamed the Museum für Kommunikation.[2](https://www.mfk.ch/en/about-us/history) The move to its own building at Helvetiaplatz took place in 1990.[4](https://www.srf.ch/news/berner-museen-wie-stellt-man-kommunikation-aus)
The renaming marked more than a new name. The mission changed from a museum of technology to a museum of communication, and the 2003–2007 permanent exhibition introduced computers and digital media; a decade later digital content formed the heart of the exhibition.[1](https://stage.werkstattgeschichte.de/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/WG77_103-110_BERTH_VONNIEDERHAEUSERN_MUSEUM.pdf)
## The collections: telegraph, telephone and beyond
The museum's collection comprises around 3 million postage stamps, 500,000 photographs, 50,000 three-dimensional objects, 50,000 posters and plans, and 5,000 films.[3](https://www.mfk.ch/forschen/museumssammlung) A large part of it is kept in depots and is not, or only very restrictively, accessible to the public.[3](https://www.mfk.ch/forschen/museumssammlung)
Within the technical holdings, the coverage runs from the main phase of development of each technology to its final stage or the present.
## By the numbers
The renewal of the core exhibition cost around 11 million Swiss francs for planning and implementation. The museum paid 7.1 million from its own funds; 1.8 million came from public authorities, 1.2 million from the [Canton of Bern](https://www.edgepedia.org/canton-of-bern), and 400,000 from the City of Bern.[4](https://www.srf.ch/news/berner-museen-wie-stellt-man-kommunikation-aus)
## Visiting and education
The core exhibition covers almost 2,000 square meters and is organized thematically rather than chronologically, with interactive stations, large video screens, and a mix of old and new objects.[4](https://www.srf.ch/news/berner-museen-wie-stellt-man-kommunikation-aus) In the ground-floor "Labor" the theme is communication in all conceivable facets; from there visitors reach the first basement, the "Datacenter", where digital communication is at the center.[1](https://stage.werkstattgeschichte.de/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/WG77_103-110_BERTH_VONNIEDERHAEUSERN_MUSEUM.pdf)
A distinctive staffing model supports this layout. The museum invented its own profession for its 20 salaried "Kommunikator:innen".[4](https://www.srf.ch/news/berner-museen-wie-stellt-man-kommunikation-aus) The exhibition is scheduled to run until 2030, with adaptations to current developments planned; no exhibition catalog is planned.[1](https://stage.werkstattgeschichte.de/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/WG77_103-110_BERTH_VONNIEDERHAEUSERN_MUSEUM.pdf)
## References
1. Christiane Berth, Karin von Niederhäusern, "Es dreht sich alles um Dich… und Du bist nicht alleine" – Die neue Ausstellung im Museum für Kommunikation, Bern, WerkstattGeschichte 77. https://stage.werkstattgeschichte.de/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/WG77_103-110_BERTH_VONNIEDERHAEUSERN_MUSEUM.pdf
2. History – Museum of Communication Berne. https://www.mfk.ch/en/about-us/history
3. Museumssammlung – Museum für Kommunikation Bern. https://www.mfk.ch/forschen/museumssammlung
4. Berner Museen – Wie stellt man Kommunikation aus? SRF News. https://www.srf.ch/news/berner-museen-wie-stellt-man-kommunikation-aus
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Communications and everyday technology › Telegraphy and line infrastructure › Heritage telegraph and telephone structures and museums › Telegraph and telephone museums › Telegraph and telephone museums in continental Europe and Asia*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license