International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum

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International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum
Geneva redcc museum entrance.jpg
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum
Established1988;37 years ago (1988)
LocationAvenue de la Paix 17, Geneva, Switzerland
Coordinates 46°13′38″N6°8′13″E / 46.22722°N 6.13694°E / 46.22722; 6.13694
Type museum
Website https://www.redcrossmuseum.ch/en/

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum is a museum located in Geneva, Switzerland. [1]

Contents

History

The museum was opened in 1988 adjacent to the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross. From 1991 to 2024, it was partially funded an annual subsidy from the Swiss foreign ministry of 1.1 million francs ($1.2 million), equivalent to around a quarter of its overall budget. In September 2024, the Swiss government, as part of cost-cutting measures, transferred the subsidization of the museum to the culture ministry, which sparked fears over the museum's operating expenses due to the ministry's policy of forcing museums applying for the subsidy to compete with each other. [2] In July 2025, an agreement was reached in which the culture ministry would subsidize 170,000 francs to the museum annually, while the cantonal government of Geneva and the foreign ministry would each provide 400,000 francs annually. [3]

Collections

The museum contains 30,000 items in its collection, including the first Nobel Peace Prize medal, given jointly in 1901 to Red Cross founder Henry Dunant and French pacifist Frédéric Passy. It also contains the archives of the ICRC's International Prisoners of War Agency, which is included in the Memory of the World Register by UNESCO citing its role in reconnecting people separated during World War I. The museum sees an average of 120,000 visitors annually. [2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Geneva's International Red Cross Museum threatened with closure". Le Monde. 16 March 2025. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  2. 1 2 "'Incomprehensible': Red Cross museum fears closure amid Swiss funding cuts". France 24. 30 January 2025. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  3. ↑ "Switzerland comes to the aid of Red Cross museum". France 24. 1 July 2025. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
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