On Alpenstrasse in Zug, just a stone’s throw from the station, the building known as ‘Urania’ was demolished this month. Nothing out of the ordinary – Switzerland is constantly demolishing and building. But as the façade came down, something that had been hidden for 78 years came to light: a monumental advertisement for Bernina, the sewing machine brand, painted directly onto the wall of the previous building in 1941. Seventy-eight years behind a wall, perfectly preserved.
The sign was painted in 1941 and was covered up when the Urania building was constructed in 1948. It remained there. The Zug-based designer Ueli Kleeb, who has documented it, describes it as a “minor sensation”: it is probably one of the largest surviving historic advertising façades in Switzerland, dating from the golden age of Swiss graphic design between the two world wars. The poster was designed with travellers passing through the station in mind. And Zug’s municipal council at the time initially rejected it and asked for it to be modified before approving it. That, too, has come to light this week.
The thing is, it won’t be visible for much longer. Once the new building that’s set to replace the Urania is built, the advert will disappear behind another façade once again. So there’s only a window of a few months to see it.
If you’ve been living in Switzerland for a while, you’ll know that this sort of thing happens. The buildings here hold layers of history that aren’t marked anywhere. Next time something’s being demolished in your neighbourhood, take a good look at what appears behind it.