Author: Franziska Häfliger
After the Swiss Federal Railways had set up the first railroad museum in the Zurich Goods Administration in 1918, the idea of establishing a Swiss museum that would represent all modes of transport matured in the run-up to the 1939 National Exhibition. In 1942, the "Swiss Museum of Transport" association was founded in the offices of the former railroad museum in Zurich. The association finally moved its headquarters to Lucerne when the city of Lucerne offered to provide the association with a suitable site under building rights to realize its construction projects.

On July 1, 1959, the "Swiss Museum of Transport" was officially opened in the presence of over 500 guests of honor. Alfred Waldis was the first director of the Swiss Museum of Transport, and he was to leave his mark on the museum beyond his time as director. In addition to welcoming speeches by the Mayor of Lucerne, Paul Kopp, and the President of the Swiss Museum of Transport Association, Raphael Cottier, Federal Councillor Giuseppe Lepori, a representative of the national government, gave the official opening speech. The head of the Post and Railway Department emphasized in particular the value of the Swiss Museum of Transport as a source of information and information on all matters relating to transport. The "Swiss Museum of Transport" association was founded in 1942 following a play performed by Lucerne cantonal schoolchildren entitled 65 Years of the Swiss Museum of Transport in the offices of the former railroad museum in Zurich. However, the Swiss Museum of Transport only opened in Lucerne in 1959. Originally started as a railroad museum, it now encompasses all modes of transport. guests were given the opportunity to see the new museum for themselves before embarking on a rainy tour of Lake Lucerne, accompanied by motorized aircraft from the Aeroklub.