Magic of the Rails: The Circarama of Expo64

In 1964, it was one of the main attractions of the Swiss national exhibition Exop64 in Lausanne: the 360° Circarama "All about wheels and rails". Now this restored, unique contemporary document can be seen in unprecedented quality in the Planetarium of the Swiss Museum of Transport, which is a direct descendant of the original Circarama with its modern 360-degree projection technology on the over 500 square metre dome.

The 20-minute film, produced by Ernst A. Heiniger, shows Switzerland in the early 1960s in four acts as a country of railways and technology, tradition and tourism. The electrification of the means of transport, the great Alpine crossings and the scenic beauty of the mountains, such as pictures of Zermatt with the Matterhorn, are characteristic. For the shots, the cameras were mounted on trains, under a helicopter or on a car, for example.

The original circarama at the premiere had a 630 square metre screen and could hold 1500 people. Almost 4 million visitors watched the film in 1964 using Walt Disney's 360-degree projection technology, which was unique at the time.

This short show will only be shown in the Planetarium as part of the Public Transportation Days from 16 to 19 June 2022 at a reduced price (adults CHF 12; students under age 26 CHF 8; children under age 16 years CHF 4).