EXPO 2002 - INTRODUCTION

every now and then switzerland creates a national exhibition, a showcase directed to both its own citizens and to the world ... the first one took place in 1883, followed by expo's in 1896, 1914, 1939 and 1964; then, after a long gap, the largest-ever exhibition happened in 2002 ... while previous expo's were located in swiss capital cities (zuerich, bern, geneva, lausanne), this one was placed in a region, the 'jura' which has many lakes ... the expo consisted of four "artplages" (a hybrid of the words art and plage=beach) located at the shores of yverdon, neuchatel, murten and biel; a ship, "mobile du jura" connected these places ... the lakes (see the map below) are actually connected by rivers or canals ... about 40 monuments and pavilions presented every thinkable facet of swiss culture, art and technology, and some 10000 events happened during the expo, ranging from funky music or funny clowns to quite philosophical matters, such as the meaning of money or the future of the swiss society ... it was a fabulous affair, and certainly the most impressive expo i have ever seen in my life ...