Rapperswil-Jona, Band 1

The last 180 years have constantly changed the lives of the inhabitants. What our forefathers did and experienced has been forgotten by many people today. Many things have been invented worldwide, be it the telephone, which has a massive impact on our lives today, the radio or the television set, which hardly anyone would want to part with today.

In terms of transportation, bicycles, cars, trains and flying objects of all kinds have been invented. The list goes on and on, with world firsts in all sectors. The first electric lamp was a world sensation, a miracle, people forgot about kerosene lamps and candles. The spread of electricity later brought countless new products onto the market. Household and industrial machines were celebrated and praised in every advertisement.

Within just a few decades, the pathogens behind many previously untreatable diseases were found and successfully combated. Another advance in surgery was the introduction of anesthesia, which greatly reduced the mortality rate. It all seems so self-evident. We forget that behind this modernity, behind this insane technological revolution, there are many people, women and men, who have had to work hard all these years.

These people, who created our social services such as AHV-IV, health insurance, etc., were pioneers. It was not easy, but they did it with flying colors. Many rare documents from companies that often no longer exist today are works of art. They show our region as it was, as it lived. The old documents could not simply be conjured up from the color laser printer. You had to go to the photographer, lithographer and printer, it was very time-consuming and expensive. The monochrome version of envelopes, letterheads and invoices were common and a guarantee for cheaper printed matter.