Plans are afoot for the Swiss government to ship the Bundesbrief (the original charter of the Swiss Confederation of 1291) to Philadelphia as a loan to a museum for an exhibit called "Swiss Roots". This document can be compared to the USA's Declaration Of Independence and usually resides in a glass enclosure in the village of Schwyz in the Kanton of Schwyz, one of the original signatories of the Bundesbrief.
Some members of the far right SVP party formed a foundation recently and asked the government to accept a million Swiss francs and sell them the document. This was to thwart any such plans for its travel. Of course, the federal authorities quickly said that the Bundesbrief was not for sale at any price. Now the papers are full of opinions about whether this move is good or not. One school says that people who see it in Philadelphia will want to come to CH as tourists. Another group says that tourists already here will miss seeing it while it is in the USA.
I don't know if the Declaration of Independence has ever traveled outside the USA, but I do remember The Freedom Train which carried it around the USA for many months. Even that would not likely be done now because of all the kooks that would love to hold it hostage. I think the Bundesbrief should stay put.
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