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Baroness Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza

Born Lausanne, 7 Jun 1958

6 facts1 source

Living person. The family sees only the name, dates and photo; everything else stays private unless they choose to share it.

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 7 Jun 1958

    Born in Lausanne

During her lifetime

She has lived through 8 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Lausanne.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1950s · Baroness is born in Lausanne

In the news1959

Magic formula government established

In 1959, the four largest political parties adopted the magic formula to permanently divide the seven government seats among themselves.

What people wore

Girl's clothing in Switzerland

Between 1950 and the late 1960s, girls commonly wore knee-length skirts or dresses with blouses, while trousers only became more frequent around 1970.

Daily life

Electrification made appliances commonplace

By the 1950s, electrification let Swiss households buy and use more electric appliances, including washing machines and refrigerators, directly in their apartments and houses.

In the news1953

Television begins test operations

In 1953, television began test operations in Switzerland, marking the start of a new era in home entertainment.

Music

Festival music and dance traditions

Traditional music played at festivals included the alphorn, used for mountain calls to cattle, and the bödeler, a rhythmic clog dance from Central Switzerland.

In Europe1948–1952

The Marshall Plan

American aid of some $13 billion rebuilt the ruined economies of Western Europe.

Getting around

Carriages were still used for travel in 1950

In 1950, reaching remote destinations like Our Chalet in Adelboden often required combining train travel with a local bus, followed by a horse-drawn carriage for the final leg.