After the Universities of Geneva, Lausanne and Neuchâtel, the University of Fribourg is joining the festival dedicated to the historical sciences, whose 11th edition will take place from 20 to 29 March 2026 on the theme «As if by Magic».

Initiated by the Maison de l’histoire at the University of Geneva in 2014, the Histoire et Cité Festival takes a new step forward and now includes the University of Fribourg among its partners. For its 11th edition, to be held from 20 to 29 March, the event brings together the four universities of French-speaking Switzerland—Geneva, Lausanne, Neuchâtel and Fribourg—alongside other partner institutions in Nyon, Prangins, La Chaux-de-Fonds and Valais. It will offer more than 135 public events on the theme «As if by Magic».

With the participation of the University of Fribourg, the Histoire et Cité Festival strengthens its presence across French-speaking Switzerland and enhances its academic profile, further cementing its position as a key event dedicated to history. The Fribourg programme will include 22 events, held from 23 to 28 March, several of which will also be offered in German, reflecting the bilingual character of the institution and the canton.

«The festival is an invitation to debate and exchange. After Lausanne and Neuchâtel, Fribourg’s inclusion in the project underscores our commitment to highlighting the importance of studying the past and sharing it with audiences all over Romandy,» says Sébastien Farré, executive director of the Maison de l’histoire and co-director of the Histoire et Cité Festival.

 «Fribourg is delighted to join Switzerland’s largest history festival! It’s a unique opportunity to engage in a compelling dialogue with a broad audience on historical themes,» says Vitus Huber, co-director of the Fribourg section of the Histoire et Cité Festival.

 Each of the four universities in French-speaking Switzerland is responsible for and contributes to its own programme. The same applies to the festival’s other partners: UniDistance, the Roman Museum of Nyon, the Château de Nyon – Historical Museum, the Swiss National Museum – Château de Prangins, the Cantonal Museum of Archaeology and History in Lausanne, and the Cantonal and University Library of Lausanne. Altogether, this 11th edition will take place across eight sites and regions in French-speaking Switzerland.

Magic: the central theme of this edition
Under the theme «As if by Magic,» this year’s festival will explore the complex relationships between science and belief, rationality and imagination, the real and the supernatural. More than 250 specialists—historians and researchers—will take part in conferences, panel discussions, guided tours, screenings, and workshops. The events will offer reflections on spiritual and occult practices across time and cultures, as well as on figures—mages, sorcerers, healers—who, operating on the margins of dominant knowledge, have sometimes paid a heavy price for their affiliation with religious, philosophical, or scientific countercultures.

The full festival programme will be unveiled on 3 March.

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Histoire et Cité
Initiated by the Maison de l’histoire, an interfaculty centre at UNIGE, the Histoire et Cité Festival was launched in 2014 with the support of the association Les Rencontres de Genève Histoire et Cité. It responds to the public’s interest in the historical sciences. Open to everyone and free of charge, the festival aims to foster reflection and dialogue around a theme that resonates with current events, framed within a broad temporal and transcultural perspective. Unique in French-speaking Switzerland, it is recognised in the Francophone world as one of the major gatherings dedicated to history, alongside events such as the Rendez-vous de l’histoire in Blois or L’histoire à venir in Toulouse.