International Museum of the Red Cross and Red Crescent
Located inside the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross, this museum is not the exercise in neutrality one might think. The museum chronicles the hard-fought humanitarian journey of the Red Cross and Red Crescent organizations since their 1863 foundation in
Switzerland by social activist and first Nobel Peace Prize-winner Henry Dunant. He chose the Swiss flag color-flipped (a red cross on a white background) as the symbol of this new humanatarian movement, easily visible—even in ashy gray war zones—and a lasting symbol of neutrality. Rare documents, photography, video, and multimedia displays from the 19th-century battlefields of Europe to the 21st-century plains of Africa depict the humanitarian missions carried out by these remarkable organizations in times of natural disaster and war. A visit is an apt reminder that cost for peace is eternal vigilance.
