On Geneva's Right Bank stands the emotive International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum. Interactive exhibits trace the Red Cross back to 1862, from Florence Nightingale's humanitarian deeds to the harrowing plight of prisoners of conscience.
Using the latest technology alongside historical items and works of art, the museum creates a moving picture of the origins and development of the organisation. The Red Cross was born in 1862 and entered the 20th century to face the conflicts, epidemics and tragedies plotted on the museum's Wall of Time.
Exhibits highlight the varying aims of the foundation - the section dealing with prisoners is especially harrowing, showing as it does the incredibly restrictive conditions in which prisoners of conscience are held around the world. The museum's concrete bunker houses an essential experience, whose force and necessity are far stronger than the vast, empty halls of the UN across the road. If you visit Geneva, this is a must-see.