Holidays in Switzerland

Original tourism poster, designed in 1946 by Fritz Hellinger using a photograph taken by Franz Keerl of frost flowers on a windowpane—which gives the poster an almost mystical aura (even if the graphic artist was probably merely concerned with depicting the biting cold). This impression is—as was undoubtedly intended—further intensified by the sky, shifting from light to dark due to the setting sun, looming over a pair of skiers who appear tiny and awestruck in the face of the grandiose winter landscape.

Originally created for the Swiss Central Office for Tourism, the poster initially lured winter sports enthusiasts from late 1946 onwards to the country, which was scarred by the World War but slowly recovering. However—who would be surprised—it was so well received that it later also served, with a different text variant, as the official poster for the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz. Unlike in 1928 (see also below), there was no poster designed specifically for the Winter Games—certainly also due to a limited budget and a relatively tight schedule: St. Moritz was only confirmed as the host city in September 1946.

A very obvious choice. On the one hand, the infrastructure in Switzerland, which had been spared by the war, functioned well; on the other hand, St. Moritz had already gained a great deal of experience after hosting the 1928 Winter Games. And neutrality certainly played a role as well, even though German and Japanese athletes were not admitted at all and Austrian athletes only under certain conditions.

You might also be interested in:
II. Winter Olympic Games – St. Moritz 1928