School for Genius

Book excerpt: The university currently participates in the world's most sophisticated particle physics research facility, and continues to be ranked number one on the continent in surveys undertaken by such disparate institutions as Shanghai University and the Times of London. However prominent ETH may be in today's world - often referred to as the MIT of Europe - Its history provides additional fascination. Spurred by the liberal turmoil of 1848, the institute weathered the political storms of Europe for another hundred years, just as did Switzerland itself, while the school attracted scholars from abroad. Even through the Nazi period, Switzerland remained free, and its Federal Institute comprised an oasis of unfettered thought, undeterred by fascist philosophies. This is not only the story of one of the world's foremost universities, but of an entire epoch in Western history.