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Süddeutsche Zeitung gleefully reports that for many years the SBB (Swiss Railways) has distributed international train tickets in envelopes with a map of the globe on the back. “Only one day a Pole looked at it a little more closely and realised that not only was Poland was missing, but that Central Europe all the way to Russia had been annexed to Germany.” Somewhat reminiscent of the map of Europe in 1939. The Pole complained to the Polish embassy in Berne, which conveyed the information to the SSB, with an allusion to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. The SSB retorted that the map was taken from a photo of child’s beachball “available in any shop”. It subsequently withdrew the offending envelopes, however, apologising for its “lack of sensitivity regarding historical context.” One last detail. One other country was missing on the map - Switzerland.
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