How has the teaching of public international law evolved in the regions that make up Switzerland as of today? Are there any peculiarities that have influenced this development, and who have been the proponents and teachers that have educated Swiss lawyers? To what extent has the development of a proper tradition in this area been influenced by the academic traditions outside the territory of Switzerland? This article tries to give a first overview of these questions in order to allow future research in this still understudied field of law. Most of Switzerland has been a latecomer regarding university education and in particular theoretical legal education. While the intensification of Switzerland's international relations in the 19th century leads to the (slow) introduction of courses in public international law, the special role in the aftermath of the two world wars has certainly led to a stronger tradition in this field than in many other States of similar size, initially with a strong interaction with neighbouring States, in particular Germany and France.