‘I’m someone to rely on’

Peter Aeschlimann is the mayor of Trub, a small town in the Emmental region between Bern and Lucerne. In his auto repair shop he fixes everything from lawnmowers to trucks. 

The 19th century Swiss novelist Jeremias Gotthelf would have loved this sunny afternoon in quiet and quaint Trub. The village is surrounded by green hills, and smoke is rising in the distance. “Because of the storm,” explains Peter Aeschlimann. “They’re busy burning the branches of the trees that fell over.”

The 54-year-old mayor of Trub points to the Löwen (Lion) guesthouse, which has featured in Swiss films like Late BloomersExternal link and The Foster BoyExternal link. “They don’t need to change much; Trub works as a perfect film setting“, says Aeschlimann. 

And many nostalgic pilgrims make their way to the town with its population of 1,350. “Many persecuted Anabaptists left the Emmental region. It happens regularly that their descendants from around the world come here and want to meet me as mayor.”

In this video, Peter Aeschlimann explains how he balances politics, work and his private life.

This #deardemocracy video series features local politicians from all over Switzerland. Direct democracy tends to polarize, and the opinions of local politicians influence voters. These portraits show the variety of people shaping public opinion – and how they live and think.