Why Switzerland feels like ‘heimat’

The German term 'heimat' means, roughly, having a home or a sense of belonging. The term can have profound meaning for members of the Swiss diaspora.

For Beth Zurbuchen, president of the Swiss Center of North AmericaExternal link, connections to “heimat” are both very personal and an integral part of her everyday work. 

People living in Switzerland have their own perspectives on the term, an issue explored by a current exhibit on “heimat”External link at the museum Stapferhaus in Lenzburg. As part of the exhibit, organisers asked people riding the Ferris wheel at fun fairs around Switzerland different questions around what home and belonging means to them.

Zurbuchen recently spoke at the Stapferhaus about her experiences finding “heimat” and her work with members of the Swiss community in North America.

(Additional footage courtesy of the Stapferhaus Lenzburg).