Permanent display
Closing soon
Colonial — Switzerland's Global Entanglements
13 Sep 2024 — 19 Jan 2025 at National Museum Zurich
· Zurich
"Colonial — Switzerland's Global Entanglements" is a major exhibition at the Landesmuseum Zurich, on view in 2024–2025. Though Switzerland never held formal overseas colonies, this show makes a compelling case that the country was deeply embedded in the colonial world — through trade, finance, missionary activity, science, and the movement of people and goods.
The exhibition invites visitors to confront uncomfortable histories and to reconsider what colonialism meant for a landlocked European nation. Drawing on objects, documents, and artworks from Swiss and international collections, it traces the many threads connecting Switzerland to colonial enterprises across Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
By bringing these entanglements into focus, the Landesmuseum encourages a broader, more honest conversation about Swiss identity, historical responsibility, and the legacies that continue to shape society today.
The exhibition invites visitors to confront uncomfortable histories and to reconsider what colonialism meant for a landlocked European nation. Drawing on objects, documents, and artworks from Swiss and international collections, it traces the many threads connecting Switzerland to colonial enterprises across Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
By bringing these entanglements into focus, the Landesmuseum encourages a broader, more honest conversation about Swiss identity, historical responsibility, and the legacies that continue to shape society today.
About the venue
National Museum Zurich
· Zurich
The Swiss National Museum is a museum in Zurich, Switzerland's largest city, adjacent to Zürich Hauptbahnhof and the Platzspitz park. It is part of the Musée Suisse Group, which is itself affiliated with the Federal Office of Culture.
