Today
10:00 - 17:00
10:00 - 17:00
openinghours.days.long.tuesday Open till openinghours.days.long.wednesday openinghours.openfromto.long
openinghours.days.long.thursday openinghours.openfromto.long
openinghours.days.long.friday Open till openinghours.days.long.sunday openinghours.openfromto.long
openinghours.days.long.monday closed
openinghours.days.long.tuesday Open till openinghours.days.long.wednesday openinghours.and openinghours.days.long.friday openinghours.openfromto.long
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openinghours.days.long.saturday Open till openinghours.days.long.monday closed
Closed on public holidays. Closed 29.7.-19.8.2024 (Stocktaking)
Long Night of the Museums 07.09.2024 10:00 - 17:00
18:00 - 23:59
Long Night of the Museums 08.09.2024 0:00 - 2:00
10:00 - 17:00
Knabenschiessen 09.09.2024 closed
Family Day 20.10.2024 10:00 - 17:00
Christmas Eve 24.12.2024 10:00 - 14:00
Christmas 25.12.2024 10:00 - 17:00
St. Stephen´s Day 26.12.2024 10:00 - 17:00
27.12.2024 10:00 - 17:00
28.12.2024 10:00 - 17:00
29.12.2024 10:00 - 17:00
30.12.2024 10:00 - 17:00
New Year´s Eve 31.12.2024 10:00 - 17:00
New Year´s Day 01.01.2025 10:00 - 17:00
Saint Berchtold 02.01.2025 10:00 - 19:00
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Show all10:00 - 17:00
openinghours.days.long.tuesday Open till openinghours.days.long.wednesday openinghours.openfromto.long
openinghours.days.long.thursday openinghours.openfromto.long
openinghours.days.long.friday Open till openinghours.days.long.sunday openinghours.openfromto.long
openinghours.days.long.monday closed
openinghours.days.long.tuesday Open till openinghours.days.long.wednesday openinghours.and openinghours.days.long.friday openinghours.openfromto.long
openinghours.days.long.thursday openinghours.openfromto.long
openinghours.days.long.saturday Open till openinghours.days.long.monday closed
Closed on public holidays. Closed 29.7.-19.8.2024 (Stocktaking)
Long Night of the Museums 07.09.2024 10:00 - 17:00
18:00 - 23:59
Long Night of the Museums 08.09.2024 0:00 - 2:00
10:00 - 17:00
Knabenschiessen 09.09.2024 closed
Family Day 20.10.2024 10:00 - 17:00
Christmas Eve 24.12.2024 10:00 - 14:00
Christmas 25.12.2024 10:00 - 17:00
St. Stephen´s Day 26.12.2024 10:00 - 17:00
27.12.2024 10:00 - 17:00
28.12.2024 10:00 - 17:00
29.12.2024 10:00 - 17:00
30.12.2024 10:00 - 17:00
New Year´s Eve 31.12.2024 10:00 - 17:00
New Year´s Day 01.01.2025 10:00 - 17:00
Saint Berchtold 02.01.2025 10:00 - 19:00
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Show allGuided tour with an expert
Weshalb war die Schweiz mit europäischen Kolonien verflochten? Die historischen Gründe dafür sind nicht schweizerisch, sondern europäisch. Der Rundgang zeigt, welche neuen Einblicke der schweizerische «Kolonialismus ohne Kolonien» in die wenig bekannte Geschichte einer europäischen Integration durch gemeinsame imperiale Expansion ermöglicht.
Museumstrasse 2
8021 Zürich
openinghours.days.long.monday Open till openinghours.days.long.friday openinghours.openfromto.long
Swiss citizens and companies were heavily involved in the colonial system from the 16th century onwards. Some Swiss companies and private individuals took part in the transatlantic slave trade and earned a fortune from the trade in colonial goods and exploitation of slave labour. Swiss men and women travelled the globe as missionaries. Other Swiss, driven by poverty or a thirst for adventure, served as mercenaries in European armies sent to conquer colonial territory or crush uprisings by the indigenous population. Swiss experts also placed their knowledge at the disposal of the colonial powers. And the racial theories prevalent at the time, which were used to justify the colonial system, formed part of the curriculum at the universities of Zurich and Geneva.
The exhibition at the National Museum Zurich draws on the latest research findings and uses concrete examples, illustrated with objects, works of art, photographs and documents, to present the first-ever comprehensive overview of Switzerland's history of colonial entanglement. And by drawing parallels to contemporary issues, it also explores the question of what this colonial heritage means for present-day Switzerland.