(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Meet 'Müller, the Turk'. As a young man, railway worker Jakob Müller travelled from Lucerne to Istanbul. There he embarked on a storybook career, eventually becoming General Director of the Orient Express – 'which crowned his career as a reward for his conscientiousness, efficiency, enthusiasm, loyalty and honesty,' as the newspaper Luzerner Tagblatt wrote in his obituary in 1923.
Müller is one of the protagonists of the exhibitionSwitzerland elsewhereexternal linkin theForum of Swiss Historyexternal linkin Schwyz, which is part of the Swiss National Museum.
'In 1877 he moved to Istanbul at the age of 20, very courageous and curious,' says Pia Schubiger, curator of the multilingual exhibition (German, French, Italian and English).
Curator Pia Schubiger
(Thomas Kern/swissinfo.ch)
To give the Swiss living abroad a face, Schubiger combined Swiss emigrant stories along the same themes with texts, objects, photographs and films. Her research included reading countless books of emigrant stories.
'Their stories fascinate us; their courage to seek something new elsewhere, a new perspective, without knowing what awaited them exactly. We follow these stories and feel a bit represented by these interesting people,' says Schubiger.
A new term
'Swiss abroad'. This term has only existed since 1916, when theOrganisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA)external linkwas founded. Previously, Swiss living abroad were just called emigrants. The history of emigration from Switzerland and the birth of the OSA is the second focus of this exhibition.
Switzerland Elsewhere
The multilingual exhibition runs through September 29, 2019.
Up until 1926, only the overseas expats were kept track of.
Most Swiss abroad live in Europe.
Tablets provide additional information.
In 1883, Olympe Rittener began teaching French in Krasnojarsk, Russia. She did it for seven years before returning to Switzerland.
The old method for recording the details of Swiss living abroad
Audio gives the show another dimension.
There are Swiss all over the world.
'Müller, the Turk' had Swiss and Austrian passports, which made travel easier.
'Müller, the Turk' received many medals.
The final touches for a special installation
Swiss bridge builder Othmar Ammann in front of his New York bridge over the Hudson River
Inside a museum
For centuries, Switzerland was truly a country of emigration. Many Swiss served as mercenaries. 'From 1850 we can speak of a mass emigration,' says Schubiger.
The idea of looking after Swiss emigrants around the world led to the founding of the OSA in 1916, says Schubiger. There was also the issue of how these individuals would represent Switzerland abroad. Since 1966, support for the 'Fifth Switzerland' has been enshrined in the Swiss constitution.
The OSA, which also provided input for the exhibition, is delighted. 'It's an important recognition and a strong symbol that one of the national museums has decided to cover this topic,' says OSA Director Ariane Rustichelli.
#WeAreSwissAbroad
The bench where you can explore #WeAreSwissAbroad stories on a tablet
(Thomas Kern/swissinfo.ch)
As part of the exhibition, visitors can sit on a bench and borrow a tablet to read emigrant portraits from swissinfo's #WeAreSwissAbroad Instagram series.
The history of the former Swiss shortwave service, which represented Switzerland abroad via radio waves from 1935, is also presented in the exhibition. It was renamed Swiss Radio International in 1978 and swissinfo.ch in 1999.
Beyond the exhibition In addition, the exhibition will feature a broad programme of supporting events. For example, journalist Susann Bosshard-Kälin will report on her projectEinsiedeln Elsewhereexternal link , in which she follows the tracks of emigrants from this village. And the grandson of the 'Müller the Turk' will tell the story of his grandfather's life.
There are also efforts to collect new migration stories. The organisers, and the associationMusée imaginaire des migrationsexternal link , are inviting visitors to come along with stories from their own family history and have these recorded.
For curator Schubiger, this is a true treasure chest that goes beyond the exhibition. 'I think there are many more stories that could be written that are just as exciting as those we tell here.'
Free tickets!
As the media partner of this exhibition, SWI swissinfo.ch is giving tickets away on a first-come, first-served basis. Want to go? Send a message ternal linkwith 'Switzerland Elsewhere' in the subject line.
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