From Asian art to zebu: an alternative life of Swiss luxury

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Thomas Brunschwig leads an unconventional life. He is a self-confessed outsider who has found his sustainable, spiritual paradise in a Bernese farmhouse filled with various Indian and Chinese instruments and sculptures – and four zebu cattle.

Dahai studied Chinese Language and Literature in China and Computer Network Technology after moving to Switzerland. He trained as a journalist, acquired and developed knowledge about media, photographic techniques, computer programming etc. He participated in the establishment of the Chinese Department of swissinfo.ch in 2001 and has served swissinfo.ch since then.

More from this author | Chinese Department

• 中文 (zh) 可持续的快乐：另一种奢侈生活 (original)

The first thing Brunschwig, 62, does every morning is visit his four Indian humped zebu. He then feeds the fish in a tank on the second floor of his 220-year-old farmhouse, 20km south of the Swiss capital.

“The world is like a chessboard. Most people want to live on a white square. I go to a black square. It's relatively cheap,” he explains in his typically cryptic-philosophical manner.

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  Thomas Brunschwig's home is a 220-year-old farmhouse which he has been remodelling and renovating for more than ten years. The main function of the swimming pool is to let swallows drink water. Dahai Shao, swissinfo.ch
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  The knocker leading to the cattle pen comes from China. Dahai Shao, swissinfo.ch
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  The zebu immediately gather around Brunschwig, waiting for a chopped apple from his bag. Dahai Shao, swissinfo.ch
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  A curious zebu introduces itself. Dahai Shao, swissinfo.ch
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  Brunschwig displays the dried cow dung he has collected, which is used as fuel for fire in Vedic rituals. Dahai Shao, swissinfo.ch
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  He still doesn't know what to do with a plastic house bought online in China, but he says it's fun to sit inside when it's raining. Dahai Shao, swissinfo.ch
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  When the moon is full, Brunschwig holds Vedic rituals in this small Hindu temple at his home. Sometimes more than ten people, coming from far and wide, take part. Dahai Shao, swissinfo.ch
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  Brunschwig can play many instruments. He got this tanpura from an Indian master. Dahai Shao, swissinfo.ch
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  Brunschwig says he knows hundreds of vocational skills, but the only profession he studied formally was millinery. Dahai Shao, swissinfo.ch
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  The hat-making materials handed down by the family go back more than 100 years. Dahai Shao, swissinfo.ch
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  Brunschwig chopping homegrown vegetables in his homemade kitchen. Dahai Shao, swissinfo.ch
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  The second-floor living room. Dahai Shao, swissinfo.ch
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  At the other end of the living room are the fish, large plants, and a place to sit and chat with guests. Dahai Shao, swissinfo.ch
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  Whatever the weather, Brunschwig always takes time to enjoy the view. Dahai Shao, swissinfo.ch
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  'May all beings in all worlds be happy," wrote Brunschwig in Hindi on the front of the farmhouse. Dahai Shao, swissinfo.ch
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  On the roof terrace. Dahai Shao, swissinfo.ch

To buy agricultural land or buildings in Switzerland, one must be a farmer or raise livestock. Not being a farmer (he did an apprenticeship as a hat maker), Brunschwig decided to raise zebu, but not for profit.

They produce neither milk nor meat. In fact he says the only useful thing they produce is dung, the fuel of fire in the Vedic religion.“Technically, if I calculate the income from selling dried cow pats, they are self-sufficient.”

Various Indian and Chinese Buddha statues are dotted around the property, with one room having been turned into a Hindu temple, but when asked about his religious beliefs, Brunschwig is silent for a moment.“I believe in beauty, and beauty is true,” he eventually says.

The farmhouse and surrounding land is certainly beautiful: the wooden building is nestled among lush forest, perfect for foraging for fruit, vegetables and plants. And the zebus share their home with countless butterflies, frogs, snails, lizards and spiders.

“Everyone sees luxury differently,” he says.“My water for life comes from mountain springs. There are solar panels on the roof. The fuel used for heating in winter is wood from the forest. Environmentalists could describe it as low carbon, but that's not what I'm after. It's not my plan. It's just a side effect.”

Brunschwig was born in Rüschlikon, Zurich, and left school at 16 – he says all his knowledge and skills are self-taught. He was in a car accident aged 17 and has only been able to work 50% since then.

He says he receives a very limited disability allowance every month, but this couldn't cover living expenses in Zurich, so more than 40 years ago he moved to the southern Italian-speaking canton of Ticino. He bought a plot of land in a forest for CHF80,000 ($87,200) and taught himself how to build a house for CHF70,000.

During his 25 years in Ticino, he used his income from millinery and his disability allowance to stay at home and raise his three children with his wife.

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“The time you share with your children is very short; you have to enjoy it when it's happening,” he says.“Ten years later, no one will care how much money I'm making today. But what I can teach the children will stay with them throughout their lives.”

After meeting his current partner, Brunschwig decided to buy a house in German-speaking Switzerland, negotiating the farmhouse and a couple of hectares of land for CHF280,000.

He says he has been an outsider since he was a child, but he denies being a recluse.“I chose to switch from one express train to another,” he says.“In today's globalised world, no one can escape. I pay taxes like everyone else. I just chose another path: instead of rhythm and speed, what I need is space and freedom.”

Since 2000 Brunschwig has been a member of WWOOFExternal link (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms), providing food and lodging for city-dwellers wanting to get in touch with the countryside and learn about organic agriculture and ecology. In return, guests do whatever they can to help out. No money is exchanged.

“Many people today want careers, families, travel and holidays all at the same time. Life has its own rhythm. Living in the forest, learning and feeling the rhythm of nature, is the best teacher in life,” he says.

“Admiring the roses in my garden, the wonderful atmosphere when the cows are ruminating – this is sustainable happiness, sustainable luxury.”

(Adapted by Thomas Stephens)

Articles in this story

• Thomas Brunschwig gallery
• Thomas Brunschwig, the non-farming farmer
• Carving meat by day, cutting paper by night

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