Love And The Appeal Of A Foreign Culture Took A Swiss Architect To Hungary

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Budapest-based freelance architect Alain Weber now designs homes for clients from Hungary, Germany and Switzerland. This content was published on May 31, 2026 - 10:30 7 minutes

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I am an experienced video journalist passionate about making complex topics accessible and engaging through compelling multimedia storytelling. Focused on social and environmental issues, I produce various video formats on a wide range of topics, specialising in impactful explainer videos with motion graphics and stop-motion animation. During my studies in cinema, English literature and journalism, I've gained experience in radio, television, and print across Switzerland. After working with the Locarno Film Festival's image & sound team, I joined SWI swissinfo in 2018 to produce local and international reportages.

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Deutsch de Schweizer Architekt in Ungarn: ((Ich wollte ein Land, das anders ist als die Schweiz)) Original Read more: Schweizer Architekt in Ungarn: ((Ich wollte ein Land, das anders ist als die Schw Français fr Changer de vie pour créer librement: le pari réussi d'un architecte suisse à Budapest Read more: Changer de vie pour créer librement: le pari réussi d'un architecte suisse à Bud Português pt Arquiteto adapta carreira às diferenças entre Suíça e Hungria Read more: Arquiteto adapta carreira às diferenças entre Suíça e Hu

Weber has a tip for Swiss entrepreneurs who want to set up a business in a foreign country: learn the local language before you move. His Hungarian language skills were a great help to him when he moved from Bern to Budapest in 2016. The prospect of adventure appealed to the young architect.

“I had the feeling that I knew Switzerland very well after 30 years. I just wanted to experience something new and get to know other cultures,” he says.

Our series profiles Swiss men and women founding and building businesses abroad. Through their personal stories, we explore why they choose to pursue projects beyond Switzerland's borders, the working conditions they encounter there, and the challenges and opportunities.

Through their life stories, this series also showcases how the Swiss Abroad community contributes to Switzerland's economic, cultural, and political influence.

Weber was born in the Engadin, eastern Switzerland, moved to Bern with his family at the age of eight and then to Zurich to study. After completing his Master's degree, he worked for three years as an architect with firms in Thun and Bern.

He met his ex-wife, a Hungarian, in 2013 and began to learn Hungarian as the relationship became more stable. This meant he already had a good linguistic foundation when she wanted to return to her home country a few years later. The prospect of a new start appealed to him.

Unlike Germany and Austria, Hungary was exotic and that appealed to him.

“I wanted to live in a country that was different from Switzerland,” he told Swissinfo.

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After the couple moved to Budapest, Weber initially looked for a job in a Hungarian planning office. This was an important step and a valuable time to build the foundations for his future business. He learnt Hungarian technical terms and the peculiarities of Hungarian construction law in his daily dealings with his colleagues. For three years, he worked in the team of a large architectural firm in Budapest, contributing to infrastructure planning for railway and metro stations.

“This time as an employee helped me a lot, even if it was tough at times,” he says.

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