The thematic tours through the exhibition “Between two homes – Entre duas pátrias” take up specific topics and deepen them. They can be booked by groups between 5 and 10 people. Larger groups are possible by appointment.

In 1939, BRASILEA founder Walter Wüthrich made the decision to emigrate. The then 21-year-old did not want to go to war – Europe was on the brink of World War 2 – and decided to emigrate to Brazil together with his best friend. In this thematic tour, visitors get to know Walter Wüthrich: His family, his education, his hometown (Basel). They are invited to dive into Wüthrich’s world and accompany the steps of what was probably the most important decision of his life: from the decision to emigrate, to the travel preparations, to the ship journey, as well as the arrival and the first days in Brazil.

The exhibition series “Between Two Homelands – Entre duas pátrias” highlights the multifaceted relations between Switzerland and Brazil. The first exhibition deals with the migration of Swiss to Brazil and of Brazilians to Switzerland. The guided tour “Brazil-Switzerland Connections” offers visitors an insight into the history of migration between Brazil and Switzerland.

Especially in the 19th century, many Swiss emigrated to Brazil. Swiss colonies were formed in Brazil and thus shaped the history of the country. Documents in the exhibition prove that Europeans like the BRASILEA founder were also welcome in Brazil in the 20th century. The immigration of Brazilians to Switzerland is new in comparison. Statements of Brazilians living in Switzerland show why these people live in Switzerland today and if they want to return. Why did these people migrate? What factors have encouraged migration between the two countries?

The tour “Why do people migrate?” tells the life story of Walter Wüthrich as an example to show the reasons why someone decides to emigrate. The focus is on the two rooms of the exhibition that are dedicated to the topics of migration in general. What are push and pull factors in the context of migration? Why do most people come to Switzerland?

Visitors are invited to reflect on whether and under what circumstances they would emigrate.

“In Search of One’s Identity” uses the exhibition “Between Two Homes – Entre duas pátrias” to explain the founder Walter Wüthrich’s identity issues as well as Brazil’s search for identity in the 20th century.

The German-American psychoanalyst Erik H. Erikson defined identity as the intersection “between what a person wants to be and what the world allows him to be.” In 1939, BRASILEA founder Walter Wüthrich did not want to stay in his first homeland because of family tensions and the upcoming war, and saw in emigration the possibility of broadening his horizons and finding his true identity.

Brazil, too, was preoccupied with its own identity in 1939: the Vargas government made great efforts to cultivate the “brasilianidade” and to convey a certain image of Brazil to the outside world, which made the country appear authentic, progressive and attractive.