Swiss Center of North America

10/24/2026

❤️🇨🇭❤️

Did you know you can visit Bern, Fribourg, Glarus and Zurich without setting foot in Switzerland? 🇨🇭✈️

In the 19th century, many Swiss left home to escape famine, economic crises or religious pressure, and some took the names of their home towns with them. Here's where they ended up 👇

🇧🇷 Nova Friburgo, Brazil
In 1819–20, 1,458 Swiss emigrants travelled down the Aare and the Rhine and across the Atlantic to settle in the hills near Rio de Janeiro. Today, the city has around 190,000 inhabitants and is known for lingerie, strawberries and trout farming 🍓

🇺🇸 New Glarus, Wisconsin
108 settlers from Glarus arrived in 1845 after a journey of more than four months. Dairy farming made the colony thrive 🧀 and every September, the village stages Schiller's Wilhelm Tell 🏹

🇺🇸 Berne, Indiana
Founded in 1852 by Swiss Mennonites from the Bernese Jura. Its clock tower is a near replica of Bern's Zytglogge, complete with a glockenspiel 🕰️

🇨🇦 Zurich, Ontario
Laid out in the 1850s by Swiss settler Frederick Knell near Lake Huron. Today it's famous for its annual Bean Festival 🫘

🇺🇾 Nueva Helvecia, Uruguay
"New Helvetia" was founded in 1862 by Swiss farmers, who brought cheese-making with them: it's the birthplace of Queso Colonia 🧀 And every 1 August, the town still celebrates Swiss National Day 🎉

🇦🇺 Grindelwald, Tasmania
And a plot twist 😮 This one was built in the 1980s by a Dutch immigrant, Roelf Vos. The story goes that his wife fell in love with the real Grindelwald, so he built her a Swiss village of her own 🏡❤️

This list is not exhaustive so are there any Swiss namesake near you?

10/16/2026

WE HAVE A NEW ROOF! ❤️🏠

We’re happy to share that the Swiss Center roof has been successfully replaced! 🎉

A HUGE thank you to everyone who donated to help make this happen - we couldn’t have done it without your support. We are so grateful for each and every one of you!

Your generosity has helped protect the Swiss Center's legacy, and the many memories and treasures preserved within its walls.

Thank you for being there for us and for helping us protect this special place in our Swiss-American and Swiss-Canadian community. We appreciate you more than you know! 🇨🇭🇺🇸🇨🇦

10/12/2026

The Swiss Center attended the Swiss American Historical Society's annual meeting at the Embassy of Switzerland in the United States of America in Washington, DC this last weekend! The speaker panel featured topics about the Sister Republics of Switzerland and the US. It was a great gathering of Swiss-American history enthusiasts, thanks for hosting! 🇨🇭🇺🇸

10/06/2026

The Swiss Center was delighted to host Landammann Markus Heer of Kanton Glarus this past weekend in New Glarus! A group of local stakeholders met with the Landammann to discuss how economic development, education, and tourism can strengthen the ties between Old Glarus and New Glarus. Thanks for visiting! 🇨🇭🤝

09/22/2026

The Swiss Center was at Monroe, Wisconsin's Cheese Days Festival last weekend! Lots of cheese, lots of fun, but our favorite part is always the Swiss music at Turner Hall of Monroe . Thank you to all the performers, you did a fabulous job! 🇨🇭🎶

09/14/2026

If you're near Monroe, Wisconsin this weekend, be sure to explore the Cheese Days Festival, and especially the many Swiss heritage events - it's worth the trip! 🇨🇭🎶

Please share with your friends and family!

08/26/2026

If you're in the Newark, California area this weekend, be sure to attend the Aelpler Gruppe Swiss Club's Fall Schwingfest! 🤼

It'll be a full day of Swiss spirit, wrestling, and great company - hope you can make it! 🇨🇭

08/19/2026

In 1971, Wisconsin proclaimed a Wilhelm Tell Weekend in honor of the hard work put into the creation of the popular New Glarus play, which "contributed much to the Swiss-American culture of this state." 🏹🍎

You can see what the fuss is all about this weekend at the Wilhelm Tell Festival in New Glarus - catch the play either Saturday or Sunday, August 22-23 at 1:00 PM! 🇨🇭

https://wilhelmtellfestival.org/

08/04/2026

Were you at Volksfest New Glarus this year? 🇨🇭🎉

What an AMAZING weekend! From the perfect weather and incredible crowds to the unforgettable performances by some of the best Swiss musicians on the continent, this year's Volksfest was one for the books. Thanks to New Glarus Männerchor for always putting on an impressive show!

We've got a ton of photos to share with you - see if you can find yourself in the crowd, and we'll see you next year! 🇨🇭❤️

08/04/2026