Swiss memorial for the victims of National Socialism – a place of remembrance in Bern – FAQs

Q&A

How did the idea for a memorial to the victims of National Socialism come about?

Historical research has made progress in recent decades and awareness of Switzerland's role during the Second World War has shifted. For example, the public are increasingly realising that Swiss people were also deported to concentration camps and killed. There is now also a deeper understanding of Switzerland's restrictive refugee policy. In addition, Switzerland has been a member of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance since 2004 and has undertaken to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive.

More than 60 memorial sites have been built in Switzerland since 1945, most of which are small-scale, private initiatives and many are in Jewish cemeteries. However, Switzerland does not currently have a national memorial to the victims of National Socialism.

Starting in 2019, a coalition of civil society organisations, including the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad, the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities, the Archives of Contemporary History at ETH-Zürich and the Christian-Jewish Working Group in Switzerland (cja) instigated the development of a concept for a Swiss national memorial. With broad support from politicians, the cultural sector and civil society, as well as the cantonal churches and Muslim organisations, it was submitted to the Federal Council in 2021.

www.swissmemorial.ch

Why is the federal government – and therefore the taxpayer – spending CHF 2.5 million on this?

The political calls to build a memorial to the victims of National Socialism in Switzerland date back to two motions from 2021 (Mo. Heer 21.3181 and Mo. Jositsch 21.3172), which were unanimously adopted by Parliament. The Federal Council announced in April 2023 that a memorial would be built in Bern. Such a commitment from the federal government, today – 80 years since the end of the Second World War – is particularly important as fewer and fewer survivors and contemporary witnesses are still alive to tell their stories, and Holocaust distortion and antisemitism are on the rise again

Bern City Council is making the site available free of charge. The costs for the planning and realisation are relatively moderate for a structural and artistic project in the public space. 

How will the public be informed?

Information will be regularly published on each stage of the memorial’s planning and realisation. Before the competition is announced, a press release will be published outlining the key aspects. After the competition, a public exhibition will showcase the best entries. The building permit procedure required after the winning entry has been announced will follow the usual principles of participation in the city of Bern. The FDFA will publish the key developments and milestones in a dedicated section on its website which anyone can access.

Who is the memorial aimed at?

The memorial is essentially intended for the general public. It should also introduce the topic to those who have no personal connection to Swiss history during the Nazi era, and allow them to explore the themes in more depth. However, the design of the memorial and the educational and mediation services offered will take particular account of certain groups of people:

• Relatives and descendants of victim groups and helpers, for whom the memorial can be a place of remembrance and a sign of the recognition of the victims' suffering and long-time lack of regard.
• Teenagers and young adults (schoolchildren and students) who visit the site on an excursion with a teacher or supervisor and who engage with the topics and questions raised by the memorial, either on site or afterwards, in a contextualised, educational framework.

How will the memorial link to the present day?

The memorial will focus on the Nazi era and the Second World War, based on historical facts and insights. It should also draw a line from the past to the present and into the future. In this way it is intended to encourage a reflective approach to the challenges of the present and future. There will be a particular focus on promoting and upholding democracy, the rule of law, freedom and fundamental rights, and on preventing atrocities.

How will security be ensured?

The bodies involved consider security a priority. The project management and supporting association will develop a security concept in good time and approve it with the relevant government agencies.

Why is the federal government planning a memorial right now?

The crimes of the Second World War are of lasting historical significance to Switzerland. The unanimous decisions of both chambers of the Swiss parliament and the decision of the Federal Council and the City of Bern to build a memorial in the Swiss capital are therefore a strong sign of Switzerland's political will to come to terms with the country's history during the Nazi era, commemorate its victims and assume historical responsibility. Through this engagement with the past, the site will also encourage a deeper understanding of the present, where conflicts, wars, human rights violations and atrocities still occur much too frequently.

Who is overseeing the project?

The Federal Council instructed the FDFA to implement the project in partnership with the City of Bern. The steering committee that has been set up for this purpose includes representatives of the federal government, Bern City Council and the project initiators, and steers the project from a political and strategic perspective. A project committee prepares the decisions together with the external project managers and is responsible for making proposals to the steering committee.

Who can submit proposals for the memorial?

The competition is open to all interested applicants. Based on the eligibility criteria, the jury will initially select a number of teams composed from the fields of architecture/landscape architecture, art, and history education who will then work up their entries. The winning entry will then be selected from this group. 

What role is the City of Bern playing?

As the city authority, the City of Bern plays a key role. It is providing significant support, for example by making the site available. It is therefore represented on the steering committee through two members of the City Council. The project committee also comprises two representatives in order to safeguard the City of Bern's interests.

What will happen after the memorial is built?

Once the memorial site has been completed, a supporting association will be responsible for its operation. Besides upkeep and maintenance, this includes planning and implementing the educational and mediation content that will be available on the site.

The supporting association will ensure that the site allows different types of use – from quiet visits by individuals to guided and commentated tours for group visits, e.g. school trips. Ideally, the memorial will provide space for commemorative events and temporary activities.

Who will finance its operation?

The supporting association was founded on June 10, 2025, by several well-established organizations active throughout Switzerland, namely the Federation of Swiss Jewish Communities (SIG), the Society for Minorities in Switzerland (GMS), and the Archives of Contemporary History at ETH Zurich (AfZ). The admission of new members, the conclusion of institutional partnerships and the financing arrangements for activities are currently being prepared. At a later stage, support will also be provided to the cross-border information centre in the St. Gallen Rhine Valley.

What are the core messages of the memorial?

The core messages of the memorial are:

• Entanglement: Switzerland was entangled with other countries in various ways, and therefore also with the Nazi and Fascist regimes.
• Persecution: Although Switzerland was well aware of the persecution, it refused sanctuary to those whose lives were in immediate danger.
• Responsibility: Everyone in Switzerland had scope for action within their respective roles and functions, and bore responsibility for their decisions.
• Understanding: Engaging with National Socialism and Fascism helps us understand the present and shows where the discrimination and exclusion of minorities can lead.

Is the memorial in Bern an isolated project?

When the Federal Council approved the creation of a memorial in Bern in 2023, it also announced its support for a cross-border information and education centre in St Gallen's Rhine Valley.  The centre will focus on Switzerland's restrictive refugee policy and tell stories of escape across the Swiss border – which played a key role during the Second World War and still has historical significance today. Starting with the St Gallen educational centre, a nationwide network of memorials is being developed since the beginning of 2025 with the creation of an association funded by the Federal Office of Culture.

The planned educational centre on the Swiss-Austrian border (Diepoldsau) is a cross-border project involving the Jewish Museum of Hohenems, the local authorities and the Canton of St Gallen. It is supported by the Swiss federal government (via the national network) and the Canton of St Gallen, as well as the authorities in the neighbouring countries of Liechtenstein, Austria and Germany.

The memorial in Bern, the cross-border information centre in the Rhine Valley, and the national network association thus all fall under the nationwide project 'Memorial to the victims of National Socialism'. This takes account of the initiators' concept which proposed that the project should be based on the three pillars of “remembrance, transmission and networking”. The development and networking tasks of the three sub-projects are currently under way.