ZH Kolonial

ZH Kolonial (also known as Verein Zürich Kolonial) is a Swiss association of historians based in Zurich that emerged from the academic environment of historical studies in the city. Its central public offering is an audioguide city walk through Zurich that examines the city's colonial entanglements. Although Switzerland formally held no colonies, the association argues that Zurich residents were deeply involved in the colonial projects of other European nations — profiting from overseas plantations, investing in slavery, organizing Völkerschauen (human zoos), and serving as mercenaries in colonial armies. The association aims to educate a broad public about these connections and their ongoing consequences, including global wealth disparities and racist prejudices, and to advocate for a non-violent, just, and tolerant society. The project is designed as a public and cooperative endeavor, with concepts that are continuously reviewed and developed. To make the material accessible to people who cannot be physically present, the texts of the city walk are also available to listen to or read online. The association is represented by Charlotte Hoes, Philipp Krauer, Monique Ligtenberg, Eliane Schmid, and Stephanie Willi. Media coverage, such as a 2021 article in Blick, noted that Zurich was following Bern's launch of a digital city map of its own colonial past, reflecting a broader ongoing reckoning with Swiss colonial history. As a brand, ZH Kolonial functions as a civic-educational platform rather than a commercial product line. Its identity is built around the audioguide and the associated online texts, which together form a guided tour of colonial history in Zurich. The association operates in the German-speaking Swiss context and addresses a German-speaking audience, with its website and materials primarily in German. Its work sits at the intersection of public history, memory culture, and urban education, positioning the city walk as both a tourist experience and a tool for critical historical reflection.

ZH Kolonial, formally the Verein Zürich Kolonial, emerged from the academic environment of historical studies in Zurich. The association was founded by a group of historians — Charlotte Hoes, Philipp Krauer, Monique Ligtenberg, Eliane Schmid, and Stephanie Willi — who sought to bring scholarly research on Swiss colonial involvement to a broader public. The project's central vehicle is an audioguide city walk through Zurich that highlights the city's colonial entanglements. The association emphasizes a public and cooperative approach, continuously reviewing and developing its concepts. The historical context the association addresses is that Switzerland, although formally without colonies, was strongly involved in the colonial projects of other European nations. Zurich residents enriched themselves through overseas plantations, invested in slavery, organized Völkerschauen (human zoos), and served as mercenaries in colonial armies. The association argues that the effects of these activities persist today in the form of global wealth disparities and racist prejudices. By making these connections visible, ZH Kolonial aims to contribute to a non-violent, just, and tolerant society. In June 2021, the Swiss magazine Blick reported on the launch of a city map on Zurich's colonial history, noting that Zurich was following Bern, which had launched a digital city map of its own colonial past the previous year. The article highlighted the cooperation with the association Zürich Kolonial. The association's audioguide and online texts are designed to be accessible to people who cannot be physically present, allowing them to listen to or read the material online. The association continues to operate as a civic-educational initiative in Zurich.

• Association Zürich Kolonial emerges from Zurich's academic historical studies environment

• Blick reports on the launch of a city map on Zurich's colonial history in cooperation with Zürich Kolonial

Public-history and educational platform using an audioguide city walk to raise awareness of Zurich's colonial entanglements.

• Audioguide city walk through Zurich's colonial past

  A guided city walk with audio commentary on Zurich's colonial entanglements.

• Online texts of the city walk

  Texts available online to listen to or read for those not physically present.

1. 1ZH Kolonialzh-kolonial.ch
2. 2ZH Kolonial – Über unszh-kolonial.ch
3. 3ZH kolonialwikidata.org