Mavericks
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Why a Themed Dossier? This dossier on one single topic is intended to inspire journalists to discover Zurich and the many stories it has to tell. It includes profiles of people who shape our town in diverse ways, each of whom shares insights into their lives and working environments. These people come in as many different facets as the city itself. Their stories give ideas to everyone who would like to visit Zurich and pursue their own research in greater depth. Journalists and editorial departments are welcome to use these texts and photos for free (source: ZĂźrich Tourism). Additional photos are available for downloading at zuerich.com/themeddossier
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GrossmĂźnster church at Zwingliplatz
Preface Did Zurich sleep through the anniversary of the
Ever since, Zurich has been home to mavericks
Reformation? Luther and the Reformation were
whose work inspires and excites in equal measure.
already celebrated heartily in Germany in 2017. But
Visionaries who dare to do something new. People
Zurich isn’t Wittenberg, and Zwingli isn’t Luther:
like Christian Bärtsch, who turns mealworms into
Zwingli was more creative and sophisticated,
burgers and insect “meatballs,” or Daniel Dreifuss,
according to “Zeit Online”. And
who
traded
investment
creativity and sophistication
banking for his passion of
will also feature prominently in
Reto
Knutti,
the anniversary celebrations
who
became
#ZH-Reformation through to
communicator by accident and
2019.
constantly explains patiently to
the
scientist
a
climate
the media why people simply Zwingli was a maverick and
have to do something about
his Bible translation made
global warming. The artists
it clear to even the most
Brigitte Dätwyler and Lena
ordinary citizens that sins
Maria Thüring take a look at the
couldn’t be offset with money,
rites and religions of women
which led to the abolition
from migrant backgrounds,
of indulgence trading. He
while filmmaker Stefan Haupt
stopped celibacy himself to be able to marry his
has made a film about Zwingli that brings his wife
wife Anna. And his struggle against mercenary
Anna to fore and tells the story from her perspective.
activity and fight for social welfare supported
They are all constantly changing, revolutionizing and
by the church turned Zurich into Switzerland’s
reforming Zurich anew, and ensuring that the city
biggest economic success. It still is to this day.
will still be talked about in the future.
Martin Sturzenegger, CEO Zürich Tourism
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Themed Dossier Zurich | Mavericks
Pages 6 – 9
The Influencer | Huldrych Zwingli
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Pages 10 – 13
A Flavor Revolution | Christian Bärtsch, Essento
Pages 14 – 17
The Climate Communicator | Reto Knutti
Pages 18 – 21
The Power of the Collective | Brigitte Dätwyler and Lena Maria Thüring
Pages 22 – 25
The Creative Eye | Stefan Haupt
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Pages 26 – 29
The Collector of People | Daniel Dreifuss
Pages 32 – 35 ZURICH-NORD
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Information, Map, Imprint & Contact
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The Influencer | Huldrych Zwingli If Zwingli were still alive today, he would certainly be an influencer, as he was already a modern thinker in his day. Zurich is celebrating Zwingli and the Reformation over the next two years. And for us he has risen once again. Finally, Huldrych Zwingli puts his cellphone to the side. He’s been busy writing messages on it since we met in his “Stube,” as the people of Zurich call Zwingli’s workrooms in the Grossmünster. And he still keeps looking at his screen, where we can spot Twitter’s little blue bird. We ask him what it’s all about. “Well,” he begins: “… you guys know I’m an ‘influencer.’ That means I need to be online constantly.” But it remains to be seen whether it really is a must for our famous discussion partner. But one thing is clear: through him,
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the word of God reaches the people. And his tweets
What a clever guy, we think – and an influential one,
are popular. They reach about a billion followers*
too. He’s had the people of Zurich in the palm of
each day – at all times of the day and night. It’s no
his hand all the time, 500 years after he took office
wonder that his motivating and encouraging words
at the Grossmünster church. There’s a reason we
help many through their everyday lives: “Tuond umb
call Zurich Zwingli City after all. That will be heartily
Gotzwillen etwas Dapfers!” [Do something bold, for
celebrated through 2019. With highlights including
God’s sake!] Or “Wo sich Gott ufftuot, da muoss
#TheseZwinglisAgain, #ThinksgivingFestival and
der Tüfel wychen.” [Where there is God, the Devil
#SchoolofAction.
must give way.] Through early 2019, the varied, long-running That’s why we call him a real revolutionary. But
festival celebrating the anniversary of the
Zwingli doesn’t want to know: “No, my dear
Reformation will take place across various
people,” he says, “I’m no revolutionary! A reformer
venues throughout Switzerland (such as the
for all I care, but a revolutionary?” He seems
Schauspielhaus, the Opera House, Theater
modest, this lay priest who was called from rural
Neumarkt, the university, the National Museum),
Toggenburg in the east of Switzerland to Zurich and
and independent artists as well as scientists from
its Grossmünster church.
all over Europe will take part. zh-reformation.ch
And another thing we say confuses him: “Why do I tweet so much?” he asks, astonished. But he then explains – with great generosity, just like he gives of himself: “You probably know that I translated the Zurich Bible from Latin into German. I did it more quickly than Luther,” he adds with a triumphant wink. “At my friend’s place, the printer Christoph Froschauer – where we ate sausages one time during Lent,” he adds, giggling and whispering, “… I printed the New Testament first, then parts of the Old Testament.” He explains that his translation finally meant everyone could read the Bible and understand it. But, says Zwingli, sighing: “Sadly people are lazy. They don’t read whole Bibles any
* The number of Christians worldwide according to
more. So I tweet extracts from it. With these 280
The Changing Global Religious Landscape, Pew
characters, I’m reaching my whole flock.”
Research Center, as on April 5, 2017
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A Flavor Revolution | Christian Bärtsch, Essento There’s a real buzz about this new gourmet sensation: with his company Essento, Christian Bärtsch makes burgers, “meatballs” and even energy bars out of insects, shaping the lifestyle of generations to come. Revolutionary Delicious – that’s the Essento motto. The nutrition revolution that Christian Bärtsch and his team are striving for often provokes astonishment and skepticism in this part of the world, as it’s all about insects. In one of Switzerland’s largest grocery stores, you can now find burgers, “meatballs” and, most recently, energy bars made from insects: “Insects are excellent sources of protein, so what’s more relevant than packing them into sports snacks?” asks Christian Bärtsch, cutting straight to the point. His
motivations include the desire to steer overall meat
a little,” says Bärtsch. At the Frankfurt Book Fair,
consumption toward sustainable levels.
the cookery book promptly won the Silver Medal awarded by the German Gastronomic Academy
For the young entrepreneur who changed career,
(GAD) as one of the best German-language
eating insects has also been part of his everyday diet
cookbooks.
for a long time. Just like for 30 percent of the global population, incidentally. Only in Europe and North
Thanks to Essento, Switzerland has assumed a
America this is a groundbreaking concept. Even
leading role in Europe when it comes to insect
Bärtsch’s
friends
and
family were surprised by his journey from studying economics to cooking with insects. Thanks to
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“In a few years, we’ll be laughing at all the fuss we used to make about eating insects.”
nutrition,
and
company’s always
sell
the
products out
very
quickly. Christian Bärtsch also traces this back
him, insects – crickets, locusts and mealworms,
to Zurich and the people who live here: “For
to be more specific – have been a legal form of
Switzerland, for Essento, and for me, Zurich is the
food in Switzerland since May 2017. To attract
crux of everything. Here, professionals from the uni
political attention to his plans, he organized an
and ETH encounter a really international and open
“Insect Apéro,” together with some people of like
audience with a real interest in food, who like to try
mind in the lobby of the Swiss Federal Palace. By
new things.” The maverick Bärtsch is certain: “In a
all accounts, the parliamentarians were pleasantly
few years, we’ll be laughing at all the fuss we used
surprised and – to Bärtsch’s particular delight –
to make about eating insects.”
curious to know more. Once food legislation was changed, everything escalated quickly and production could begin. Just one thing: how do you sell snacking on insects to your customers? The young businessman had a smart marketing idea: to dispel people’s feelings of disgust, he worked with gourmet chefs, famous
CONTACT DETAILS
authors, and a food photographer to produce a
Essento Food AG
cookbook (“Grille, Heuschrecken & Co.” [Crickets,
Aargauerstrasse 3
Locusts & Co.]. “People really love cookbooks. And
CH-8048 Zürich
when they see the wonderful pictures of the tasty
christian@essento.ch
dishes, maybe that starts to lower their inhibitions
essento.ch
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The Climate Communicator | Reto Knutti Although the issue of climate change is everywhere, very few people enjoy talking about it. Reto Knutti, a professor of climate physics, is working on how to present issues such as energy systems, climate change, and research in ways that are hip, exciting, and as easy to understand as possible. “We’re running out of time,” says Reto Knutti, professor of climate physics at the renowned Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich). He is talking about the impact humans are having on our climate. That may sound bleak, but almost no one knows better than he does: Reto Knutti heads the climate physics group at the Atmosphere and Climate Institute. He is also one of the principal authors of the international IPCC climate report, which says that global warming is a reality. With his team, Reto Knutti is
developing a computer model of the climate system
and shouldn’t do. That only leads to a defensive
to understand how it works, what it does, and how
attitude.” Instead, the issue has to become cool
it will develop in future. “It’s like a weather forecast,
and hip. He mentions the Tesla as an example.
only for the next hundred years, instead of the next
The car is beautiful and powerful, which makes it
two days,” he explains. It’s a lovely sunny afternoon
desirable. These examples are important, but Knutti
when we visit the professor in his light-filled office
also emphasizes Switzerland’s leading role: “If we
on Zurich’s university hill. The sun shines through
can’t lead the way in Zurich with our infrastructure,
the big windows, and Lake Zurich glistens in the
how is it supposed to happen elsewhere in the
distance.
The
picture
is so perfect that you want to dismiss climate change as a figment
“In Zwingli’s time – 500 years ago – it was much cooler than it is today.”
world?” Spurring society into
taking
collective
action to combat climate change calls for a leader,
of someone’s imagination. “The issue of climate
a maverick. Someone who inspires people, like
change is uncomfortable for people,” admits Reto
Zwingli once did with his Reformation: “People
Knutti. “But people have to hurt a little bit more
behave like a herd, and if someone offers inspiration,
before they react.”
many people will follow them.”
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Alongside his professorial duties, Reto Knutti does a lot of public relations work. He wants to make the expertise the ETH has to offer accessible and understandable for a wider public: “Measures for tackling climate change are about fairness for future generations. At the end of the day, we have to take the first big step together. Because the facts are clear: A. It’s getting warmer, B. People have caused it and C. To prevent it, we have to reduce CO2 emissions.” But for him, it’s clear: “Who has a guilty conscience
CONTACT DETAILS
when they fly off on holiday or drive a car? People stick
ETH Zurich Atmosphere and Climate Institute
to any argument that eases their own conscience.”
Universitätstrasse 16
That’s why the professor is forcing a shift in how
CH-8092 Zürich
the problem of the climate is communicated:
reto.knutti@env.ethz.ch
“We should stop telling people what they should
iac.ethz.ch
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The Power of the Collective | Brigitte Dätwyler and Lena Maria Thüring To mark the anniversary of the Reformation, Brigitte Dätwyler and Lena Maria Thüring are creating the art project “Work as love. Love as work.” Both artists wish to inspire thought with it. We have the independent curator Damian Christinger to thank for this collaboration between artists Brigitte Dätwyler and Lena Maria Thüring: he was commissioned by the association 500 Years of Zurich’s Reformation to create a project as part of the anniversary of the Reformation. “He married us for this project,” laugh the two engaging women. “Damian has done a lot of research into the history of the Reformation
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and the role of women in the Reformation,” they explain. He had the idea of creating an art project
Both Dätwyler and Thüring see their art as research,
together with the FIZ, a specialist unit dealing with
where they delve into a variety of issues. Dätwyler’s
the trafficking of women and women’s migration.
work includes team-building events and developing
The artists – who describe themselves as feminists
organizations, where she views issues surrounding
– met at the Zurich School of Art (ZHdK). The
work and motivation through a creative lens. And
challenge
immediately
appealed to them. But with
the
assumption
of having free rein to shape the project: “If
“It’s a kind of choreography based on the women’s biographical material.”
Lena Maria Thüring uses her art to continually learn from the everyday. As researching, investigating artists,
as
they
see
we imposed a particular theme on the women, it
themselves, they are currently becoming “semi-
would seem artificial and unrealistic.” Accordingly,
experts,” as Thüring calls it – but with the freedom
Dätwyler and Thüring decided to accompany the
to use the knowledge they acquire as creatively as
women on several days’ shooting and work with
they wish.
them to produce a piece which ultimately appears as a video installation with the title ‘Work as Love.
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Love as work.’ Hailing from Columbia, Brazil, and Iraq, the women bring with them various cultures and religions. They have to get used to one another and build trust with the artists. “That’s why we probably won’t film them head on, but their hands, gestures, and movements
CONTACT DETAILS
instead.” There are five days of shooting about
Brigitte Dätwyler
culture and ritual. There is cooking, dancing, and
Kurhausstrasse 20
singing. At the first meeting, each woman brings a
CH-8032 Zürich
recipe from her homeland, another time they sew
info@brigittedaetwyler.ch
a costume – you could describe it as a uniform.
brigittedaetwyler.ch
Where the women come from takes a back seat. At the end of the day, these pieces are stories in
Lena Maria Thüring
performance: “It’s a kind of choreography based
Rousseaustrasse 59
on the women’s biographical material. The aim is
CH-8037 Zürich
to develop a power of the collective that is hopefully
mail@lenathuering.net
visible as a community.”
lenathuering.net
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The Creative Eye | Stefan Haupt Director and filmmaker Stefan Haupt is better known to a wider public for his docudrama “Der Kreis” [The Circle], which tells the story of gay people in Zurich. His latest film is about the reformer Zwingli. When asked whether he sees himself as a maverick, Stefan Haupt hesitates: “What my friends say is that I get deeper into the stories I tell in my films than others do.” Young filmmakers in particular often focus on visual aesthetics, but he wants to bring the roots of each story to the surface. That also requires “a healthy mixture of curiosity, tenacity, and the ability to listen to people.” The trained drama teacher came to film through a lucky coincidence – a friend spontaneously got him involved in a film project with young people.
The fact that Haupt focuses on the core of the
of the Bible into German, it became comprehensible
story and doesn’t get caught up on everything else
for a wider public. He pushed through social
isn’t just clear from “The Circle.” which won the
welfare which was revolutionary for the time, and
Audience Prize and Teddy Award at the Berlinale
he helped pave the way toward Swiss democracy.
and represented Switzerland in the running for the
“Zwingli was a clever man and changed a lot of
Oscars. “Ein Lied für Argyris” [A Song for Argyris]
things in Zurich that the city still has him to thank for
floors its audience and the latest project “Zwingli”
today.” This modern pioneer – in contrast to Martin
also promises to be just as thrilling a success.
Luther, Zwingli read the work of Aristotle, Erasmus
In “The Circle,” Haupt shines a light on the thrilling
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story
of
gay
“One successful film does not make an old-age pension.”
of Rotterdam, and Pico della
Mirandola
–
is
someone Haupt wishes to profile and bring closer
people living in Zurich in the 1950s and 1960s. The
to a wider audience through his film. To do this, he is
action is enhanced with documentary sections in
even having the heated pews removed from inside
which our heroes Röbi Rapp and Ernst Ostertag,
the Grossmünster church. Haupt is clear: “It’s going
still happily living together to this day, tell their
to be expensive, but it’ll be worth it!” And who
story. An enthralling and moving story that received
knows, maybe there will even be a film premiere in
awards at home and abroad. Acquaintances and
the Grossmünster, where Zwingli worked 500 years
friends thought that its success had turned the
ago? “With a standing audience,” we smile. After
director into a made man. “Or so you might think!”,
all, that’s how they did it in churches back in 1500.
laughs Haupt. “One successful film does not make an old-age pension”. The director, who feels, reads, and thinks his way into each of his films, has so far consistently turned down teaching contracts and other fixed sources of income – even though he has four kids. “Anyone who says you can’t feed your family on no money isn’t very creative,” he smiles. CONTACT DETAILS His creativity and eye for detail can also be seen
Fontana Film GmbH
in his latest project on the reformer Zwingli.
Dienerstrasse 7
Haupt is brimming with enthusiasm just telling the
CH-8004 Zürich
story: “Zwingli did so much that I find brilliant and
stefan.haupt@fontanafilm.ch
surprising.” Thanks to Zwingli’s complete translation
fontanafilm.ch
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The Collector of People | Daniel Dreifuss Watch lovers worldwide will know his label Maurice de Mauriac. A visit to the watchmaker and master of color shows how and why a former banker is making it in the watch business. “I didn’t learn it from scratch,” says Daniel Dreifuss at the beginning of our conversation. He’s an enfant terrible in this traditional Swiss industry. “But I’m still successful, because everything I do is based on the virtues of patience, humility, and hard work – as well as courage and intelligence.” When you listen to him in his vibrant atelier – the heart of the brand – you feel the positive vibrations that Daniel radiates. He didn’t just get into watchmaking on a whim, even though his resume might suggest otherwise.
After training as a banker, design-obsessed
Dreifuss is the only watchmaker to have specialized
Dreifuss went to New York to take up investment
in watch straps too. “No one has as many
banking on Wall Street. When his employer went
different watch straps as I do,” he says proudly.
bankrupt as a result of insider trading, he came to
Other renowned jewelers send their customers
Zurich four years later, unemployed and virtually
to him when they are looking for custom designs.
penniless.
Here,
he
helped a businessman sell 10,000 promotional watches
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quite
by
“The only luck I ever had in my life was the moment I met my wife.”
Fulfilling
these
is
Dreifuss’s greatest joy: “My watches are pure luxury. Not the kind of
accident. Spurred by this success, he turned
luxury you associate with yachts and champagne,
watchmaking into a career – for ten years. In 1997,
but the luxury of possessing a unique collector’s
he then took the leap toward his own brand –
item that will be passed down through generations.
Maurice de Mauriac. “I was already fascinated by
Nothing is as close to your heart as a watch,” he
watches back when I was a kid. I loved the ticking
says with a wink. Daniel Dreifuss is a philosopher,
and whirring,” he says. His cousin was married to
and his greatest fascination is his customers: “I am
a man who manufactured watches. With his own
a collector of people,” he says. He loves to listen
business, he was therefore fulfilling a long-held
and is interested in what makes other people tick.
ambition.
This characteristic is reflected in the atelier, which is full of found design objects and mementos from all
Dreifuss doesn’t do anything by accident. Take the
over the world. He put some of them here himself,
brand name, for example, which was painstakingly
but he receives many of them from his customers,
put together: “As the name of a watch brand, Daniel
who have long been close friends of the firm.
Dreifuss just doesn’t sound sexy,” he explains. Not wishing to disown his Jewish roots, he chose a French equivalent of Moses: Maurice. He admits that the extra “de” sounds very sophisticated. And Mauriac is a tribute to the author François Mauriac, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. Dreifuss
CONTACT DETAILS
had therefore chosen two patron saints for his
Maurice de Mauriac
business, because the philosophical watchmaker
Tödistrasse 48
does not trust in luck alone. “The only luck I ever
CH-8002 Zürich
had in my life was the moment I met my wife,” he
info@mauricedemauriac.ch
says.
mauricedemauriac.ch
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Zurich by night
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Further Information Huldrych Zwingli zuerich.com/reformation Christian Bärtsch | Essento Food AG essento.ch delicious-insects.ch facebook.com/essento instagram.com/essentofood Reto Knutti | Atmosphere and Climate Institute ETH Zurich iac.ethz.ch Brigitte Dätwyler and Lena Maria Thüring 32
brigittedaetwyler.ch lenathuering.net fiz-info.ch 500 Years of Zurich’s Reformation Association zh-reformation.ch/projekt/illuminations Stefan Haupt | Fontana Film GmbH fontanafilm.ch zwingli-film.ch derkreis-film.ch Daniel Dreifuss | Maurice de Mauriac mauricedemauriac.ch facebook.com/mauricedemauriac instagram.com/mauriaczurich
Map of Zurich
ZURICH-NORD
Lena Maria Thüring Rousseaustrasse 59 CH-8037 Zürich
LIMMAT Christian Bärtsch Essento Food AG Aargauerstrasse 3 CH-8048 Zürich
ZURICH-WEST Stefan Haupt Fontana Film GmbH Dienerstrasse 7 CH-8004 Zürich
Brigitte Dätwyler Kurhausstrasse 20 CH-8032 Zürich
TOWN CENTER
Institute ETH Zurich Universitätsstrasse 16 CH-8092 Zürich
SIHL Daniel Dreifuss Maurice de Mauriac Tödistrasse 48 CH-8002 Zürich
Reto Knutti
NIEDERDORF Atmosphere and Climate
SEEFELD Huldrych Zwingli
ENGE
Grossmünsterplatz CH-8001 Zürich
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The Grossmünster church in Zurich’s Old Town
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