KRISHNA IN SWITZERLAND
In the 1970's a few young Swiss had joined the Krishna Temple in Geneva, which was being built by devotees from France. From there they moved to a small, simple country estate outside the municipality of Düdingen (FR). In 1979, the Krishnas rented a small apartment in Zurich District 4 and from there they searched intensively for a larger building for the temple.
And, they actually found what they were looking for: a stately villa in a prime location at Bergstrasse 54, in the posh district 7 of the city of Zurich.
The stately patrician villa was built in 1909 by the Julius Bär family of bankers. However, after the family lived in it for many decades, the villa stood empty for years and was almost demolished. Fortunately, the authorities intervened, because the house is under homeland security.
With a lot of effort and dedication, the young Krishna devotees renovated the newly acquired house over months and transformed the old, abandoned banker's villa into a lively, spiritual center, an authentic Krishna temple.
This centrally located temple offered the Krishna devotees space for a larger temple community. New possibilities opened up to offer lectures, events and the popular Sunday festival. As a result, the number of members increased within a few years, and the Krishna temple on Bergstrasse in Zurich soon became a well-known address throughout the city.
The temple still fulfills various functions today. On the one hand, it is the home of Sri Krishna in the form of the Deities. Putting Krishna, God, back in the center of life should be exemplified in the temple. On the other hand, the temple offers the opportunity for exchange between spiritual seekers and like-minded people. Over a dozen major festivals are celebrated in the temple each year. In addition, the temple serves as a place of education, not only for the ashrama residents, but also for the community and the public in general.
At the temple we dedicate ourselves to the practice and sharing of the timeless culture and way of life of bhakti yoga as taught to us by the great spiritual teacher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. You are heartily invited to participate in our daily activities and events!
In our anniversary brochure you will find a lot more information about the history of the Krishna Temple and the movement in Switzerland:
