Consulate General of Switzerland in Chicago

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Consulate General of Switzerland in Chicago

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Grüezi, Bonjour, Buongiorno, Bun di! Welcome to the official page of the Consulate General of Switzerland in Chicago.

11/06/2026

Sarah Strohm, a promising Swiss violist player, performed at DYNAMIKfest Chicago, which took place October 16-25, 2026.

In our "Espresso with..." she tells us more about the festival and how she started playing the viola.🎻

Thank you, Sarah, and we hope to see you soon in the Windy City!

Be sure to check out our article on SwissImpact via the link in the comments.👇

10/27/2026

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 👇

🇺🇸 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 🕰️

🇧🇷 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 🍓

🇨🇦 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?

10/20/2026

On the occasion of Gallatin Day, the Consulate hosted a book launch event at the residence to commemorate the 2nd Edition of “Swiss Impact in the Midwest”. 📖 🇨🇭
Among the present guests were several individuals whose stories are told in the book, including Martin Weber, Lydia Bieri, Tony Zgraggen, Thomas Zoells, Patrick Bolt and Andre Bachmann.

The first book was the result of a History Blog that Joerg Oberschmied began in 2020 and focused on the many Swiss pioneers who helped build America’s Midwest. Among them were the Chevrolet Brothers, the Swiss Cheesemakers in Wisconsin, the Sulzer Brothers, who arrived even before the City of Chicago was incorporated, and Jean Piccard, who was the inspiration for Star Treks Captain Picard, among many others. This second edition contains interviews of contemporary Swiss in the Midwest. The online version of the book will be available soon on the SwissImpact website for free. 📚

Thank you to everyone who attended this event and a special thank you to the Swiss Benevolent Society of Chicago, that generously supported the second edition! We were able to enjoy delicious cheese 🧀 and a special Welcome Apéro 🍷 “Spirit of Switzerland”.

10/12/2026

🇨🇭🇨🇭 Two Swiss champions, two victories, two records! 🏆
What an incredible day for Switzerland at the Chicago Marathon yesterday! 🇺🇸

🥇 Catherine Debrunner smashed the women's wheelchair marathon world record, finishing in 1:33:16.

🥇 Marcel Hug claimed his 7th Chicago victory, setting a new course record in 1:21:34.

And there's even more: fellow Swiss athlete Manuela Schär finished third in the women's wheelchair race! 🥉

A remarkable day for Swiss para athletics!

🎉Congratulations to the winners and to all those that participated!🎉

09/17/2026

What better way to welcome the weekend than with the sounds of Chicago?
Two Chicago favorites, Swiss-born Sam Burckhardt and Jeremy Kahn, are celebrating the release of their newest CD “Lucky Dragonfly” at Pianoforte on September 18.
Expect blues, jazz and swing tomorrow from 7 to 8:30 pm.

Find out more about the event here: https://pianofortechicago.com/event/sam-burckhardt-and-jeremy-kahn-cd-release-of-lucky-dragonfly

09/14/2026

Consul General Beat Schmid was pleased to attend the Chicago Consular Corps Diplomatic Roundtable & Reception on September 10, organized by World Business Chicago.
The invitation from Mayor Brandon Johnson provided an excellent opportunity for constructive dialogue and the discussion of various important issues.

09/02/2026

We look forward to welcoming Swiss violist Sarah Strohm to the Windy City! 🎻

Named a Classic FM Rising Star 2026, Sarah will participate at DYNAMIKfest Chicago, the classical contemporary chamber music festival taking place October 16-25, 2026.
In anticipation of this event, Founder and Artistic Director of DYNAMIKfest, Clarissa Bevilacqua, welcomes you to an intimate evening of w**e and music on September 9, 2026. 🍷 🎶

If you are interested, please RSVP at [email protected].

08/27/2026

We are thrilled to welcome Chiara Kindler as Operations and Project Manager!

Originally from the Canton of Zug, Chiara recently completed her Master’s degree in European Global Studies from the University of Basel and is now ready to share her enriching experiences and contribute her valuable skills to the Consulate’s activities.

In her new role, she will oversee the coordination of operations and public diplomacy projects, while strengthening the collaboration with Swiss and local organizations throughout the Midwest.

We are excited to have Chiara on our team and we look forward to working together to strengthen Swiss-American relations.

Please join us in welcoming Chiara to Chicago!

08/21/2026

À bientôt, Célie !

Today, we are saying goodbye to Célie as she is heading back to Switzerland to start her Master's degree.

She has been our Operations and Project Manager for the past two years, following an internship at the Consulate General of Switzerland in Atlanta, GA, in 2023.

Célie played a key role in planning cultural, scientific and economic events, and in supporting Swiss associations across the Midwest. Together, we have continued to build on existing partnerships with local organizations, as well as forge new ones that we hope will flourish.

Thank you for your commitment and ideas, it has been a pleasure working with you.

Please join us in wishing her all the best in her next endeavors. We hope our paths will cross again soon.

07/20/2026

Join us in welcoming our new Honorary Consul, David Brechbühl! 👏

Last week, Consul General Beat Schmid travelled to Indianapolis to attend Mr. Brechbühl’s installation ceremony which took place at The International Center (Indianapolis), where Martin Baier, their President & CEO delivered the opening remarks.

David Brechbühl, the son of two Swiss immigrants, grew up in New York while maintaining a close relationship to Switzerland through regular visits with his family. These experiences helped him maintain his connection to his Swiss heritage, and he still visits the country today. 🇨🇭

Professionally, he is the Managing Director at First Merchants Private Wealth Advisors. In his new role as Honorary Consul of Switzerland, he will promote trade and cultural relations, support us in organizing official visits, and act as our eyes and ears in Indiana, keeping us updated on regional political and economic development.

Please join us in congratulating David Brechbühl on his appointment and wishing him every success as he begins this new chapter! 💐

Address

875 N Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL
60611

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http://eda.admin.ch/chicago

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