Friedrich Nietzsche und Annemarie Schwarzenbach – UNESCO Memory of the World in Sils

To mark the simultaneous recognition of these two important ‘Sils residents by choice’ by UNESCO, three cultural institutions in Sils – the Biblioteca Engiadinaisa, the Nietzsche House and the Sils Museum – as well as the zeit: fluss cultural festival have decided to realise a joint project during the 2026 summer season and the following 2026/27 winter season, which will be dedicated to the two personalities in three exhibitions, lectures, readings, discussions, film screenings, guided tours and cultural walks, as well as a chamber opera and a scenic dialogue.
 

The 2026/2027 exhibition at the Nietzsche House reveals the significance of Sils and the Upper Engadine for the philosopher. It examines the conditions under which this man, whose home was only ever temporary, experienced, endured, and sometimes even transformed his constant travel into a journey of discovery. How and by what means did Nietzsche reach Sils? How did he prepare for his travels? What resources were available to him? What sources of information and infrastructure did he have access to? How are Nietzsche's life of travel and his work intertwined?

The Sils Museum is taking this recognition as an opportunity to dedicate its 2026/27 exhibition to the journalist, photographer, and writer Annemarie Schwarzenbach. At its heart are Schwarzenbach's photographs, diaries, reports, letters, and literary texts—testimonies to both her extensive travels and her deep connection to Sils. The exhibition explores the tension between her restlessness and thirst for adventure, her commitment as a journalist and anti-fascist on the one hand, and her psychological instability and longing for stability, for a home, on the other. The spatial design and a variety of presentation formats relate these facets to one another and place them within a historical context. The focus is on the period between 1935, when Schwarzenbach made Sils Baselgia her adopted home, and her death in 1942.

Making visible what is otherwise hidden away in the library archives. With this aim, the Biblioteca Engiadinaisa (https://www.sils.ch/de/guide/sils-im-engadin/sehenswuerdigkeiten/kultur-architektur/biblioteca-engiadinaisa) is organizing a small exhibition of books from its own collection. On display will be first editions of Annemarie Schwarzenbach's works as well as books from her personal library, which came into the possession of the Biblioteca Engiadinaisa through Anita Forrer. Forrer, a close friend of Schwarzenbach's, donated the land for the library 20 years after Schwarzenbach's death.

The zeit:fluss cultural festival adds a contemporary, artistic dimension to the main theme. On 31 July 2026, the chamber opera «Annemarie» will premiere in Sils. The work by Graubünden author Sarah Calörtscher and composer Céline Fankhauser is dedicated to the eventful life and work of Annemarie Schwarzenbach and brings it to the stage for the first time in a musical-scenic form – in the place that was of particular significance to her. 

Annemarie Schwarzenbach was one of the most fascinating Swiss figures of the 20th century. As a writer, journalist, photographer, and traveler, she grappled early on with themes such as identity, social change, and political responsibility. Her reportage, novels, and photographs remain highly relevant today. Sils played a significant role in Schwarzenbach's life: the village served as a refuge, a workplace, and a personal anchor. Her literary and photographic legacy documents an extraordinary life lived between Europe, Asia, and the USA. The inclusion of her estate in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register recognizes her international importance to literature and cultural history.

Friedrich Nietzsche is among the most influential philosophers of the 19th century. Works such as "Thus Spoke Zarathustra," "Beyond Good and Evil," and "The Gay Science" continue to have a profound impact on philosophy, literature, cultural studies, and the arts, providing diverse inspiration and remaining the subject of ever-expanding reception. Nietzsche spent several summers in Sils Maria in the Engadine Valley, from 1881 to 1888. The alpine landscape, the light, and the seclusion profoundly inspired his thinking—central philosophical ideas were conceived here. The Nietzsche House in Sils Maria today preserves this intellectual legacy and makes Sils an internationally significant site in the history of philosophy.