The mobile exhibition "I was simply nobody" will be on display in Riehen from May 1 to May 25, 2026. Impressive and easily accessible, it sheds light on a long-suppressed chapter of Swiss history: the administrative coercive measures that affected hundreds of thousands of children, young people and adults. The exhibition makes the tension between care and coercion visible, gives those affected a voice and awakens empathy for people who were - and still are - on the margins of society.
Traces of care and coercion can also be found in institutions and biographies in Riehen. The research activities of the MUKS on this topic can be seen in a satellite station in the museum. The short guided tours provide background information on the topic and show how and where information could be found - and where research reaches its limits.
Start at 13:30, 14:30 & 15:30. For adults. Museum admission.
Picture: Boys at the Sonnenberg reformatory at work in Kriens, 1944. Paul Senn did not identify the children photographed. Gottfried Keller Foundation, Bern, Deposit Gottfried Keller Foundation, Photo: Paul Senn
Traces of care and coercion can also be found in institutions and biographies in Riehen. The research activities of the MUKS on this topic can be seen in a satellite station in the museum. The short guided tours provide background information on the topic and show how and where information could be found - and where research reaches its limits.
Start at 13:30, 14:30 & 15:30. For adults. Museum admission.
Picture: Boys at the Sonnenberg reformatory at work in Kriens, 1944. Paul Senn did not identify the children photographed. Gottfried Keller Foundation, Bern, Deposit Gottfried Keller Foundation, Photo: Paul Senn
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