Tibetan Swiss

Tibetans have been in Switzerland since the 1960s, when the Swiss Red Cross helped resettle 300 Tibetans in Switzerland. In addition, approximately 150 Tibetan orphans were adopted by Swiss families. A number of Tibetans settled in the mountains of the Swiss Alps, because of its homelike terrain.[2] The Tibetan children had some difficulty in school, due to the massive language barrier between German and Tibetan. But soon enough, the Tibetans were able to gain enough fluency in German, and were able to sit in the same class as regular Swiss children.[3] Many of these Tibetan children would assimilate into the Swiss society, and would become "culturally confused".[4] Some Swiss people even learned to speak in some Tibetan.[3]

Swiss Tibetan
Total population
8,000+[1]
Regions with significant populations
Zurich, Geneva
Languages
Tibetan, Chinese, German, French, Italian, English
Religion
Buddhism
Related ethnic groups
Tibetans

In 1968, in the village of Rikon im Tösstal, the Tibet Institute Rikon was established. It is the only Tibetan monastery in Switzerland.

With over 4000 residing in the country in 2011, Tibetans make up the second largest Asian immigrant group in Switzerland, right behind Filipinos.[1]

In the Tibetan diaspora, the Swiss community is the largest in Europe and one of the largest outside of the Himalayas and United States.

In 2018, the community numbered 8,000 individuals.[5]

See also

References
  1. Dhardowa, YC (Feb 2011). "Tibet PM Thanks Swiss for 50 years of Refugee Shelter". The Tibet Post International. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  2. Buchser, Corine (Apr 9, 2010). "Why the Swiss accepted Tibetans with open arms". swissinfo.ch. Berne: Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  3. "Tibetans in Switzerland". The Observer. London: Tibet Sun. 27 June 1964. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  4. Hess, Julia Meredith (2009). Immigrant ambassadors: citizenship and belonging in the Tibetan diaspora. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-8047-6017-1.
  5. "Visite de quatre jours du Dalaï Lama en terres zurichoises". www.laliberte.ch (in French). Retrieved 2020-11-30.
  6. Brigitta Niederhauser (2014-07-18). "Im eigenen Film" (in German). Tages-Anzeiger. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
  7. ""Eisenvogel" – Yangzom Brauens Familienchronik über die verlorene Heimat Tibet". Kulturplatz (in German). SRF 1. 2009-10-21. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
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