Heimatschutzzentrum in der Villa Patumbah — Attraction in Zurich

THE PICTURESQUE VILLA PATUMBAH WAS erected in 1885 and represents a wild mixture of architectural styles. Different parts of the façade and interior combine elements of Italian Renaissance, Rococo, Swiss Chalet Style, and Southeast Asian folk art. The stately mansion, now hosting a museum, is surrounded by a beautiful English-style garden. Both the park and villa are among Zurich’s most wondrous and outstanding architectural sights. This unique, eclectic ensemble is well preserved and there is so much detail to be discovered. Yet Villa Patumbah is not only appreciated by architecture lovers. As a post-colonial relic, the history of the building sheds light on the imperial heritage of Switzerland. Even though the state itself never colonized other nations, many Swiss citizens came to riches by profiting from the imperial structures that Germany, Britain, or France had established from the 18th century on. For instance the mansion’s owner, Carl Fürchtegott Grob-Zundel, a merchant from Zurich, made a living by exploiting a tobacco plantation in Sumatra. When he returned from Indonesia to Zurich after 11 years, his wealth was so enormous he was able to build the flamboyant Villa Patumbah, designed by the famous Swiss architects Alfred Chiodera and Theophil Tschudi. In fact the villa’s name, “Patumbah,” derives from the Indonesian language, and means “A place you like to be.” The park is accessible free of charge year-round. The villa’s interior and museum exhibition can be visited on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursdays and Sundays from 12...

I had hoped to learn a bit about the Swiss participation in the Dutch colonies in what's now Indonesia, but the information provided in this museum is disorganized and only in German (with some snippets in French). From what I could gather from my limited German, the consensus is that Grob's participation is "controversial" and that conditions were "harsh." I don't feel that this is a fair representation and left with a bad taste.

It would have been nice to see an exhibition with a clear narrative, including artifacts and interactivity that supports the story being told, rather than disjoint panels with swaths of text, computers for self-guided research and books to leaf through.

I feel that the two films provided could have a better placement in the tour. In particular, the film that shows Indonesia then vs. now could be narrated, subtitled and presented in a larger space with seating. It's odd that the film that gets any space for this concerns the renovation of the building and has seating just for two.

All told, I felt so underwhelmed with the information offered that I went home to watch a documentary on the East Indies afterwards.

The building itself is pretty, but the upper floors can only be seen with a tour in Swiss German upon reservation. I didn't find tremendous amount of information concerning the style of the building, although I may have simply overlooked it.

The garden is free to the public and pleasant for a little stroll, but it's odd that there are other apartments directly adjacent to it.

The main entrance façade is currently in...

I didn't had a pleasure experience visiting this villa, because i didn't see most of it. Only one floor to visit and most of the interesting things to see are covered/hidden by uninteresting things (marketing stuff). We went on friday and found out that the last floor (that is the most interesting because of the ceiling ) was closed for visiting. Asked the lady at the front office why it is closed and she said that it is closed because of the offices residing there and that the floor can be visited only on Thursday with a group. We wanted to visit the villa, that is the quarter of swiss heritage center and we were unable to see what is left of the heritage (the last floor)(if you can see the absurd in this) because of some offices and papers. The villa is in very bad shape, and will not last for long without renovations. I recommend you to move your uninteresting offices to somewhere else and leave the villa to be visited, because this is the reason people come and pay the ticket. I do recommend to get there and see the villa on outside, but do not recommend you to lose time to visit if the last floor is not available to see. The...