Henry Dunant Museum Heiden
The Henry Dunant Museum in the health resort of Heiden ( Canton Appenzell Ausserrhoden , Switzerland ) is dedicated to the life and work of Henry Dunant , a founding member of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and founder of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement . It is located in Heiden in the former hospital where Henry Dunant stayed for the last decades of his life until his death in 1910.
General information
The museum opened in 1969 and reopened to the public in 1998 after a major renovation of the building. The Henry Dunant Museum association is supported by the Swiss Red Cross Cantonal Association of both Appenzell. The current president of the association is Norbert Näf, the management of the museum has been with Kaba Rössler and Nadine Schneider since October 2019.
exhibition
The museum shows, thematically and chronologically, the life and work of the Red Cross founder Henry Dunant.
Room 1 is under the themes of “Youth in Geneva” , “Early social engagement” , “Activities in North Africa” and “The horrors of the war at Solferino” from the time of Dunant's birth in 1828 to his trip to Solferino in 1859 dedicated. The focus is on his experiences in Italy during the Battle of Solferino and its effects on his further life. One of the exhibits is a copy of the first edition of Dunant's work “ A Memory of Solferino ” with a handwritten dedication to the then Swiss Federal President.
Then the topics “The founding of the Red Cross” , “Bankruptcy of companies in North Africa” and “Escape through all of Europe” are the phase from the founding of the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1863 together with Gustave Moynier , Guillaume-Henri Dufour , Louis Appia and Théodore Maunoir until the failure of his milling business in Mons-Djemila (Algeria) in 1867 and his ousting from the committee, including his subsequent flight from Geneva. In this part of the museum it is also clear that little is known from the time from 1867 to his rediscovery in Heiden in 1892, as he lived in various parts of Europe, impoverished and largely forgotten by the world public.
Then the last years in the life of Henry Dunant are documented, which he spent in Heiden from 1887 until his death in 1910. These include “Settlement in Heiden” , “Late Rehabilitation” , “Nobel Prize” and “Death in Heiden” . Among other things, a copy of the certificate for the Nobel Peace Prize 1901, which Henry Dunant was awarded together with the French pacifist Frédéric Passy , some preserved objects from his possession, as well as a collection of editions of his book "A Memory of Solferino" from different times and Countries.
In addition, various ideas and projects by Henry Dunant, to which he devoted himself to founding the Red Cross, are presented under the title “Visions” . These include the founding of the Christian Association of Young Men (YMCA), the ideas for a world library and an international court of arbitration for the settlement of conflicts between nations, his commitment to equal rights for women in the form of the "Green Cross", his suggestions for solutions of the Palestine conflict, the establishment of a global “General Alliance for Order and Civilization” and a “Swiss League for Human Rights”.
In a video room there is also the opportunity to watch a film of around 20 minutes about the life of Henry Dunant.
Special exhibitions
- Alfred Nobel's distinction - from Henry Dunant to Abiy Ahmed Ali - is the subject of the cabinet exhibition “The Peace Prize”. The Henry Dunant Museum is taking the award of the 100th Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 as an opportunity to reflect on the award and the award criteria. The interactive exhibition offers the opportunity to deal with peace concepts, peace work and your own understanding of peace. Duration of the special exhibition: until June 27, 2021.
Other sights
In Heiden there is a memorial on Dunantplatz in memory of Henry Dunant, created by the sculptor Charlotte Germann-Jahn . It has been set up so that Lake Constance can be seen in the background of the monument . Directly opposite the monument in the spa gardens are stones of various sizes with metal plates on which statements by Henry Dunant are reproduced.
literature
- Henry Dunant: A Memory of Solferino. Self-published by the Austrian Red Cross, Vienna 1997, ISBN 3-95-008010-4
- Eveline Hasler: The time traveler. Henry Dunant's visions. Verlag Nagel & Kimche AG, Zurich 1994, ISBN 3-31-200199-4 (hardcover); Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, Munich 2003, ISBN 3-42-313073-3 (paperback edition)
- Ethel Kocher, Hans Amann: Henry Dunant - His eventful life and his amazing visions. Self-published by the Henry Dunant Museum, Heiden 2003
- Franco Giampiccoli: Henry Dunant - The founder of the Red Cross. Aussaat-Verlag, Neukirchen-Vluyn 2009, ISBN 978-3-7615-5722-8
- Elke Endraß: The Benefactor - Why Henry Dunant founded the Red Cross. Wichern-Verlag, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-88981-288-9
Web links
- Henry Dunant Museum Official Website
- Swiss Red Cross of both Appenzell
- Special exhibitions 2010 on the 100th anniversary of death
Coordinates: 47 ° 26 '36.1 " N , 9 ° 31' 52.6" E ; CH1903: 757 825 / 256835
