Exhibition 2025
«Hie syg’s nid verbote, Töifer z’sy»
«Here it was not forbidden to be Anabaptist»
Jeanguisboden Chapel
May 10 to November 2 2025
To mark the 500th anniversary of the Anabaptist movement, the Swiss Anabaptist Heritage Foundation is hosting an exhibition at the Jeanguisboden chapel, focusing on the Anabaptists in the Jura. The exhibition highlights the daily lives of these communities and their connection to faith through crafts and art.
The displayed objects come from the Evangelical Mennonite Community of Sonnenberg and the Conference of the Mennonites of Switzerland, as well as from private collections. Also on display is art from Collection Maeder & Studer.
The ‘Anabaptist Simon Gerber’ station, part of the 2024 On the move across the world theme trail developed by the Ballenberg Museum and Helvetas, is also featured.
Opening times and admission rates
Duration of the exhibition: Saturday, May 10 2025 to Sunday, November 2 2025
Opening times: Wed / Sat / Sun: 14:00-17:00h; Fri: 17:00-20:00h
Admission rates: CHF 10.-, children free
Guided group tours on request
Guided tours of the archives on request, CHF 5.- per person
Cultural program (provisional)
May 10 2025: Opening event from 16:00h
June: Brassband Concert
July: Church service (in german)
August: Storytelling afternoon
September: Discussion evening
October: Movie evening
May 21 2025 / June 21 2025/ September 21 2025: Archives Open House
Directions
Contact
Swiss Anabaptist Heritage Foundation, info@fha-ste.ch
Hansuli Gerber
Nelly Gerber-Geiser
Exhibition Manager
Jeanguisboden Chapel Project
Acquisition and conversion of the Jeanguisboden
building belonging to the Evangelical Mennonite Community of Sonnenberg
The Foundation aims to create a museum and documentation centre in which all available elements of Anabaptist-Mennonite history are preserved, catalogued and made accessible to the public and researchers in form of exhibitions, loans, meetings, lectures or other historical and cultural events.
The Jeanguisboden Chapel, which already houses the Archives of the Swiss Mennonite Conference, is a suitable location from the Foundation’s point of view. The chapel is currently owned by the Sonnenberg community.
The Anabaptiste Heritage Foundation rents the “Jeanguisboden” building from the Sonnenberg Mennonite congregation in order to realize the foundation’s purpose.
Inventory
and database
Cataloguing
and promoting the Foundation’s collection
The Foundation’s mission is to ensure the long-term preservation of its collection, to valorize it and to make it accessible to the public. The Foundation’s collection is made up of several private collections, some of which have already been catalogued and others not, each with its own inventory numbering system. It is therefore necessary to carry out an inventory of the collections, including inventory number, documentation and state of preservation, marking, location, as well as any conservation-restoration interventions that may be required. This time-consuming task is fundamental and forms the basis of all archival and museum management.
To carry out this tedious task, a database is needed to compile and manage all key information. This database must identify and describe objects through written and photographic documentation. Information such as provenance, acquisition details, conservation, use (exhibitions), loan history and location must also be recorded.
The Foundation’s aim is to create a new database that will bring together the information already catalogued and enable a new, detailed inventory to be carried out. This database must comply with current museum procedures, while being adapted to our needs, for both internal and public use, and be modular for future migration to other databases. The development of this database and its corresponding tools has been entrusted to an independent programmer.
The Foundation’s Board is delighted to be able to complete the first stage of the inventory with this new database. This will not only enable efficient management of the collection, but will also be essential for its valorization by facilitating access for researchers. An up-to-date, complete and harmonized inventory will then enable us to create or improve other fundamental procedures such as: risk assessment, collection prioritization, contingency planning, IPM monitoring, acquisition (and disposal) policy, rights of use and authorship, as well as insurance, indemnity, loss and damage documents. If you are passionate about Mennonite history and would like to contribute to the preservation of our precious historical testimonies, join our team of volunteers. We look forward to welcoming you!
Emeline Perret-Gentil
Project Manager