Switzerland - through the lens of a German photographer

A new book, capturing Switzerland through the lens of German photographer Andreas Herzau, gives an insight into how the country’s northern neighbour views the Alpine nation. It’s been a few years since I met up with my fellow photographer Andreas Herzau for a beer in Bern’s old town. He was telling me about his new project; the idea was still very fresh and, at the time, there were yet only a few pictures he could show me. But the intention was clear: to create a portrait of Switzerland from an extremely personal perspective. German immigration to Switzerland has been a hotly debated subject in the Swiss media since 2011. The relationship between the German-speaking part of Switzerland and its big neighbour north of the Rhine has affected people in a myriad of ways. Walking a tightrope of clichés The photographer, who lives in Hamburg, also had a particularly personal reason for choosing this subject. His partner was one of those newly arrived Germans in Switzerland – trying ...