The tour is in German.

Panta rhei lecture by the Hans Erni Foundation 2025
Michael Schmitz, Lausanne: A Swiss cocoa dynasty in Brazil. The amazing story behind Philipp Keller's photos of Brazil (ca. 1875-1950)

How did the oldest known photos of the Brazilian cocoa region of Ilhéus end up in the Swiss Museum of Transport's archive, the Philipp Keller Collection? Based on this question, Michael Schmitz (University of Lausanne) provides insights into the astonishing history of Swiss cocoa traders and plantation owners in Bahia, Brazil. The Keller family's trading company played an extremely important role in this. Schmitz also tells a piece of Swiss chocolate history and raises questions about global distributive justice.
The lecture by Michael Schmitz (University of Lausanne) uses the Philipp Keller collection to provide insights into the astonishing history of Swiss cocoa traders in Bahia, Brazil.

Adults CHF 18/ Children and young people CHF 14
Access through the entrance hall of the Museum of Transport

Caption:
Interior view of a cocoa warehouse, probably in Bahia, Brazil. Photographia Gonsalves, undated photograph. Philipp Keller Collection, Swiss Museum of Transport (VA-40656.078).