47.3744° N, 8.5411° E

ZURICH

Most Famous People Born in Zurich, Switzerland

Notable people
2,462
Peak decade
1940s
Median birth year
1941
Most distinctive
Author 3.5×

A Reformed Swiss city with a disproportionately large academic-and-letters bench. Zurich's distinctive professions are authors, academics, architects, artists, and physicists — the trades of a German-language university town that runs from Gottfried Keller through Max Frisch on the literary side and Einstein and Pauli on the scientific. Pestalozzi, Rorschach, and Elisabeth Kübler-Ross all belong to this bench, and nearly eighty per cent of the names were born after 1900.

Through the Centuries

One face per century — the most globally famous figure born in Zurich during each.

What Zurich Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Politician is Zurich's biggest profession — 7% of all notables (164).

Zurich over-indexes on author3.5× the global rate.

Zurich under-produces football — only 0.4× the global rate.

  1. Politician164
  2. Actor141
  3. Writer128
  4. Football114
  5. Painter102
  6. Academic80
  7. Sport77
  8. Author74
  1. Author743.5×
  2. Academic803.2×
  3. Architect572.6×
  4. Artist632.5×
  5. Physicist252.4×
  6. Film682.3×
  7. Sculptor322.0×
  8. Historian512.0×
  1. Football1140.4×
  2. Politician1640.6×

Profession Mix Over Time

Each band shows a profession family's share of Zurich's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.

1550160016501700175018001850190019502000
  • Writing
  • Sports
  • Art & Design
  • Science
  • Film & TV
  • Music
  • Other
All2,462
Sort By

Showing 203 of 2,462 notable people

0005 PSYCHIATRIST

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

1926 - 2004

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0010 FILM

Robert Frank

1924 - 2019

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0027 SPORT

Hugo Koblet

1925 - 1964

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0040 PSYCHOLOGIST

Edgar Schein

Born 1928

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0055 ARCHITECT

Justus Dahinden

1925 - 2020

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0086 SCREENWRITER

Pinkas Braun

1923 - 2008

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0087 WRITER

Hugo Loetscher

1929 - 2009

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0109 CONDUCTOR

Peter-Lukas Graf

Born 1929

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0133 CONDUCTOR

Silvio Varviso

1924 - 2006

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0134 BOTANIST

Theodor Otto Diener

Born 1921

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0143 LINGUIST

Heinrich Schmid

1921 - 1999

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0174 EDUCATION

Hans Aebli

1923 - 1990

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0226 MATHEMATICIAN

Ernst Specker

1920 - 2011

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0231 DANCER

Ursula Vian-Kübler

1928 - 2010

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0232 DRAMA

Walter Matthias Diggelmann

1927 - 1979

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0237 SPORT

Carlo Clerici

1929 - 2007

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0242 ECONOMIST

Hans Christoph Binswanger

1929 - 2018

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0244 ORGANIST

Marcel Cellier

1925 - 2013

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0273 PAINTER

Hans Krüsi

1920 - 1995

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0277 CONDUCTOR

Edmond de Stoutz

1920 - 1997

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0285 WRITER

Walter Vogt

1927 - 1988

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0304 JESUIT

Peter Henrici

Born 1928

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0318 JOURNALIST

Gérard Crombac

1929 - 2005

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0321 ACTOR

Paul Bühlmann

1927 - 2000

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0328 ACTOR

Margrit Läubli

Born 1928

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0333 FOOTBALL

Walter Eich

1925 - 2018

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0346 FOOTBALL

Adolphe Hug

1923 - 2006

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0353 COLLECTOR

Alexis von Rosenberg, Baron de Redé

1922 - 2004

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0401 PHOTOGRAPHER

René Groebli

Born 1927

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0418 ARCHAEOLOGIST

Lilly Kahil

1926 - 2002

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0427 PHILOLOGIST

Bertrand Bouvier

Born 1929

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0477 ROWER

Rudolf Reichling

1924 - 2014

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0483 SPORT

Walter Bucher (cyclist)

Born 1926

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0486 FOOTBALL

Gerhard Lusenti

Born 1921

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0502 SPORT

Armin von Büren

1928 - 2018

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0517 PSYCHIATRIST

Jules Angst

Born 1926

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0527 POLITICIAN

Ernst Cincera

1928 - 2004

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0528 WRITER

Hans A. Pestalozzi

1929 - 2004

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0536 SINGER

Colette Lorand

1923 - 2019

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0550 BOBSLED

Gottfried Diener

1926 - 2015

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0568 WRITER

Ulla Dydo

1925 - 2017

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0596 ARCHITECT

Sonja Bata

1926 - 2018

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0615 COMPOSER

Toni Leutwiler

1923 - 2009

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0620 COMPOSER

Werner Kaegi (composer)

Born 1926

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0635 ECOLOGIST

Richard Vollenweider

1922 - 2007

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0645 MATHEMATICIAN

Ernest Michael

1925 - 2013

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0653 BOTANIST

Elias Landolt (Geobotaniker)

1926 - 2013

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0691 ACADEMIC

Hedi Fritz-Niggli

1921 - 2005

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0696 LAWYER

Sigi Feigel

1921 - 2004

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0707 FILM

Karl Suter

1926 - 1977

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0719 SPORT

Jean Brun

1926 - 1993

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0722 HISTORIAN

Peter Stadler

1925 - 2012

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0730 PHILOSOPHER

Arthur Pap

1921 - 1959

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0732 ROWER

Émile Knecht

1923 - 2019

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0740 CHEMIST

Hans Primas

1928 - 2014

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0741 HOCKEY

Otto Schubiger

1925 - 2019

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0752 PHYSICIST

Charles Enz

Born 1925

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0755 HOCKEY

Hans Bänninger

1924 - 2007

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0758 POLITICAL SCIENTIST

Curt Gasteyger

1929 - 2020

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0760 FOOTBALL

René Hüssy

1928 - 2007

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0763 WRITER

Jean Villain

1928 - 2006

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0789 BIOCHEMIST

Robert Schwyzer

1920 - 2015

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0791 COMPOSER

Victor Fenigstein

Born 1924

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0792 THEATRE

Werner Düggelin

1929 - 2020

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0821 SPORT

Hans Hollenstein

Born 1929

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0825 ENTREPRENEUR

Michael Kohn

1925 - 2018

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0826 LINGUIST

Robert Schläpfer

1923 - 2001

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0837 ARCHITECT

Bernhard Hoesli

1923 - 1984

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0839 AUTHOR

Hans Ulrich Steger

1923 - 2016

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0896 ROWER

Peter Stebler

1927 - 2010

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0921 FILM

Alexander J. Seiler

1928 - 2018

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0925 LIBRARIAN

Kurt Meyer (Germanist)

1921 - 2017

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0932 PIANIST

Klaus Linder

1926 - 2009

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0940 BOTANIST

Emil Müller (mycologist)

1920 - 2008

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0953 ENTREPRENEUR

Hortense Anda-Bührle

1926 - 2014

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0955 PIANIST

Curt Prina

1928 - 2018

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0962 ARCHITECT

Eduard Neuenschwander

1924 - 2013

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1004 PHYSICIAN

Arnold Müller

1924 - 2006

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1007 POLITICIAN

Edgar May

1929 - 2012

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1013 ACTOR

Ella Büchi

1929 - 1999

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1018 PHOTOGRAPHER

Karlheinz Weinberger

1921 - 2006

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1019 AUTHOR

Alice Vollenweider

1927 - 2011

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1040 HISTORIAN

Rudolf von Albertini

1923 - 2004

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1069 GUITAR

Pierre Cavalli

1928 - 1985

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1093 PAINTER

Jean Weinbaum

1926 - 2013

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1119 ACTOR

Joseph Scheidegger

1929 - 2012

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1121 ARCHITECT

Otto Kolb

1921 - 1996

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1122 PSYCHOLOGIST

Adolf Guggenbühl-Craig

1923 - 2008

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1126 RELIGIÖS

Uriella

1929 - 2019

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1155 POLITICIAN

Kurt Müller (Politiker, 1925)

1925 - 2016

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1175 BANK

Hans J. Bär

1927 - 2011

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1197 LAWYER

Peter Schneider (Rechtswissenschaftler)

1920 - 2002

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1208 ACADEMIC

Arthur Meier-Hayoz

1922 - 2003

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1242 WRESTLER

Kurt Rusterholz

Born 1927

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1246 POLITICIAN

Moritz Thape

1920 - 2019

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1255 ACTOR

Edi Huber

1927 - 2016

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1257 ECONOMIST

Erwin Nievergelt

1929 - 2018

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1265 SCULPTOR

Robert Müller (Bildhauer)

1920 - 2003

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1279 ARCHITECT

Max Vogt (Architekt)

1925 - 2019

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1281 DANCER

Jean Deroc

1925 - 2015

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1286 ART HISTORIAN

Marcel Roethlisberger

1929 - 2020

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1305 PATRON

Helena Cambó

Born 1929

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1306 ACTOR

Valerie Steinmann

1921 - 2011

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1314 EDITOR

Charlotte Peter

1924 - 2020

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1316 ARTIST

Max Rüedi

1925 - 2019

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1319 ACADEMIC

Heinrich Wagner (Linguist)

1923 - 1988

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1328 ART HISTORIAN

Adolf Max Vogt

1920 - 2013

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1329 PAINTER

Robert E. Konrad

1926 - 1951

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1332 ART HISTORIAN

Reinhold Hohl

1929 - 2014

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1334 LAWYER

Dietrich Schindler junior

1924 - 2018

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1337 POLITICIAN

Ulrich Bremi

Born 1929

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1352 SPORT

Jakob Schenk

1921 - 1951

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1382 THEATRE

Peter Löffler (Regisseur)

1926 - 2015

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1386 WRITER

Marianne Kaltenbach

1921 - 2005

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1393 BANK

Robert Holzach

1922 - 2009

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1448 WRITER

Bernhard von Arx

1924 - 2012

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1449 FILM

Walter Marti (Regisseur)

1923 - 1999

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1452 WRITER

Alfred Berchtold

Born 1925

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1456 SPORT

Hans Pfenninger

1929 - 2009

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1463 SPORT

Hans Flückiger

Born 1926

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1467 FENCER

Jules Amez-Droz

1921 - 2012

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1481 LAWYER

Riccardo Jagmetti

Born 1929

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1486 SPORT

Fritz Siegenthaler

Born 1929

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1494 ARCHITECT

Claude Paillard

1923 - 2004

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1500 SPORT

Heinrich Müller (cyclist)

Born 1926

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1504 ACADEMIC

René Joyeuse

1920 - 2012

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1526 WIDERSTAND

Jeanine Sontag

1925 - 1944

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1528 SPORT

Gaston Gerosa

Born 1923

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1530 ENTREPRENEUR

Rudolph R. Sprüngli

1920 - 2008

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1540 ACADEMIC

Andres Briner

1923 - 2014

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1546 ARCHITECT

Kurt Meyer (architect)

1922 - 2014

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1563 ACADEMIC

Peter Steiger

Born 1928

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1570 ART HISTORIAN

Ines Jucker

Born 1922

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1573 ARTIST

Georg Gessler

1924 - 2012

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1575 SCREENWRITER

Michel Dickoff

1927 - 2018

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1584 SKIER

Idly Walpoth

Born 1920

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1585 ARCHIVIST

Hans Wysling

1926 - 1995

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1597 PRESENTER

Wysel Gyr

1927 - 1999

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1602 PHYSICIST

Verena Meyer

1929 - 2018

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1614 POLITICIAN

Ernst Bieri

1920 - 2003

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1617 THEATER

Heidi Frei

1927 - 2015

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1621 MEDIEVALIST

Hans F. Haefele

1925 - 1997

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1632 WRITER

Ursula Isler

1923 - 2007

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1654 ACADEMIC

Paul Weilenmann

1925 - 2014

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1671 HISTORIAN

Andreas Staehelin

1926 - 2002

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1676 ACTOR

Elvira Schalcher

1926 - 2018

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1685 AUTHOR

Arnold Guillet

1922 - 2007

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1697 SKATER

Maja Hug

Born 1928

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1703 SINGER

Alfredo Corda

1922 - 1978

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1716 JOURNALIST

Gustav Huonker

1922 - 2019

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1720 SPORT

Max Äberli

1927 - 2009

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1750 POLITICIAN

Hans Georg Lüchinger

1927 - 2009

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1766 ENTREPRENEUR

Robert Barth (Unternehmer)

1922 - 2007

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1769 ACADEMIC

Christoph W. Clairmont

1924 - 2004

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1788 PHYSICIST

Willy Haeberli

Born 1925

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1807 POLITICIAN

Hans Ulrich Graf

1922 - 2010

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1810 ACADEMIC

Maria Bindschedler

1920 - 2006

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1817 ARCHITECT

Karl Higi

1920 - 2008

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1832 ACADEMIC

Hannes G. Pauli

1924 - 2003

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1873 ARTIST

Jean-Jacques Volz

Born 1928

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1891 JOURNALIST

Alfred Cattani

1923 - 2009

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1897 SCULPTOR

Jean Bünter

1923 - 1986

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1924 AUTHOR

Sergio Maspoli

1920 - 1987

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1928 LAWYER

Peter Hefti

1922 - 2012

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1935 ECONOMIST

Franz Ritzmann

1929 - 2018

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1939 ACADEMIC

Hans Burla

1920 - 2010

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1984 SPORT

Hans Gehrig

Born 1929

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1989 LAWYER

Werner Latscha

1925 - 2019

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1994 POLITICIAN

Silvio de Capitani

1925 - 2013

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2002 ACADEMIC

Martin Usteri

1926 - 2015

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2028 JUDGE

Erhard Schweri

Born 1922

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2031 ANAESTHETIST

Ruth Gattiker

Born 1923

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2032 SPORT

Max Meier

Born 1926

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2037 JOURNALIST

Gerd H. Padel

1921 - 2010

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2045 AUTHOR

Fritz Senft

1922 - 1997

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2047 POLITICIAN

Regula Pestalozzi

1921 - 2000

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2057 POLITICIAN

Liselotte Meyer-Fröhlich

1922 - 2014

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2113 ARCHITECT

Anne-Marie Hubacher-Constam

1921 - 2012

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2114 PSYCHIATRIST

Klaus Ernst (Psychiater, 1924)

1924 - 2010

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2132 CINEMA

Herbert Thallmayer

1921 - 1977

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2143 DIPLOMAT

Charles Müller

1922 - 2015

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2147 SPORT

Fritz Stocker

1920 - 2007

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2154 JUDGE

Robert Levi

1921 - 2002

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2162 WRITER

Hermann Degner (Schriftsteller)

Born 1921

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2164 PSYCHOLOGIST

Vincent Lunin

Born 1925

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2213 POLITICIAN

Werner O. Ciocarelli

1925 - 2020

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2214 ECONOMIST

Peter Tlach

1924 - 2007

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2235 WRITER

Gaby Steiger

1921 - 2009

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2250 FLAUTIST

Conrad Klemm

1925 - 2010

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2254 ROWER

Walter Knabenhans (rower)

Born 1929

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2283 SPORT

André Hardegger

1922 - 1945

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2309 LAWYER

Adolf Lüchinger (Richter)

1928 - 2020

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2321 ROWER

Peter Gübeli

1925 - 2014

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2322 WRITER

Walter Blickenstorfer

1921 - 1969

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2323 LAWYER

René M. Schmid

Born 1929

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2342 SPORT

Ernst Stoll

Born 1927

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2361 CHESS

Myrta Ludwig

1928 - 2003

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2364 SWIMMER

Nicolas Wildhaber

1929 - 2020

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2387 ATHLETIC

Alfred Leiser

Born 1929

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2393 PIANIST

Amadeus Schwarzkopf

1924 - 2015

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2424 BUSINESS

Erwin Bernheim

1925 - 2007

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2448 FOOTBALL

Walter Bosshard (Fussballspieler)

1921 - 1984

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2456 CHOIR DIRECTOR

Bruno Peyer

1926 - 1997

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