Women’s right to vote and swimming in rivers – Renata von Tscharner

We Are ETH

Architect Renata von Tscharner discusses how women in Switzerland got the vote,

the importance of swimming in rivers, and learning to play the accordion.

Renata’s fascinating life was shaped by the events she witnessed in Paris in May

1968, when a student revolt became a general strike that ground the French

economy to a halt. She speaks with host Susan Kish about campaigning to get

women the vote in Switzerland, her architecture experiences at ETH Zurich and as

an urban planner in London and Bern, and how swimming in Switzerland created the

Charles River Conservancy in Massachusetts, an NGO she founded, striving to make

the Charles River and its parks a well-maintained network of natural urban places for

the local community.

It’s hard to believe that women only got the vote in Switzerland in 1971. Renata von

Tscharner, retired President of the Charles River Conservancy, shares candid

insights based on her unique experiences campaigning for the vote. Through the

inspiring story of her colourful life, she highlights the importance of swimming in

rivers, and learning to play the accordion.

Be sure to listen until the end for a musical surprise…