This year, the Sverdlovsk Museum of Local History named after Onésime Clerc became the Winner of the Swiss Ambassador’s Award in the category Heritage. The museum was founded in Ekaterinburg in 1870 by a Swiss citizen, naturalist Onésime Clerc for the Ural Society of Admirers of Natural History (UOLE). Clerc created a systematic study of the nature of the Ural, organised archaeological expeditions and botanical excursions, established a network of meteorological stations for weather monitoring. The Museum preserves the legacy of this scientist carefully and promotes his heritage in Russia. 

The Award in category Innovation went to the “Smena” center for contemporary culture in Kazan. Since 8 years “Smena” has been realizing large-scale cultural projects in the fields of visual art, music, film etc. together with the Swiss Embassy in Russia and Pro Helvetia Moscow. One of the traditional format are the Swiss Days dedicated to Swiss culture which include contemporary art events, Swiss cinema screenings, concerts and lectures. Since 2013, the festival has taken place five times.