Languages in the post-war period

Migros Club Schools date back to an ad placed in 1944 offering affordable courses to Zurich-based members of the Migros cooperative. The response was overwhelming and the idea was quickly adopted by other regional cooperatives. Later that same year, the course list was expanded to include the first art classes.

«New! Foreign language courses for the members of our cooperative (particularly appropriate for this post-war period)!» This little ad, placed in March 1944 in the Brückenbauer publication sparked off one of Migros’ success stories: education for adults. Indeed, 1400 eager Zurich-based members of the cooperative signed up to learn Italian, French, English, Spanish or Russian for a 5 franc monthly fee. Bern and Basel soon followed suit and by the end of the year, Migros was the biggest language school in Switzerland.
Gottlieb Duttweiler proudly stated that «Our cooperative is fulfilling a worthy cultural mission.» For him, the Migros Club Schools courses were a means of achieving a higher goal, «offering relief from feelings of anxiety and inferiority, encouraging action and leading to the positive affirmation of the community.» Ten years on, the number of lessons passed the one million mark; the Migros Club Schools have developed into an indispensable educational institution in Switzerland.