Swiss Sketches - The Einstein House

A 15-year-old boy left his native Germany and moved to neighbouring Switzerland to study in a prestigious technical college. Upon graduation several years later, he obtained a Swiss citizenship and settled down in Bern - found a job as a clerk in a patent office, and rented a small apartment in the heart of the town, right next to its famous Fountain Mile and equally renowned Clock Tower

For about 7 years, the young man led a typical quiet life of a white-collar employee: socializing or pursuing some hobbies (such as playing violin) after work, and going to the mountains on occasional weekends. An enjoyable but otherwise rather unremarkable lifestyle - and so was the apartment

An ordinary early 20th century middle class apartment joining the list of attractions, on par with any other attraction in the town or even throughout the country, is a question-raising phenomenon. The obvious answer - because the tenant's name was Albert Einstein - is but a partial one. Einstein was likely one of many tenants, and there doesn't seem to be any particular feasible imprint of his personality on the place, apart from standard family pictures and several timeline boards with what looks like authentic handwritten notes pinned on them. The boards are quite informative but, endless amount of information being just one click away, information as such is an unlikely incentive.

What might keep tourists from all over the world flocking to Einstein House is, arguably, a combination of the scientist's genius and commonality of the house. While precious few, if anybody, can identify with the former, the latter's familiarity serves as a bridge between the common and the sublime. Just like the height of a mountain is determined by its summit, the predominant vibe of a place is determined by the "spiritual height" of its most prominent occupant. In other words, a genius has the ability to elevate even the most common place and enable it to "walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch". A chance to experience this transformation and to feel connected to both its starting and finishing stage at the same time is what provides for the real uniqueness of one's visit to Einstein House and similar personal museums. 

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