# Swiss Eastern Institute
**Wikidata**: [Q1484230](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1484230)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/swiss-eastern-institute

## Summary
The Swiss Eastern Institute was a research institute and documentation center based in Bern, Switzerland, that operated from 1959 until its dissolution in 1994. Founded by Peter Sager, it specialized in Eastern European studies and maintained archives now preserved at the Swiss Library of Eastern Europe.

## Key Facts
- Founded in 1959 by Peter Sager in Bern, Switzerland
- Dissolved in 1994
- Located at Jubiläumsstrasse 43 in Bern, Switzerland
- Functioned as both a research institute and documentation center
- Peter Sager served as director from 1959 to 1991
- Archives are held at the Swiss Library of Eastern Europe
- Also known as Eastern Institute (Bern), Foundation for Democracy, ISE, and other aliases
- Had a Google Knowledge Graph ID of /g/122nhsrf

## FAQs
### Q: What was the Swiss Eastern Institute?
A: The Swiss Eastern Institute was a research institute and documentation center based in Bern, Switzerland, that operated from 1959 until its dissolution in 1994. It was founded by Peter Sager and focused on Eastern European studies.

### Q: Who founded the Swiss Eastern Institute?
A: The Swiss Eastern Institute was founded in 1959 by Peter Sager, who also served as its director until 1991.

### Q: What happened to the archives of the Swiss Eastern Institute?
A: The archives of the Swiss Eastern Institute are now held at the Swiss Library of Eastern Europe.

### Q: When was the Swiss Eastern Institute dissolved?
A: The Swiss Eastern Institute was dissolved in 1994, 35 years after its founding in 1959.

## Why It Matters
The Swiss Eastern Institute played a significant role in documenting and researching Eastern European affairs during the Cold War period. As one of the earliest dedicated research institutes focused on Eastern European studies in Western Europe, it filled an important niche in academic and policy research during a time when information from behind the Iron Curtain was limited. Its establishment in 1959, shortly after the Hungarian Revolution, suggests it was created to monitor and analyze developments in Eastern Europe. The preservation of its archives at the Swiss Library of Eastern Europe indicates the enduring value of its collection to researchers studying this critical period of European history.

## Notable For
- One of the earliest dedicated research institutes focused on Eastern European studies in Western Europe
- Operated continuously for 35 years (1959-1994) through significant geopolitical changes
- Maintained comprehensive archives that are now preserved at the Swiss Library of Eastern Europe
- Founded and directed by the same person (Peter Sager) throughout its operational history

## Body
### History
- Founded in 1959 by Peter Sager in Bern, Switzerland
- Located at Jubiläumsstrasse 43 in Bern
- Peter Sager served as director from 1959 to 1991
- Dissolved in 1994

### Organization and Function
- Functioned as both a research institute and documentation center
- Also known as Eastern Institute (Bern), Foundation for Democracy, ISE, Fondation pour la démocratie, SOI, Schweizerisches Ostinstitut, Ost-Institut (Bern), Stiftung für Demokratie. Schweizerisches Ost-Institut, SFD, and Швейцарский восточный институт Фонда демократии
- Had a sitelink count of 1
- Had a Wikipedia page in German language

### Legacy
- Archives are held at the Swiss Library of Eastern Europe
- Had a Google Knowledge Graph ID of /g/122nhsrf
- Had a UIA Open Yearbook organization website ID of 1100063106

## References

1. [Source](https://www.unibe.ch/universitaet/dienstleistungen/universitaetsbibliothek/teilbibliotheken/philosophisch_historische_faecher/schweizerische_osteuropabibliothek_sob/e40731/e40732/geschichte_sob_ger.pdf)