Foundation Papiliorama
Mission statement & Aims
The main aim of the founders of Papiliorama has always been of an idealist nature. However, the legal form did not correspond to this from the very beginning. Papiliorama was founded as a limited society. At the time, this was the only possibility to get access to guaranteed credits. After the gigantic fire of 1995 and the resulting spontaneous donations made through the Swiss public, which made possible the reconstruction of Papiliorama, the society decided to turn itself into a foundation of public utility. It was the first such case in Switzerland.
The aim of the foundation is to introduce the public to the diversity of tropical and indigenous fauna and flora and to actively contribute to their protection. The main target groups are today’s young generations. This is the reason why, the foundation offers special rates for guided tours to school classes.
Board
- Thierry Mauron, President, economist, former director of the Fribourg Economic Development Agency
- Katharina Hürlimann, former mayor of Kerzers
- Hanneke van Mesdag, entrepreneur
- Michel Pittet, economist, former State Councillor of the Canton of Fribourg
- Hans Stöckli (ex officio), lawyer, Senator of the Canton of Berne
- Andrea Kaufmann (ex officio), Mayor of Kerzers
- Eric Schmidt, business coach
- Maarten Bijleveld van Lexmond, biologist, Founder of the Papiliorama
- Caspar Bijleveld, Secretary, biologist, Director Papiliorama
Honorary members
- Nicole Schwab, former mayor of Kerzers
- Susanne Schwander, former mayor of Kerzers
Our history
Papiliorama is a charitable non-profit organization, which aims at raising awareness about the fate of tropical forests and nature worldwide, by inviting its visitors in the heart of natural exhibits. A sister-foundation of the Papiliorama, the ITCF, protects in a very concrete way more than 23’500 hectares (235 km2) of pristine tropical nature in Belize, Central America.
Papiliorama is the fruit of the imagination of its founder, Maarten Bijleveld van Lexmond, a biologist from the Netherlands. Together with his wife Catheline, he founded the first Papiliorama in the canton of Neuchâtel in 1988. Papiliorama was destroyed by a major fire on January 1st 1995. Thanks to a huge national wave of solidarity, the tropical house was rebuilt in the same year. Since the Papiliorama could hardly develop further due to lack of space in Marin, the tropical house was relocated to Kerzers in the heart of the Dreiseenland in 2003. Since then, the institution has been under the direction of Caspar Bijleveld, the son of the founding couple.
Papiliorama and Nocturama in Kerzers were opened to the public in 2003. This was followed by the opening of the petting zoo, the playground and the Swiss butterfly garden (now Chlitierlizäut) outside. The third tropical dome, Jungle Trek, was completed in 2008. The complex is constantly being enriched with new smaller exhibitions.
