Prof. Albert Leemann (1929 - 2025)
We mourn the loss of our esteemed former colleague Prof. Albert Leemann. He passed away on 24 October 2025 at the age of 96.
Albert Leemann was Professor Emeritus of Geography and headed the Anthropogeography unit at the University of Zurich's Institute of Geography from 1978 to 1995.
In his dissertation (1958), he dealt with the ‘Revision of the Würm terraces in the Rhine Valley between Diessenhofen and Koblenz,’ but became increasingly interested in the cultural aspects of geography. He travelled extensively in Southeast Asia, where he found a new focus for his research in Bali. In his habilitation thesis (1976) ‘Effects of the Balinese world view on various aspects of the cultural landscape and on the evaluation of the annual cycle,’ he dealt with the spatial manifestations of Balinese cosmology. In this and in his further research, he was concerned with promoting better sensitivity to local worlds of meaning and thus breaking with the ethnocentric views that prevailed at the time.
Before his appointment as professor to the Department of Geography, he worked as teacher in secondary school and gymnasium in Zurich and Wetzikon. He also brought his talent for teaching to the lecture hall, where he always lectured to packed rows of enthusiastic students. He gave his employees considerable leeway in designing their research projects, but at the same time he was a meticulous reader of our draft publications. It was also important to him to bring his research results out of the ivory tower, which was reflected in several photo books, including ones on Thailand and Bali. In these, he proved himself not only to be a good storyteller, but also a gifted photographer. Today, these books – alongside his scientific publications – can be read as contemporary documents. His research was also highly acclaimed in Indonesia, where most of Albert Leemann's studies took place. The Social Department of the Republic of Indonesia presented him with a certificate of recognition for his efforts to alleviate the hardship of poor farming families in the province of Nusa Tenggara Barat.
We will remember him fondly!
Norman Backhaus, on behalf of the department’s Executive Board