Eranos Foundation

The Eranos Foundation is a cultural institution based at Casa Eranos in Ascona-Moscia, Switzerland. It was founded as a project of Olga Fröbe-Kapteyn (1881–1962) and has hosted annual interdisciplinary conferences since the early 1930s. The name Eranos derives from the Greek word for a shared banquet, reflecting the foundation's ideal of a free space where Eastern and Western thought could meet. The foundation organizes the Eranos Tagung, an annual conference, as well as the Eranos-Jung Lectures held at Monte Verità in Ascona. It also publishes the Eranos Yearbook and maintains archives, a library, and collections. The foundation is a private, non-profit cultural organization.

Eranos was a project of Olga Fröbe-Kapteyn (1881–1962), which came into being on the banks of Lake Maggiore at Ascona–Moscia. As its name reflects, eranos (Gr. 'banquet') was a place and occasion where contributions were liberally offered at the table by attendees. Its goals were to create a 'place of encounter and experience' and a 'free space for the spirit', where Eastern and Western thought could meet. Eranos modeled the annual international interdisciplinary Conference (Eranos Tagung) with traces of Italian Renaissance style, the intellectual circles of German Romanticism, and the great salons of Europe in the 1800s. Eranos began with an ambitious program of annual Conferences held at Casa Eranos. Originally, each Conference lasted about ten days, typically during the second half of August or at the beginning of September. The lectures, which lasted about two hours, were given by the speakers in their mother tongue, without translation. An ancient gong, played with a slow and severe cadence, attracted speakers and the public. Over the decades, the Eranos conferences became a renowned forum for scholars in religion, psychology, mythology, and related fields. The foundation continues to organize the Eranos Tagung and the Eranos-Jung Lectures, and publishes the Eranos Yearbook.

• 2026

  Eranos Tagung 2026: 'Eclipse of the Dèmos and Betrayals of Democracy' scheduled for September 9-12.

• 2026

  Eranos-Jung Lectures 2026 series on James Hillman's legacy.

• 1933

  First Eranos conference held at Casa Eranos in Ascona-Moscia, initiated by Olga Fröbe-Kapteyn.

A historic, independent cultural foundation dedicated to interdisciplinary dialogue between Eastern and Western thought, psychology, religion, and the arts.

• Eranos Yearbook

  Annual publication featuring conference proceedings and essays.

• Aragno*Eranos book series

  Book series published in collaboration with Aragno.

1. 1Eranos - homepageeranosfoundation.org
2. 2History - Eranos Foundationeranosfoundation.org
3. 3Eranos Foundation - Wikidatawikidata.org