As a son of a citizen of the Kingdom of Württemberg, Albert Einstein, born in Ulm in 1879, was a citizen of the German Empire by birth. In 1894, the electrical engineering firm, J. Einstein & Co., located in Munich since 1880, turns bankrupt and Albert's parents move to Italy.

Was Einstein Swiss?

Born in Ulm in Germany on 14 March 1879, Einstein grew up in Munich. He then moved to Switzerland in 1895 where he studied at what is now the ETH in Zurich. In 1901, he became a Swiss citizen.

Why did Einstein move to Switzerland?

As a child, Einstein became fascinated by music (he played the violin), mathematics and science. He dropped out of school in 1894 and moved to Switzerland, where he resumed his schooling and later gained admission to the Swiss Federal Polytechnic Institute in Zurich.