Four generations of the Peyer family lived in Egypt for a little over a century. At the time they left and returned back to Switzerland after nationalization in 1962, the Peyers counted over 20 family members spread over three generations living between Cairo and Alexandria.

It began mid of the nineteenth century when Mr. Anton Peyer, a typographer from Willisau, Luzern (1848-1909) left Switzerland 1866 at the young age of 18. He first went to Russia and then arrived to Alexandria Egypt 1867 where he settled and resumed his profession.

This is where he met the Swiss nurse and his future wife Louise Knecht from Zurich who was working at Alexandria. They married and together had 4 boys Alfred, Gottfried, Otto, Robert and two girls Anna and Lily all born in Alexandria and educated in Egypt.

Robert Peyer died 1909 at the age of 61, his wife followed him 19xx; they are both buried in Alexandria.

​

Anna was the oldest of the family; she studied in Heidelberg and became a doctor and a famous midwife in Alexandria. She helped delivering most of the babies for Alexandria's elite and wealthy families of which Safinaz Zulficar 1921 who later became Queen Farida of Egypt*.

​

Otto and Robert were employed in different Swiss establishments; Otto was director at Planta & Co., Robert at Reinhart & Co.

​

Gottfried (1882-1962) was born right after the bombardment of Alexandria by the British Navy during Ahmed Orabi revolt in July 1882. Most of the European communities living in Alexandria at the time were transported to safety aboard European ships; Gottfried was born on board a German ship, hence his name Gottfried or "God of Peace".

Gottfried was raised in Alexandria; he married his Italian wife Mariana in Alexandria January 28th 1903. They moved to Cairo where he started a business of commodities and together had Louisa (1904), Hilda (1910) Anton (1916) and Robert (1927); they moved to Maadi (1915).

​

Gottfried was an active member of the Swiss community in Cairo and one of the founders of the Swiss cemetery inaugurated 1925. During 1915-1923 he was director of the largest department store of Egypt in Cairo called OROSDI-BACK (Established 1856, later renamed Omar Effendi as of 1921).

His son Anton died 1926 at the young age of 11 in a terrible train accident while crossing the rails at the Maadi train station.

Anton was buried in the grave number 12 in the Swiss Cemetery in Cairo; his father reserved the grave number 13 for himself to be buried next to his son. However, Gottfried passed away in Switzerland 1962; hence the grave number 13 remained empty to this day.

Hilda was a swimming champion, her sister Louisa a famous bridge player.

​

Gottfried and his son Robert Junior established Peyer & Co. in Cairo for the trading of industrial oils and soap and margarine production. He and his son Robert Jr. managed the company which ceased activities in 1962 following Nasser nationalization.

Robert Jr. – together with Rudolph Bless (1894-1970) – established the Swiss Egyptian Chamber of Commerce 1946 with an office in Cairo located right next to the Swiss Embassy and in Alexandria at 40 Safia Zaghloul Street. The Chamber activities was also suspended 1962 following Nasser nationalization.

​

​