Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (12 January 1746 – 17 February 1827) was a Swiss pedagogue and educational reformer. He founded several educational institutions both in German- and French-speaking regions of Switzerland and wrote many works explaining his revolutionary modern principles of education. His motto was "Learning by head, hand and heart". Thanks to Pestalozzi, illiteracy in 18th-century Switzerland was overcome almost completely by 1830.

Kinderdorf Pestalozzi (lit. 'Pestalozzi Children’s Village') is a non-profit organization located in Trogen, Canton Appenzell. What began in 1946 as a humanitarian gesture by Switzerland in response to the suffering of war orphans in Europe is now a unique Swiss non-profit organization whose work creates access to good, equal education for all children and young people in Switzerland and around the world.

The Pestalozzi library traces its founding to 1896 with the Pestalozzi Society. It is the public library of the City of Zürich, Switzerland. It operates a total of 14 branches. The PBZ financed primarily through contributions from the city government, with a small contribution from the cantonal government.