Federal Palace of Switzerland
| Federal Palace | |
|---|---|
|
(German) Bundeshaus (French) Palais fédéral (Italian) Palazzo federale (Romansh) Chasa federala (Latin) Curia Confœderationis Helveticæ | |
 View from the Bundesplatz | |
| General information | |
| Town or city | Bern |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Completed | 1 April 1902 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Hans Auer |
The Federal Palace (German: Bundeshaus, French: Palais fédéral, Italian: Palazzo federale, Romansh: Chasa federala, Latin: Curia Confœderationis Helveticæ) refers to the building in Bern housing the Swiss Federal Assembly (legislature) and the Federal Council (executive). It consists of a central assembly building and two wings (eastern and western) housing government departments and a library.
The two chambers where the National Council and the Council of States meet are separated by the Hall of the Dome. The dome itself has an external height of 64 m, and an internal height of 33 m. The mosaic in the center represents the Federal coat of arms along with the Latin motto Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno (One for all, and all for one), surrounded by the coat of arms of the 22 cantons that existed in 1902. The coat of arms of the Canton of Jura, created in 1979, was placed outside of the mosaic.
The name in German and Romansh both mean "federal house", whereas the French and Italian names both translate to "Federal Palace".
History
The building was designed by the architect Hans Auer and its inauguration took place on 1 April 1902. The total cost, at the time, was 7,198,000 Swiss Francs.
Organisation
Central part
- Federal Assembly
- Hall of the dome
- Visitor centre[1]
- West wing
- Federal Council[2]
- Federal Chancellery of Switzerland
- Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
- Federal Department of Justice and Police
- East wing
- Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research
- Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports
Trivia
As president of the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland and therefore member of the so-called Elefantenrunde, the presidents of the five most important political parties in Switzerland, Ursula Koch participated at the first live stream broadcast from the Federal Palace (Bundeshaus) in late 1999.[3]
As reported in a study by the Federal parliamentary services (Parlamentsdienste), the noise caused by human activities in the chamber of the National Council is clearly too loud. The previously undisclosed study was published by 10vor10 on 12 December 2014, pointing that the noise level is usually at a level of about 70 decibels, comparable to a used roadway, so concentration of work for politicians is not possible.[4]
Photos
The south side of the Federal Palace, with the river Aare in the foreground
Inside the building.
The Three Confederates.
Dome of the Federal Palace. The name Jura can be read at the bottom of the picture, indicating where the coat of arms of the Canton of Jura was placed after the secession from Berne in 1979.
The salle des pas perdus.
The room of the National Council (and of the Federal Assembly).
The Council of States.
Inside the west wing of the building.
A meeting room for political parties.
See also
References
- ↑ Visiting the Parliament Building, Federal Assembly (page visited on 11 September 2016).
- ↑ (French) "Dans les appartements des sept sages", Le temps, Sunday 12 May 2013 (page visited on 11 September 2016).
- ↑ "Das hatte die Technikwelt 1999 zu bieten" (in German). 20 Minuten. 2014-12-12. Retrieved 2014-12-12.
- ↑ "Lärmbelastung im Nationalrat deutlich zu hoch" (in German). 10vor10. 2014-12-12. Retrieved 2014-12-13.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bundeshaus Bern. |
- Official website
- Federal Palace in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
Coordinates: 46°56′48″N 7°26′39″E / 46.94667°N 7.44417°E