Town Halls and Public Buildings to visit Switzerland

This patrician residence was begun in the ^17th century by Jean-François de Courten. Formerly the Château de la Cour, the building became the Hôtel Château Bellevue in 1888. The hotel welcomed illustrious visitors such as the writer Rainer Maria Rilke and the German philosopher Rudolf Kassner, who stayed at the hotel for seventeen years. In 1964, the city of Sierre purchased the building and the Hôtel Château Bellevue became the present-day town hall. The interior is of great elegance, with magnificent painted ceilings and murals.

The story begins in November 1881, with the inauguration of the Kursaal casino, then more of an English-style concert hall. In 1883, a gambling game called "les petits chevaux" was introduced. From 1914 to 1945, the Kursaal's famous 6-piece orchestra played non-stop. In 1962, the first Venetian-style dance hall, the Lido, was inaugurated, and in 1966, the Montreux Jazz Festival celebrated its first edition here, as well as the twenty-six that followed. On December 4, 1971, the Casino Kursaal burned down during a Frank Zappa concert. The Mothers of Invention orchestra cancelled all its European concerts. In memory of this sad event, Deep Purple composed the song Smoke on the Water, written that very night in the stairwell of the Grand Hotel in Territet, where they were staying. Three and a half years later, the casino reopened. It offers gambling, shows, banquets, a restaurant, a nightclub, a cinema, a swimming pool, a yacht club, as well as a recording studio that has played host to some of the world's most famous artists, including David Bowie, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin and Michael Jackson, to name but a few.

The 10,000^m2 casino features slot machines, table games, electronic games and poker, as well as three restaurants, two bars, two terraces, a superb swimming pool and the former Mountain Studios, an area dedicated to the band Queen. And don't forget that the casino wins.... extremely often...

The Federal Palace building was completed in 1902 and is the seat of the Swiss government (Federal Council) and parliament (National Council and Council of States). Under the central dome and in the two council chambers, numerous symbolic representations of Swiss history are depicted. The square in front, with its 26 fountains symbolising the cantons, was opened in 2004 and is THE meeting place for the people of Bern. The National Bank's gold lies beneath your feet.

Discover Basel's town hall, emblem of government and parliament. Its charm lies in its red façade, imposing tower and polychrome paintings. Don't miss the Council Chamber, the inner courtyard, the romantic arcades and the belfry with its panoramic views. Built after an earthquake, the Town Hall symbolizes union with the Confederation. The battlements bear the coats of arms of the cantons. In the ^17th century, Hans Bock decorated the façade with trompe-l'oeil. In the ^20th century, a wing on the left and a belfry on the right enhanced its grandeur.

It was built between 1501 and 1522 on the former site of the castle of the Dukes of Zaehringen, founders of the city. Its symmetrical three-storey façade has a double-flight staircase in the centre. The building has a hipped roof. The tower has a clock and two bells accompanied by their jacquemarts. Inside, the Grand Council room, dating from the 18th century, is covered with Louis XVI woodwork. The room of the Cantonal Court houses two beautiful Louis XV-Louis XVI stoves. Next door, the Town Hall is from the 18th century.

Vevey's town hall is a French-style building, with belfry and staircase, which in 1327 was a hospital. Later, in 1702, it was taken over by nuns, resulting in a chapel, of which the Saint-Jean tower remains, behind the building (you can still make out the church door through the two arches surrounded by flowers). You can enter the building from the side and go upstairs to the "historic building" sign. Here you'll find beautiful wood-panelled rooms and historic features.

The town hall is worth a visit above all for its magnificent colonnaded and rib-vaulted courtyard. It was built in 1465 in the late Gothic style after the terrible fire that devastated the city of Chur in 1464. Before that, there were three different parts of the building and it was decided to unify the building during the reconstruction. It has some beautiful rooms from the Renaissance period, notably the Ratssaal or Council Chamber (1494), decorated with carved medallions on the ceiling. One of the most unusual objects is the tower stove in the Great Council Chamber.

Also known as the Oberes Rathuas, this is the seat of the Government of Canton Aargau.

The Schwyz town hall was built between 1642 and 1646 and its façade was richly decorated by Ferdinand Wagner to mark the 600th anniversary of the founding of the Swiss Confederation in 1891. The fresco depicts the famous Battle of Morgarten, which took place in 1315 between the Swiss Confederation and the soldiers of Duke Leopold I of Austria, Lord of Habsburg. The Swiss victory established the Brunnen Pact, an agreement between the Swiss cantons of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden. Inside, you can admire the rich woodwork.

Seat of the Municipal Council and the Municipality since 1915, this 18th century building was formerly the Auberge du Coeur d'Or. In the 19th century, it became the property of a Bernese patrician family, the Wyttenbachs, who gave it its present name with more Germanic origins. It is one of the most beautiful and oldest buildings in the village. Its architecture is harmonious and it is always well maintained. Today, in addition to belonging to the municipality of Chexbres, it is also the venue for other events.

Since 1675, the imposing Hôtel de Ville building has housed the town's municipal institutions. The building dates back to the ^17th century, when it was surrounded by two rivers (the Flon and the Louve). It was built on top of a ^15th-century edifice. The façade is original in that the arches are symmetrical in relation to the central door (large - medium - small - central door - small - medium - large). The windows above are spaced in the same pattern, giving an impression of width. You'll also notice some pretty ^17th-century gargoyles, which fortunately are no longer operational, otherwise you'd be pelted with downpours! Inside, a mural tells the story of Major Davel, symbol of the canton's liberation. The municipal council chamber, where the seven executive members meet, has a lovely blue-tiled stove (Nyon manufacture) and, under the benches, spit drawers for those who chewed tobacco! Mozart gave two concerts at the Hôtel de Ville in 1766, at the age of 10. His father was trying to find him a place at one of Europe's great courts. This was his only visit to Switzerland. Open to the curious, we recommend climbing up to the attic to admire the original framework. Dominating the picturesque Place de la Palud from its belfry, this is one of Vaud's most remarkable ^17th-century monuments.

Porrentruy, a charming Swiss town, is home to the Hôtel de Ville, the seat of the municipal administration. The Town Hall is an imposing building that bears witness to the town's history. Porrentruy also offers a wide range of cultural and leisure activities. Art lovers can visit local museums such as JURASSICA Dinotec, JURASSICA Jardin botanique, JURASSICA Museum, Musée de l'Hôtel-Dieu and Ô Vergers d'Ajoie - Musée suisse des fruits et de la distillation. There are also several art galleries, such as Espace d'Art Contemporain and Galerie Artothèque le LAC. For show lovers, the town has a number of theaters, including the Salle de l'Inter and the Salles de l'Hôtel-Dieu. There are also sports facilities such as a climbing wall, Tennis Club Porrentruy, an ice rink and indoor and outdoor swimming pools.