Palace of Nations
The Palais des Nations ( Palace of Nations German ) is a built 1929-1936 building complex in the Ariana Park in the Swiss city of Geneva, which was the headquarters of this institution from 1933 until the dissolution of the League of Nations in 1946. From the founding of the League of Nations in 1920 until moving to the Palais des Nations, there was the seat of the League of Nations in Geneva, Palais Wilson, which continued to be used after 1936 by the League of Nations and is currently the seat of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR ) functions. The Palais des Nations has also continued to be used after the founding of the United Nations (UN ) as the successor of the League of Nations by the UN. Since 1966 the Palais des Nations, the European headquarters of the United Nations ( United Nations Office in Geneva) and the world's second most important seat of the UN after the headquarters in New York.
Every year in the Geneva headquarters of the United Nations about 8,000 meetings were held, of which about 600 major conferences. Some areas are accessible by guided tours for visitors. This possibility is used annually by about 100,000 people.
History of the Palais des Nations
After the founding of the League of Nations on 10 January 1920, an architectural competition was held for the construction of the Palais des Nations, 1926. However, it was the designated jury not to select from the proposals submitted 377 a winner. To solve the architect Carlo Broggi of Italy, Julien Flegenheimer from Switzerland, Camille Lefèvre and Henri -Paul Nénot were commissioned from France and Joseph Vago from Hungary in order to develop a joint design of the circle of participants. After the foundation stone was laid on September 7, 1929, the building was built in spätneoklassizistischen style based on this proposal. In 1933 the Secretariat of the League of Nations in the completed parts of the building, and in 1936 followed him the majority of the League of Nations from its previous headquarters in the substantially completed building. The interior is still largely of donated materials of the member countries of the League of Nations. Under the foundation of the building is a capsule that contains, among other things, a list of all members of the League, a copy of its Constitutive Act and coins of all member countries. The League of Nations was, however, already paralyzed politically at that time and had lost much of its influence and legitimacy. This did not change more until its dissolution in 1946.
After handing over the building to the 1945 founded as a successor of the League of Nations United Nations, the complex was extended several times. From 1950 to 1952, the building K was increased by three additional floors and the building D as a temporary headquarters of the World Health Organization ( WHO) built. From 1968 to 1973, the building was rebuilt E as a conference center. Including these extensions of the complex at the current level is about 600 meters long and contains 34 meeting rooms and 2,800 offices. The main building is located since 1996 installation sculpture Regarding Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapon Artist Clemens Weiss as an official gift of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United Nations. From 2015 the palace to be renovated for several hundred million euros.
The Ariana Park
The Palais des Nations is located in Geneva Ariana Park in the Avenue de la Paix. The building offers views of Lake Geneva and the French Alps. Directly opposite on the other side of the street is the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The park, originally owned by the Geneva family Revilliod de Rive, was the city in 1890, bequeathed by Gustave Revilliod under the proviso that he be buried on the grounds, the park would be open to the public and peacocks would not hesitate to run free. The park is now no longer available to the public because of security restrictions, the other requirements are Revilliods has been met to date. The city of Geneva is the United Nations park available, as long as they exist.
The park also includes the Villa la Fenêtre, Villa le Bocage and Villa la Pelouse from the 19th century, which were originally used for private purposes. Villa la Fenêtre is now the headquarters of the Director General of the Geneva UN seat while the Villa le Bocage and Villa la Pelouse be used as an office building. The park is located beyond a small chalet.