| Embassy of Germany in Bern | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Location |  Bern |
| Address | Willadingweg 83, 3006 |
| Opened | 1957 |
| Ambassador | Michael Flügger |
The German Embassy in Bern is the diplomatic representation of the Federal Republic of Germany in the Swiss Confederation and the Principality of Liechtenstein. The embassy is located in Bern's Brunnadern district in the Kirchenfeld-Schosshalde district at Willadingweg 83, 3006 Bern. [1]
The Federal Republic of Germany opened a legation in Bern on 6 May 1952, which was converted into an embassy on 22 July 1957. [1]
East Germany and Switzerland established diplomatic relations on 20 December 1972. They opened an embassy in Bern, which was closed in 1990 when East Germany joined the Federal Republic of Germany. [1]
The German Embassy in Bern is tasked with maintaining German-Swiss relations, representing German interests to the Swiss government and informing the federal government about developments in Switzerland. The embassy is divided into political, economic and press departments. There is also a military attaché staff. [1]
The embassy's legal and consular department offers all consular services to German citizens and offers help in emergencies. There is also an on-call telephone service. The embassy's consular district covers all of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The visa office issues Schengen visas for third-country nationals permanently residing in Switzerland. [1]
Honorary consuls of the Federal Republic of Germany are appointed and based in Basel, Geneva, Lugano and Zürich as well as in Balzers in the Principality of Liechtenstein. [1]
The Almanach de Gotha first reported a permanent representative of Prussia in Bern in 1824. This became the North German Confederation in 1868 and the German Empire in 1871. The Bavarian Embassy, located in a villa on Thunplatz built by the architect Henry Berthold von Fischer, [2] was bought by Great Britain before the fall of the Kingdom of Bavarian and replaced by a modern building in 1962. [3]
After being situated in various rental properties, the German Imperial embassy rented Villa Frohberg in Bern's Länggasse district around 1881. In 1901, they acquired the property and renovated it for the mission. Ten years later, however, the building which was more than 200-years-old, was deemed insufficient and the current property in Brunnadern was selected and acquired. [4]
In 1911, Swiss architect Albert Gerster was commissioned by Kaiser Wilhelm II to design a U-shaped structure with a central main wing and wings on both sides, based on baroque country house architecture. The complex was completed by November 1913. [5] The residence was renovated between 2001 and 2003.
By 1926, the office wing of the residence no longer met the embassy's space requirements, and it was decided to build a separate office building on a plot of land across the street. The office, which is set back from the street so as not to impair the perspective view of the residence, was designed by the Bernese architect Hans Klauser in the neo-baroque style and was built the subsequent year. [6] Today, the building houses the German consulate and was modernized and expanded between 2014 and 2015. [7]
By 1942, the office building was again deemed too small and a third, slightly larger building was built opposite it by 1943 (since an extension to the existing office was rejected for reasons of symmetry). During World War II, the headquarters of the German Abwehr (the military-intelligence service of the Wehrmacht) was located in the embassy building.
On 26 June 1964, Swiss Post introduced postal codes as the third country after Germany (1941) and the United States (1963).
The Federal Palace is a building in Bern housing the Swiss Federal Assembly (legislature) and the Federal Council (executive). It is the seat of the government of Switzerland and parliament of the country. The building is a listed symmetrical complex just over 300 metres (980 ft) long. It is considered one of the most important historic buildings in the country and listed in the Swiss Inventory of Cultural Assets of National Importance. It consists of three interconnected buildings in the southwest of Bern's old city. The two chambers of the Federal Assembly, the National Council and Council of States, meet in the parliament building on Bundesplatz.
The Untertorbrücke is a stone arch bridge that spans the Aare at the easternmost point of the Enge peninsula in the city of Bern, Switzerland, connecting the Mattequartier in the Old City to the Schosshalde neighbourhood. Built in its current form in 1461–89, it is the oldest of Bern's Aare bridges, and was the city's only bridge up until the middle of the 19th century. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.
Basel SBB railway station is the central railway station in the city of Basel, Switzerland. Opened in 1854, and completely rebuilt in 1900–1907, it is Europe's busiest international border station. Basel SBB is owned by the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS). The other major railway station is Basel Badischer Bahnhof, operated by the German railway company Deutsche Bahn, on the north side of the Rhine from the city centre.
Diplomatic relations between Switzerland and the United States were established in 1853 by the U.S. and in 1868 by Switzerland. The first diplomatic representation of the U.S. was established in Basel in 1853.
The Society for Art History in Switzerland is a Swiss learned society dedicated to promoting the understanding of Swiss art history and particularly of Swiss topography of art, including the study and maintenance of Swiss cultural heritage sites. The society, founded in 1880, publishes a wide range of monographs, guides, and inventories. These include the series Art monuments of Switzerland, which includes more than one hundred volumes, the first of which was published in 1927. It also publishes the quarterly journal Kunst und Architektur in der Schweiz.
The Kramgasse is one of the principal streets in the Old City of Bern, the medieval city centre of Bern, Switzerland. It was the center of urban life in Bern until the 19th century. Today, it is a popular shopping street. Its length, slight curve and long line of Baroque façades combine to produce Bern's most impressive streetscape.
The Junkerngasse is a street in the Old City of Bern, the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. It connects the tip of the Aar peninsula to the Münster.
The Swiss Northeastern Railway was an early railway company in Switzerland. It also operated shipping on Lake Constance (Bodensee) and Lake Zürich. Until the merger of the Western Swiss Railways into the Jura–Simplon Railway (JS) in 1890/91, it was the largest Swiss railway company.
The Läuferbrunnen is a fountain on Läuferplatz in the Old City of Bern, Switzerland. It is a Swiss Cultural Property of National Significance and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Old City of Bern.
Blumenstein Castle is an estate house in the municipality of Solothurn of the Canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance. In 1952 it became the home of the Historical Museum of Solothurn.
Gümligen Castle is a castle in the municipality of Muri bei Bern of the Canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.
Obere Burg, also known colloquially as Burg Neu-Schellenberg, is a castle ruin located in the municipality of Schellenberg, Liechtenstein. It lies at the western edge of Hinterschloss, one of the burroughs in the village of Neu-Schellenberg. It is freely open to tourists. Due to its close proximity to Hinterschloss, it is probably the most easily accessible of all Liechtenstein castles. Obere Burg is one of the five existing castles in Liechtenstein and one of the three ruined ones in the country.
Gutenberg Castle is an intact castle in the town of Balzers, Liechtenstein, in the centre of the municipality of Balzers, the southern-most municipality in the country. Gutenberg is one of the five castles of the principality and one of two that have survived intact until the present day.
Baden railway station serves the municipality of Baden, in the canton of Aargau, Switzerland. Opened in 1847, it is owned and operated by SBB-CFF-FFS.
The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Bern is the diplomatic mission of the Republic of Indonesia to the Swiss Confederation. The embassy is concurrently accredited to the Principality of Liechtenstein. The permanent mission of the Republic of Indonesia to the United Nations, World Trade Organization and Other International Organizations is located in Geneva. The first Indonesian ambassador to Switzerland was Alfian Yusuf Helmi (1952–1955). The current ambassador, Muliaman Darmansyah Hadad, was appointed by President Joko Widodo on 20 February 2018.
The Embassy of the United States in Bern manages the official relationship between the United States and the Swiss Confederation and the Principality of Liechtenstein. The diplomatic mission of the United States was established in April 1853 as a legation, and was elevated to an embassy in 1953. Within the Embassy, several U.S. agencies are represented, including the Department of State, Department of Defense, Department of Commerce, and Department of Justice. The mission aims to foster strong bilateral ties and advance U.S. policy objectives in Europe. It also provides services such as visa issuance and emergency assistance to Americans in Switzerland.
Media related to German Embassy, Bern at Wikimedia Commons
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