- This event has passed.
Laying of the foundation stone for the extension of the National Museum
30 April 2013
The National Museum in Zurich launches its new building, designed by Christ & Gantenbein. Alain Berset welcomes the brass band and the slam that frame the ceremony: “Das ist ja fast wie Richard Wagner und Mani Matter!”
He rereads the history of Gustav Gull’s building, born at the end of the 19th century when Switzerland was seeking to secure its identity in the face of neighbouring nationalisms. Switzerland had none of what they demanded: one language, one culture, a centralising capital. The annex, he says, is also a symbolic enlargement of memory: “Wir feiern ein entspanntes Verhältnis zu unserer nationalen Identität.”
Speeches on this site
- Pose de la première pierre du Musée national de Zurich (in German, French-language page)
Sources