One of Europe’s top architecture meccas

 
The Alpine country of Switzerland sports dozens of innovative, eye-popping buildings and gorgeous interior designs by internationally renowned architects, making it one of Europe’s top architecture meccas. Discover Germany takes a look at which buildings should be visited on your next visit.

There are many reasons to visit Switzerland, including great museums, the natural surroundings, enchanting old towns, bustling city centres, exciting exhibitions or the wonderful food (think chocolate, cheese, wine). However, what many visitors overlook is the wealth of impressive architecture from past and present. After all, in addition to many medieval buildings, the country has a vast range of contemporary architecture on offer. Let us take a look at some of these.

Zentrum Paul Klee. Photo: © Bern Tourism, swiss-image.ch/Bern Tourism/Zentrum Paul Klee

Zentrum Paul Klee

Built in Bern by architect Renzo Piano, this impressive building houses a museum complex which honours artist Paul Klee. Its distinctive look enchants with three steel and glass ‘hills’ and it looks almost like the building grows right out of the grassy field.

Messe Basel, New Hall

The ‘Messe Basel’ can be found in Basel. Built by the famous pair of architects, Herzog & de Meuron, the extension to the Messe Basel exhibition centre has become a trademark of Basel’s cityscape. The star architects replaced two of the older halls with an extension that stacks three new ten-metre-high halls on top of each other. The brushed aluminium clads make this extension a real eye-catcher not to be missed.

Monte Rosa hut

Built in 2009 in Zermatt, the ‘Monte Rosa hut’ is a mountain refuge of the special kind. Designed by the ETH Zurich team, it is “Switzerland’s most complex wooden building”, according to them. Not only looking impressive, the Monte Rosa hut also has stainless-steel foundation, an aluminium outer shell and a computer-controlled energy-management system with solar panels. In other words – it combines cutting-edge architecture with sustainable technology.

Tschuggen Grand Hotel

The five-star luxury hotel’s spa area is something rather extraordinary, visually. Designed in 2003 by Swiss-born Mario Botta and associate architects GPL Tschuggen Arosa Salvatore, the spa area’s outer appearance reminds visitors of the calm and sacredness of the mountain landscape that surrounds the hotel. It needs to be seen to be believed!

Tschuggen Grand Hotel. Photo: © Switzerland, swiss-image.ch/Christof Sonderegger

In the following special theme, we take a look at some of Switzerland’s top architects, as well as Switzerland’s interior design elite and their impressive projects. Get inspired!
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