Palace of Nations

Geneva, Switzerland

The Palace of Nations is the home of the United Nations Office at Geneva. It was built between 1929 and 1938 to serve as the headquarters of the League of Nations. The palace was at the time of completion the second-largest building complex in Europe after Versailles.

The Palace is located in Ariana Park, which was bequeathed to the City of Geneva in 1890 by Gustave de Revilliod de la Rive, on several conditions: i.a. that the park always remain accessible to the public and that he be buried in the park. The park also contains a 1668 chalet.

Beneath the Palace of Nations's foundation stone is a time capsule containing a document listing the names of the League of Nations member states, a copy of the Covenant of the League, and specimen coins of all the countries represented at the league's Tenth Assembly. A medal showing the Palace of Nations with the Jura Mountains in the background was struck in silvered bronze.

The building overlooks Lake Geneva and has a clear view of the French Alps.

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Details

Founded: 1929-1938
Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in Switzerland

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Chander Kolhi (4 months ago)
The most beautiful and loving place. A dream has come true today after being in the United Nations.
Charlotte Clarke (4 months ago)
The UN was the top of my sons list when we booked our trip to Geneva, so we just had to get tickets to get inside! You have to book a tour to get inside the gates, we booked online roughly 3 weeks before, but it tells you to do it as soon as you can as it books up fast! You get a guided 1hour tour which is OK, but it's honestly worth booking just to get inside the gates, so many brilliant photo opportunities! The buildings and gardens are beautiful! My son was so happy getting his picture with the flags! Our tour guide was lovely, I can't remember his name! He really did try to squeeze as much in as possible in the short time! It's worth it as the tickets are quite cheap!
Dena Earhart (5 months ago)
I have always dreamed of visiting the United Nations, so this was very moving and awesome for me! I love the mission of the UN, to bring people together to find common ground; to work together to identify and solve issues of human rights throughout the world. A worldwide brotherhood and sisters of people who care! I love it❣️
Rajapandian Raja (5 months ago)
Peace ✌️ Couldn't attend the UN inside tour as the timing didn't sync. But went around the building. Did a customary search for my India's Flag among the posts and satisfied with it ?
Natasha Panagiotopoulos (6 months ago)
We had a fantastic guide (I'm sorry, I don't remember her name but she's from Belgium) who provided us with some interesting information about the UN. We were lucky enough to visit one of the conference rooms whilst a meeting with the Human Rights council was underway. Definitely keep an eye on the website as it appeared that all tours for the days we wanted were booked out but I happened to check a week out and a whole heap were available.
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