The Swiss Embassy from 1921 to today

1 The Embassy of in It was not until 1950 that the 5 was first established in the offices of Embassy of Switzerland arrived the Swiss Consulate at Hoża 48. at Ujazdowskie 27. The city of The Consulate had been created in had asked to exchange the 1875 to support Swiss citizens and Embassy’s former property at Smolna companies in Warsaw. 25, which is now a public square with a small park, for the heavily damaged property at the current location.

100 Years of Embassy 2 1 3 1 of Switzerland in 5 Corner of Marszałkowska and Hoża (1937, State Archive The destroyed Ujazdowskie 27 building in Warsaw). Hoża 48 was not rebuilt after World War II in (1945, A. Rudniewska, Warsaw University Poland order to allow for an enlargement of Marszałkowska. of Technology Main Library). 2 Roaring Twenties: In 1922, the World War II: The Swiss Embassy Swiss Confederation bought a larger staff followed the Polish Government building at Smolna 25, which offered into exile soon after the outbreak of sufficient space for both the diplomatic World War II. The abandoned Smolna and consular services. After those in 25 building was destroyed in the 4 Berlin, Paris and Rome, the Embassy Warsaw Uprising in 1944 and by the 1921: Switzerland’s first in Warsaw was only the fourth building end of the war only debris and the the Swiss Government had ever bought remains of the walls were left. Ambassador to Poland (rather than rented) abroad.

The first Swiss Ambassador* to Poland arrived in Warsaw in 1921. The two countries had established diplomatic relations in 1919, following Poland’s regained independence. As a high- ranking military officer with a Polish wife, The Embassy View of the Smolna 25 building from Aleja Trzeciego The destroyed Embassy at Smolna 25 Ambassador Hans Pfyffer von Altishofen Maja (1930s, State Archive in Warsaw). (1944, Swiss Federal Archives). building today. was a natural pick for the position.

He also had a strong economic 3 When the Embassy staff returned to By 1946 the Hotel Polonia Palace 4 background, which was important, Warsaw in 1945, office space had to had become too crowded and be rented in the Hotel Polonia Palace the Embassy temporarily moved as both countries were eager to grow at Jerozolimskie 45 together with into vacant offices of the Swiss their economies and strengthen their many other Embassies. pharmaceutical company Hoffmann-La business ties. On 22 October 1921, Roche at Rakowiecka 19. Swiss Ambassador Pfyffer von Altishofen Swiss Ambassador Pfyffer von Marshal Piłsudski finally presented his credentials to Altishofen (Swiss Federal Archives). (Wielkopolska Digital Library). Marshal Piłsudski. This happened one week later than originally planned, because the Polish military orchestra insisted on playing the Swiss national anthem perfectly and asked for more FOLLOW US! time to practise. @SwissPoland

Hotel Polonia Palace Rakowiecka 19 (1947, Stolica Illustrated Weekly, *Until 1958, the Ambassador was still called an Envoy and (1945, fotopolska.eu). Aby zobaczyć ten the Embassy had the status of a Legation, but their roles Polish National Library). plakat w języku and responsibilities were essentially the same as today. polskim, proszę zeskanować kod QR 2The History of the Embassy

Building The Embassy building at the beginning of the 20th century The Embassy gardens before World War II Observation post for militiamen with the Embassy in (Z. Kalinowski, Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences). (Polish National Digital Archives). the background (1958, Polish National Digital Archives).

Wilhelm Ellis Rau was a well-known In 1906, Countess Maria Branicka The Embassy building seen from industrialist from Warsaw and became the new owner of the Piękna in 1939 (State Archive in co-founder of the metal company Rau Palace. At her request, the Warsaw) and in 2021. Lilpop, Rau & Loewenstein. residence was extended, with the He bought the piece of land at addition of two small wings. In Ujazdowskie 27 in 1865, on which 1922, the property was inherited stood a residence of unknown by Duchess Izabella Radziwiłłowa origin. Rau hired the Italian architect who, from 1930 onwards, rented Leandro Marconi to renovate the the Palace as a private residence to residence in the Italian Renaissance the Polish Vice Minister of Foreign style, and eventually turned it into Affairs Jan Szembek. what became known as the Rau Palace. In 1947, the City of Warsaw allocated the heavily destroyed The renovation was completed Rau Palace to the Embassy of in 1868 and gave the building a Switzerland, in exchange for its The Embassy building seen from modern look. Leandro Marconi former property at Smolna 25. Ujazdowskie before World War II and Andrzej Pruszyński each Hans Schmidt, a Swiss architect (H. Poddębski, Warsaw University of created two statues for the from Basel, and his Polish Technology Main Library) and in 2021. roof of the Palace, representing colleague, Szymon Syrkus, were architecture, sculpture, painting and commissioned to rebuild the Palace. engineering. They also produced The reconstruction lasted four years eight antique busts decorating the and proved to be very challenging: residence facade. Finally, Ludwik finding skilled workers and building FOLLOW US! Kucharzewski designed a fountain materials in a city where everything @SwissPoland and sculptures for the garden. had to be rebuilt at once was a real challenge. Aby zobaczyć ten plakat w języku polskim, proszę zeskanować kod QR While the gardens on the western side The Swiss of the building had to make way for the garage, the ones on the eastern side are particularly splendid in the 3 summer. Residence

The small salon is used to host smaller groups. If you are ever invited to coffee by the Ambassador, this is likely where Today you will be received.

After its reconstruction between 1947 and 1950, the Rau Palace, which had previously been a private residence, became a fully functional Embassy building. The ground floor was turned into office space and the first floor into the Ambassador’s Residence. The The dining room seats up to 20 Residence is where the Ambassador guests and is used for formal lives, receives guests and hosts events luncheons and dinners. on behalf of Switzerland.

From the original building only the The hallway features a picture of the facade along Aleje Ujazdowskie Swiss Matterhorn with the largest ever remained intact. In 1990, the whole projection of the Polish flag. This was facade was restored for a second time, an initiative of the village of Zermatt as a sign of solidarity during the together with the original stuccowork COVID-19 pandemic. and stonemasonry elements. Because of the high cost, the sculptures that decorated the original roof corners, the antique busts on the residence facade, and the vases that once stood on the balcony balustrades were not reconstructed. FOLLOW US! @SwissPoland The large salon is used to host larger groups and for cultural events. When the Embassy hosted a fashion show, Aby zobaczyć ten this is where the catwalk was located. plakat w języku polskim, proszę zeskanować kod QR The Embassy

The Diplomatic Division is responsible for representing The Chancellery provides consular services to Swiss and 4 Switzerland’s interests in the areas of political, legal, economic, Liechtenstein citizens living in Poland, as well as to Polish residents Ambassador Jürg Burri is the Head of Mission financial, environmental, scientific and cultural affairs. for administrative matters related to Switzerland. The Chancellery of Switzerland and represents Switzerland in Poland. It supports cooperation and organises projects in these areas. staff is also responsible for the Embassy’s operations management. in Poland

The Embassy of Switzerland in Poland has a staff of 23 people to support bilateral relations between Switzerland and Poland, administer the 1000 Swiss citizens in Poland and support around 200 Swiss businesses.

The Swiss Business Hub Central Europe represents the Zurich-based The Switzerland Tourism Office promotes Defence Attaché Colonel Markus Widmer is based international trade and investment promotion agency Switzerland Switzerland as a destination for holidays, The mission of • Represent Switzerland in Poland; in Berlin and represents Switzerland’s military and Global Enterprise (S-GE). It is responsible for implementing Swiss export travel and business conferences (P. Pfeiffer, security policy interests in Poland. strategies in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. SBB). Find out more under the QR-code. the Embassy of • Protect the interests and values of Switzerland, Switzerland in Swiss citizens, Swiss companies and Swiss Poland is to: organisations in Poland; • Negotiate on behalf of the Swiss Government with the Polish Government; • Analyse the developments in Poland, and report them to the Swiss Government; • Promote friendly relations between Switzerland and Poland; and FOLLOW US! @SwissPoland • Develop economic, cultural and scientific While not a part of the Embassy, the Polish-Swiss Chamber of Commerce collaborates Aby zobaczyć ten relations between both countries. closely with the Embassy. It is a private association of mostly Swiss companies plakat w języku operating in Poland that seeks to establish favourable conditions for the development polskim, proszę of Polish-Swiss economic relations. Find out more under the QR-code. zeskanować kod QR History Languages Multilateralism The Swiss national languages are German As a neutral state, Switzerland has a (the main language of 62.1% of the longstanding humanitarian tradition population), French (22.8%), Italian (8.0%) and Romansh (0.5%), while 7.9% of the and hosts one of the leading global population has another main language. centres of multilateral cooperation 1291 in , together with many other Switzerland traces its roots to an 22.8% international organisations all over What You Need French alliance that was formed in 1291 62.1% the country. between three cantons. German / 5 Swiss German to Know about Switzerland 1848 It became a federal state in 1848. 8.0% 0.5% Italian Romansh

Government Innovation European Union Sustainability Switzerland is famous for its direct democracy and Thanks to centuries Although not a member of the European Switzerland is proud decentralised federal system, which gives a lot of of relative peace and Union, Switzerland works very closely with the to be a global leader EU. More than 120 bilateral treaties regulate political power to regional and local authorities. stability, Switzerland has 20 Switzerland’s access to the EU single market in sustainability. become a leading global and all other areas of cooperation. innovation hub and The Swiss cherish their beautiful boasts the world’s 20th landscapes of mountains and largest economy. 120+ lakes, and are taking numerous measures to protect the environment and the climate. Trade volume is more than 1 BILLION CHF 1 billion per work day. 4/1959 Switzerland is committed to implementing its 2030 Sustainable Development Strategy, Its government is headed by seven Over 315,000 people in line with the United Nations Sustainable ministers, called Federal Councillors, commute from EU Development Goals. who are elected by Parliament and The country is well known for its 315 000+ member states to currently represent the four biggest apprenticeships: two thirds of Switzerland’s work in Switzerland. political parties (the same four parties 16-year-olds enrol in vocational education FOLLOW US! since 1959). and training, instead of going to university. @SwissPoland Thanks to this practice-oriented system, Thanks to Switzerland’s participation in EU Each year, a different one of the seven Switzerland can count on one of the programmes, researchers and universities also Aby zobaczyć ten plakat w języku ministers becomes the President of world’s most highly skilled, innovative benefit from the win-win relationship between polskim, proszę the Swiss Confederation. and best paid workforces. Switzerland and the EU. zeskanować kod QR The bilateral relations between Bilateral trade has increased by The Bilateral Relations Switzerland and Poland are 1100% since 1990. Switzerland excellent. With the introduction is now the 8th largest foreign 6 of the free movement of persons, investor in Poland, where Swiss between Switzerland more than 50,000 Poles have companies have created more found a new home in Switzerland than 65,000 jobs. and Poland over the last two decades.

The strong bonds between Switzerland and Poland are already centuries old. During the Polish independence 19th and struggle from the 19th century onwards, Switzerland was a refuge for many Polish patriots, such as 20th century Tadeusz Kościuszko, Władysław Broel-Plater, Gabriel Narutowicz, Antoni Patek and Ignacy Paderewski.

During World War II, more than 13,000 soldiers of the 2nd Polish Rifle Division were interned in Switzerland, where they had the opportunity to pursue an education and helped build major infrastructure projects. Interned soldiers from the 2nd Polish Rifle Division Ignacy Paderewski lived for almost 40 years at Riond-Bosson, a property Count Władysław Broel-Plater founded a Polish Museum in (1942, Polish Museum Rapperswil). he bought in western Switzerland in 1899 (Polish National Library). Rapperswil Castle in 1870 (Rapperswil Lake Zurich Tourism).

Bilateral relations between Switzerland and Poland remain Both countries also have a lively, with numerous political and business contacts. lively exchange in culture and sports. Follow our social 21st century Between 2007 and 2017, Poland was the largest partner media to find out about the country for Switzerland’s contribution to the enlarged EU. friendly events happening Fifty-eight projects were successfully implemented for a almost every week.

total of CHF 464.6 million (PLN 1940 million in Find out more about current prices). The funds were used for a variety the projects of initiatives, including promoting renewable FOLLOW US! @SwissPoland energy, strengthening joint academic research, investing in local railway transport, supporting Aby zobaczyć ten SMEs and start-ups, and protecting biodiversity. The results of the Swiss Contribution are Swiss President Ueli Maurer visited Polish President Andrzej Duda to celebrate plakat w języku still visible today across Poland. 100 years of diplomatic relations in 2019 (K. Sitkowski, KPRP). polskim, proszę zeskanować kod QR