German Embassy Bern
The German Embassy in Bern is the diplomatic representation of Germany in Switzerland and Liechtenstein . It is located in Bern's Brunnadern district in the Kirchenfeld-Schosshalde district .
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| State level | bilateral | ||
| Position of the authority | Embassy | ||
| Supervisory authority (s) | Ministry of Foreign Affairs | ||
| Consist | since 1957 | ||
| Headquarters |
 Bern
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| Coordinates | 46 ° 56 '5.5 " N , 7 ° 27' 43.8" E | ||
| ambassador | Norbert Riedel | ||
| Website | www.bern.diplo.de | ||
history
The Gothaische Hofkalender reported for the first time in 1824 about a permanent representation of Prussia in Bern . This was transferred to the North German Confederation in 1868 and to the German Empire in 1871 . The Bavarian legation, located in a villa built by the architect Henry Berthold von Fischer on Thunplatz, was bought by Great Britain before the fall of the Bavarian Kingdom and replaced by a modern embassy building in 1962.
After the imperial embassy was initially housed in various rental properties, the Villa Frohberg in Bern's Länggasse district (Bierhübeliweg 17/19) was rented at least after 1881 . In 1901 the Reichstag decided to purchase the property, after which it was renovated. Nevertheless, ten years later, neither the representative nor the hygienic conditions of the more than 200-year-old building were sufficient, so that today's property in Brunnadern was ultimately bought.
The Swiss architect Albert Gerster was commissioned by Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1911 to deliver a design, which was approved in 1912 and implemented by November 1913. He designed a U-shaped complex with a central main wing and wings on both sides, based on baroque country house architecture. These enclose an almost square courtyard of honor that opens up to the Brunnadernrain . The Willadingweg leading to the property is marked out in such a way that the center line of the street takes up the main axis of the building. 2001–2003 the residence was renovated.
As the rooms in the office wing of the building no longer met the quantitative requirements, it was decided in 1926 to build a separate office building on a plot of land opposite. This was designed by the Bernese architect Hans Klauser in neo-baroque style and built until the following year. The building is set back towards the street so as not to impair the perspective view of the residence. The consulate is now located in this building , which was modernized in 2014/15 and expanded with an extension.
In 1942 it was necessary to enlarge the office space again due to an increase in staff. Since an extension of the already existing office building was rejected for reasons of symmetry, a third, somewhat larger building was placed opposite it until 1943. The Reichsbaudirektion in Berlin provided the plans in the style of the existing ensemble .
Honorary consuls in Basel , Geneva , Lugano , Zurich and in Balzers in the Principality of Liechtenstein have their headquarters in the embassy .
Heads of mission
See also: List of German ambassadors in Switzerland
Envoy from the German Reich
Imperial envoy
- 1867–1882 Heinrich von Roeder (until 1868 envoy of Prussia and until 1871 of the North German Confederation )
- 1882-1892 Otto von Bülow
- 1892–1895 Clemens August Busch
- 1896–1897 Wolfram Freiherr von Rotenhan
- 1898–1912 Alfred von Bülow
- 1912–1918 Gisbert Freiherr von Romberg
Envoy from the Weimar Republic
- 1919–1933 Adolf Müller
Envoy at the time of National Socialism
- 1933–1937 Ernst Freiherr von Weizsäcker
- 1937–1945 Otto Köcher
Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany
- 1952–1958 Friedrich Holzapfel (initially envoy , from 1957 ambassador )
- 1958–1963 Ernst-Günther Mohr
- 1963–1966 Wolfgang Freiherr von Welck
- 1966–1970 Friedrich Buch
- 1970–1973 Josef Löns
- 1973–1977 Jürgen Diesel
- 1977–1981 Ulrich Lebsanft
- 1981–1983 Helmut Redies
- 1983–1986 Gerhard Fischer
- 1986–1989 Jens Petersen
- 1989–1991 Wolfram Dufner
- 1991–1994 Werner Graf von der Schulenburg
- 1994–1996 Eberhard Heyken
- 1996–1998 Lothar Wittmann
- 1998–2001 Klaus Bald
- 2001–2003 Reinhard Hilger
- 2003-2005 Frank Elbe
- 2006–2008 Andreas von Stechow
- 2008–2011 Axel Berg
- 2011–2013 Klaus-Peter Gottwald
- 2013–2017 Otto Lampe
- since 2017 Norbert Riedel
See also
- German-Swiss relations
- Swiss Embassy in Berlin
- German-Liechtenstein relations
- Liechtenstein Embassy in Berlin
