The House of Switzerland is the official guesthouse of the Swiss Confederation, which is built, furnished and operated for the duration of the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games. It is the official meeting point of the Swiss Olympic Team and the venue for the official medal celebrations of the Swiss medalists.Swiss Olympic, Website, August 2012
The House of Switzerland at the Olympic and Paralympic Games is open to the public.
More than the Olympic Games The name House of Switzerland – which has long since become a brand – is no longer used by the Swiss Confederation exclusively for projects related to the Olympic Games. Other official appearances of the Swiss Confederation – mainly abroad – now also operate under this name. Nevertheless, it is still the Houses of Switzerland at the Olympic Games that are best known to the public. What all official appearances under the name House of Switzerland have in common is that they are operated by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), specifically by Presence Switzerland.Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA): The World of the Houses of Switzerland: Website, May 2025
History
The tradition of the House of Switzerland dates back to 1998, when the House of Switzerland was first built for the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, operated by the Swiss Olympic Association. The idea was to create a meeting point for the Swiss Olympic Team as well as the official Swiss delegations, but also for fans travelling from Switzerland.House of Switzerland, Website, August 2012
More than sports
From the beginning, the central element of the concept was the operation of a restaurant serving Swiss specialties, combined with specialties from the respective host country, a concept which became known as gastrodiplomacy. For this reason, an existing restaurant or a building with the appropriate infrastructure is usually rented and converted to operate the House of Switzerland. In the case of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, a kind of resort was even built where the public could practice various sports disciplines, including ice skating.House of Switzerland, Website, August 2012
More than just one house If the sporting competition venues and the official host city are far apart, two Houses of Switzerland are established. This was the first time the case during the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, where a House of Switzerland was operated in Sestriere in addition to Turin. Another example is the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, where a second House of Switzerland was operated in Whistler. Due to the widely dispersed sports venues for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, three representations of the House of Switzerland were even established: in Milan, Cortina d'Ampezzo and Bormio. However, the House of Switzerland in the Centro Svizzero in Milan was considered the main representation, as it was also the largest of the three.House of Switzerland, Website, August 2012House of Switzerland, Website, February 2026
Diplomacy takes over
Over time, however, the House of Switzerland developed into a platform for Swiss public diplomacy, with a focus on sports and gastrodiplomacy. Due to this development, it was clear to the Swiss Olympic Association that it should place the organisation and operation of the House of Switzerland in the hands of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA).
Since the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, the House of Switzerland has been under the project management of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). Within the FDFA, Presence Switzerland (PRS) is responsible for the planning, implementation and execution of the concept for the House of Switzerland, which is based on a public–private partnership (PPP).House of Switzerland, Website, August 2012
In addition to athletes, sports fans, the federal administration and further partners and sponsors, also the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR) uses the House of Switzerland as its local headquarters. At the same time, the House of Switzerland serves as a marketing and event platform for the Swiss economy, tourism, culture and science. A corresponding supporting programme is part of the concept.House of Switzerland, Website, August 2012
Over the years, there have been several Houses of Switzerland that have been in the spotlight due to their programmes, guests, location, architecture or special national significance. These include the Mobile House in Sochi in 2014, the House in the garden of the historic Hôtel de Besenval in Paris in 2024, called Maison Suisse, and the House at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, which has been dedicated to international relations since 2019.
Exceptional Houses of Switzerland The French edition in the garden of the embassy: The Maison Suisse
For the 2024 Summer Olympics and the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, a two-storey pavilion, called Maison Suisse – because French, the language of the host country, is also a Swiss national language – was erected in the garden of the Hôtel de Besenval, the seat of the Embassy of the Swiss Confederation since 1938. It was the first time that a House of Switzerland was built on the premises of an Embassy of the Swiss Confederation.
The Maison Suisse had a total area of 1000 m2, which included a bar, a restaurant, a VIP lounge and an Athletes lounge on the ground floor and an event space on the first floor. Furthermore, the programme included changing exhibitions, a cultural programme and art installations by the two Genevan artists Laure Marville (* 1990) and Thomas Liu Le Lann.
The Baron de Besenval's nymphaeum The legendary nymphaeum of the illustrious Pierre Victor, Baron de Besenval de Brunstatt, in the basement of the Hôtel de Besenval was also part of the concept and served as an event space for top VIP events, hosted by Ambassador Roberto Balzaretti.Nelly Keusch: In der Maison Suisse gibt es zu Olympia Rösti und Bescheidenheit, Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ), 3. August 2024, p. 10Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft: Olympische und Paralympische Spiele von Paris 2024: Ein «Schweizer Haus» im Garten der Botschaft, Medienmitteilung, 4. Juli 2024
In 1782, the Baron de Besenval, a Swiss military officer in French service, had this private bath built by the architect Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart and decorated by the sculptor Claude Michel. Since its renovation and transformation in 2024, the nymphaeum has served as a wine cellar and event space. The Hôtel de Besenval is listed as a monument historique by decree of 20 October 1928, whereat the uniqueness of the nymphaeum is specifically mentioned.Luc-Vincent Thiéry: Guide des amateurs et des étrangers voyageurs à Paris, ou Description raisonnée de cette Ville, de sa Banlieue, et de tout ce qu'elles contiennent de remarquable, tome II, chapitre 'Hôtel de M. le Baron de Besenval,' Libraire Hardouin & Gattey, Paris, 1787, pp. 579–580France Télévisions: Les Trésors des Ambassades Parisiennes: Dr. Guillaume Poisson, Université de Lausanne, présente l'Hôtel de Besenval en 2024 dans le cadre d'un documentaire sur les plus belles ambassades de ParisJean-Jacques Fiechter / Benno Schubiger: L'Ambassade de Suisse à Paris, Ambassade de Suisse, 2ème édition, août 1994, p. 11
The one-off project: The Mobile House of Switzerland
Due to the fact that no ideal property could be found in the city of Sochi, a mobile House of Switzerland – manufactured in Switzerland in a classic-modern chalet style – was erected for the first time for the 2014 Winter Olympics. The spruce wood construction consists of 193 largely standardised elements that can be transported on fourteen semi-trailers or in containers. A further five trucks are needed to transport the interior fittings.SWI – Swissinfo: House of Switzerland – Sochi. Documentation on the planning and construction of the House of Switzerland in Sochi, 2014
Both President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited the House of Switzerland, where President Vladimir Putin met Federal Councillor Ueli Maurer on 14 February and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met President Didier Burkhalter on 7 February.Peter Düggeli: Bundespräsident Didier Burkhalter trifft Aussenminister Sergey Lavrov im House of Switzerland, Hauptausgabe SRF-Tagesschau, 8. Februar 2014Christoph Franzen: Präsident Putin besucht das House of Switzerland, Hauptausgabe SRF-Tagesschau, 15. Februar 2014
A house consisting of four houses: Facts & figures
The Mobile House of Switzerland was developed by Spillmann Echsle Architects from Zurich under the direction of Presence Switzerland, in collaboration with Timbatec – Timber and Technology GmbH and the general contractor Nüssli AG. Spillmann Echsle Architects was honoured with the German Design Award and the Best Architects Award for the project.News Service Bund – Das Portal der Schweizer Regierung: Das «Swiss Mobile House»: Ein kreatives und nachhaltiges Gefäss zur Promotion der Schweiz im Ausland, Medienmitteilung des Bundesrats, 8. November 2013Spillmann Echsle Architects: Houses of Switzerland – Facts & figures: Website, June 2026
The concept is as follows: Four elements – also called houses, because they can also be used individually without the other elements – with two or three floors and a total area of 882 m2 are arranged in such a way that they form an inner courtyard of 66 m2. The ground floor houses a restaurant, a kitchen with take-out, a stage and exhibition rooms. The VIP and Athletes' lounges and an office space are on the first floor. A further lounge, an open balcony and the studios and backrooms for television and radio are on the second floor. Although a third floor is visible from the outside of one of the building's elements, this isn't actually the case. The third floor visible from the outside is a double-height ceiling, providing space for the anchor studio of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR).
Sochi, Milan, Zurich and Interlaken
After its first appearance in Sochi, the mobile building was used in a scaled-down version at the Giro del Gusto from 30 April to 11 May 2014 in Milan. In August 2014, it was used in full size on the Sechseläutenplatz in Zurich during the European Athletics Championships.
The Mobile House of Switzerland in Zurich was erected with the help of the Swiss Armed Forces, a feat of logistics. Due to its complexity, construction had to be carried out partly at night. Streets had to be closed, traffic diverted and tram overhead lines temporarily dismantled so that the heavy-duty vehicles carrying the construction elements could reach the Sechseläutenplatz.Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft: Ein Heimspiel für das House of Switzerland, EDA, Medienmitteilung, 18. August 2014Jürg Rohrer: Nutzungskonzept Sechseläutenplatz, Tagesanzeiger, 29. Dezember 2014
At the end of the European Athletics Championships in Zurich, a public reception for the Swiss athletes was held in front of the Mobile House of Switzerland on 17 August 2014. Thousands of fans celebrated the athletes as they appeared on the open balcony.