Palace of Nations

The Palace of Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, was built between 1929 and 1938 as the headquarters of the League of Nations and has served since 1946 as the seat of the United Nations Office at Geneva. Its Stripped Classicism design was the work of five architects representing different member states, Julien Flegenheimer of Switzerland, Camille Lefevre and Henri-Paul Nenot of France, Carlo Broggi of Italy and Jozsef Vago of Hungary, and at completion the complex was, by volume, the second largest building project in Europe after the Palace of Versailles. Standing in Ariana Park, land bequeathed to the city of Geneva in 1890 on condition that it remain open to the public, the modern complex extends some 600 meters in length and contains about 2,800 offices and 34 conference rooms, hosting more than 10,000 intergovernmental meetings in 2012 alone. A major renovation of the complex was under way with planned completion by 2028.