Switzerland plans to open Venice’s Palazzo Trevisan to wider audience

Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis and Interior Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider outside Venice's Palazzo Trevisan on May 9. Keystone-SDA

The Swiss foreign ministry is taking over the management of the Palazzo Trevisan in Venice, which until now had been overseen mainly by the Swiss Arts Council, Pro Helvetia.

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Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis and Interior Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider signed a document to this effect on Friday. Pro Helvetia could no longer afford to pay for the Swiss property, which it bought in the 1960s.

“Palazzo Trevisan has an ambitious future,” declared Cassis in Venice after the signing of a memorandum of understanding.

The foreign ministry will become the main tenant of the Palazzo Trevisan. Until now, the Pro Helvetia had been responsible for the building, which is shared with the Swiss consulate. But the Swiss Arts Council needs to make savings.

The cost of renting and maintaining the premises amounts to CHF220,000 ($265,000) a year, foreign ministry spokesperson Nicolas Bideau told the Keystone-ATS news agency. The department is counting on various forms of support to reduce the Swiss government’s investment.

No longer just a cultural venue

Canton Ticino, represented in Venice by minister Marina Carobbio Guscetti, has pledged a financial commitment. The Swiss federal government also hopes to obtain support from private partners in the fields of sustainable development, science and innovation.

The foreign ministry has also focused its communication on opening the Palazzo to areas apart from just culture. Pro Helvetia will also be making a financial contribution. The sharing of costs will depend on the distribution of activities in the building and will be discussed between now and the end of the year.

The organisation of cultural residencies in the Palazzo was criticised in parliament in September. The right-wing Swiss People’s Party accused Pro Helvetia of organising “holidays” in the building.

Baume-Schneider said support for these residences would be reviewed, insisting on the need to distinguish between consulate and cultural activities. This point will be discussed over the coming months as part of the organisation of Pro Helvetia’s activities, said Christoph Lenz, co-head of communications at the interior ministry.

Budget cuts

Switzerland acquired a floor of Palazzo Trevisan in 1966, when it became the headquarters of the Swiss consulate in Venice. The cultural presence in the building grew over the years, until Pro Helvetia took over in 2012.

Last year’s announcement of cuts to the federal cultural budget put the brakes on the foundation’s activities in Venice. It was initially feared that the building would be sold.

Translated from French by DeepL/sb

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