Symbolism of the map in the House of Parliament
The House of Parliament, designed by Hans Wilhelm Auer, architect from St.Gall, was built by Swiss craftsmen using Swiss materials and decorated by Swiss artists. It is one of the most important symbols of the Swiss Confederation, and for all Swiss citizens it represents the epitome of Swiss politics.
In the visitor's entrance, designed by the Bernese architects Aebi & Vincent, the Topographic Map of Switzerland – also called the Dufour Map – blends in with the theme of the symbols of Switzerland. Analogous to the scene depicting the foundation of Switzerland in 1291 located in the center of the main entrance, the Topographic Map of Switzerland is the allegory of the new foundation of the Swiss Confederation in 1848. Side by side with the group taking the oath in Rütli, the history of Switzerland unfolds from the beginning to modern times.
The map shows all of the landscapes in Switzerland and the actual borders to the neighboring countries. It refers to the political structure of the Confederation which consists of cantons whose elected representatives govern the country in this building.
Furthermore, the Topographic Map of Switzerland stands for metaphorical values such as accuracy, precision and the pioneer work of Switzerland, and in a broader sense also for tradition, integration and multilingual cohabitation.
Significance for Switzerland
From today's point of view, an appreciation of the Topographic Map of Switzerland 1:100,000 initially calls to mind a map image which established Switzerland's ongoing international reputation in cartography. At the same time the map embodies impressive cultural history and political achievement by showing for the first time the federalist diversity of the different cantons in a nationwide, uniform representation. Therewith it becomes a symbol for the emergence of the modern Swiss nation founded in 1848.
The Federal Topographic Bureau, founded in 1838, was one of the first units of the new confederation. Even if maps are replaced by new editions or new map series, they do not lose their value. They convey images of past landscapes and are important sources for their history. With the possibility of comparing different map series, one can visualize the changes in the landscape during the last 150 years.