Town Hall
The Geneva Town Hall was built almost 500 years ago. Its paved ramp, built between 1555 and 1578 to plans by Peter Desfosses, allowed direct access to the upper floors even on horseback.
paved ramp
Geneva Town Hall
Geneva Town Hall
staircase
paved ramp
tower lookup
Alabama Room
The Alabama Room and the blue and yellow salons, respectively vestibule and antechamber, are among most historically significant rooms in the building, both for their architectural elegance and for the crucial international diplomatic events that took place there. They were built in the middle of the 19th century.
Alabama room entrance
blue salon
yellow salon
Large windows allow natural light to flood the Alabama Room, illuminating the historical artworks and creating an inviting ambiance. The first Geneva convention, the Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded in Armies in the Field, was adopted here on August 22, 1864. It is directly linked to the International Committee of the Red Cross, founded a year earlier in Geneva.
The Alabama Room derives its name from the Alabama Claims arbitration. The dispute arose from the American Civil War when the United States claimed damages from Britain for providing support to the Confederate ship CSS Alabama, which had inflicted significant losses on Union merchant ships. To avoid escalating tensions, both nations agreed to arbitration, which was held in Geneva between December 1871 and September 1872. The last day of the negotiations came to a close with a dinner at Geneva's Hôtel de la Paix. The arbitration in the Alabama Room marked the first major case of international arbitration, setting a precedent for peacefully resolving international disputes. At the end, the tribunal awarded the United States $15.5 million in damages.
Alabama room
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