A "golden eyesore" in Zug?

People in Zug are irritated by the dirty facade of the pavilion on Lake Zug. The city promises speedy cleaning.

The shine has almost disappeared from the pavilion at the Bahnhofsteg ship landing in Zug, which is affectionately known as the "golden kiosk". It’s no longer a case of a shiny golden structure – the once-golden kiosk is now covered with traces of glue and bird droppings, and there are also traces of urine in the lower areas.

"I walked past today and was once again shocked by how horrible the facade looks. It’s an eyesore in our otherwise pretty lakeside promenade”, writes a reader, who prefers to remain anonymous. She recalled that, when the pavilion was first opened, there was a promise that the façade would become more beautiful over time.

A look at the newspaper archives confirms this. The outer shell of the pavilion is made of brass-copper plates, which should gradually acquire a patina, and thereby darken. At the opening ceremony, architect Norbert Truffer, who designed the project together with the Zug architect Riccardo Romano in April 2009, stated that this should ensure an attractive aging process. The building would lose its shine due to the weathering, whereby the numerous other stains, such as handprints, would also disappear.

There are no longer any handprints today. Nevertheless, the "golden kiosk" is dirty. This is particularly sad against the backdrop in which the CHF 1.2 million project is centrally located, where many tourists and locals pass by every day.

The "golden kiosk" at the Bahnhofsteg ship landing is heavily polluted on several sides.

The weathering process has not destroyed the "gold" everywhere in the building

The subject is also well known at the Confiserie Speck, which runs a gelateria in the pavilion. Owner Peter Speck confirms that he continually receives feedback from passers-by who are annoyed by the many stains. The negative and positive feedback about the building tend to balance each other out, however. "The building is a work of art and that’s how it is regarded. People always have different opinions about art”, says Peter Speck. It was important to him that cleanliness and quality were guaranteed in the Gelateria, because he can only influence it. "As a lessee, I'm not allowed to clean the façade, because the cleaned areas stand out too much."

Christian Weber, head of Stadtzuger Immobilien, emphasizes that the building is a challenge. With the decision to create a brass façade that would gradually weather, one must accept marks on the walls. "The signs of the weather are part of the work of art, which is what the architects wanted. Regular cleaning disturbs the weathering, and causes stains on the façade”, explains Weber. Brass walls are "tricky" - the darker the façade, the fewer stains are visible.

Faced with the allegations, however, Christian Weber admitted that this kiosk in the best location would definitely need cleaning again. But that won’t be easy, because every wipe with a cloth leaves traces on the facade. In order not to exacerbate the situation, the city is now clarifying how and by what means the pavilion can best be cleaned. In the future, the Real Estate department will focus on the pavilion and - if necessary - clean it regularly. The façade will no longer shine gold - but according to Weber, the "golden kiosk" is to be freed from the biggest stains by the end of October.