More and more opposition to the new cantonal council chamber

Opponents from all over the world: the plans for a new cantonal council chamber are generating more and more opposition

For around two months now, the ‘IG Erhalt Landsgemeindeplatz’ (Interest group for preserving the Landsgemeindeplatz) has had the goal of preventing the land swap between the city and the canton of Zug in connection with the construction of the new Cantonal Council Chamber (Kantonsratsaal) on the Landsgemeindeplaz in Zug. 

It only found out about this plan from the article in the Zuger Zeitung newspaper and immediately took action. Senior citizens Paul Moos and Peter R. Hofmann and a few other people then founded this IG (interest group), which now has around 170 members. “Our members also live outside the cantonal border, for example in Geneva or even Texas. The gentleman from Texas grew up in Zug and can't understand the planned project,” says Peter Hofmann. 

The extension for the new council chamber is to be built to the south of the Zug Government Building by 2032, on a plot of land owned by the city (610 square meters) near the Landsgemeindeplatz. In exchange, the canton is offering the city real compensation worth around CHF 1.8 million, which has yet to be defined.

“The city must not relinquish planning sovereignty”
The Zug City Council (GGR: Grosse Gemeinderat der Stadt Zug) will decide on the land deal at its meeting on the 29th April.  Up to then, the IG is looking to talk to the population, but also to people from politics, to write letters to the editor of the local newspaper and, in this way, would like to show the city parliament what could be lost through the land swap. So far, however, neither the city nor the canton have sought a discussion with local residents and the people of Zug.

“If the city council approves the land deal, the city of Zug will effectively relinquish its planning sovereignty over one of the city's most important and identity-forming squares,” says Paul Moos. It is the city's responsibility to decide on the area that is so central to the old town and the public space, and not to simply cede it to the canton. In addition, the population will not benefit from the planned new building, only the administration.

“This project will have a massive impact on the historic townscape and will fundamentally change the character of Landsgemeindeplatz as a recreational area by the lake,” says Paul Moos, who now lives in Baar, but who grew up on the Landsgemeindeplatz. He therefore has strong roots in the square and the town. He continues: “Throughout my childhood and youth, the Landsgemeindeplatz was my playground and sports area.” Peter R Hofmann lives in Oberägeri, was a local councillor for the town of Zug and is very interested in the town and its living space.

The IG includes many people from the immediate neighbourhood and people in general who want to preserve the town of Zug in its current beauty. They all agree that the new building, which would be constructed in a ‘zone of public interest’, would not only conflict with various urban planning regulations, but would also negatively affect a lively, valued and heavily frequented open space by the lake. Due to its planned volume, it would also impair the view of the lake and would also displace the popular bird aviary on the Landsgemeindeplatz. They also believe that the historic silver lime tree next to the aviary would be at risk.

Paul Moos (left) and Peter R. Hofmann from the ‘IG Erhalt Landsgemeindeplatz’ to the south of the Zug Government Building. The extension for a new cantonal council chamber is to be built here    Photo: Stefan Kaiser
How the extended building could look: The IG Erhalt Landsgemeindeplatz has had a visualisation drawn up using the dimensions of the planned extension as provided by the canton        Source: zvg

Political decisions are still pending
Peter R. Hofmann and Paul Moos are confident about the GGR debate on the land swap. They now count members of the GGR and other politicians among the supporters of the IG. A glance at the list of supporters on the IG's website “landsgemeindeplatz.ch”shows this. 

“We will forge a plan B, if necessary, on 30th April at the earliest,” says Peter Hofmann with conviction. In the meantime, the IG Erhalt Landsgemeindeplatz has received public support from the Zuger Heimatschutz (Heritage protection) and the Bauforum Zug (building forum) (see item below).

When asked about the opposition that has arisen against the planned extension, Zug's Director of Construction Florian Weber commented as follows: “The cantonal government was aware that Landsgemeindeplatz is a sensitive area in terms of urban planning. We have taken note of the concerns and proposals of the associations Heimatschutz and Bauforum Zug as well as the activities of IG Erhalt Landsgemeindeplatz.”

The political decisions in the Grand Municipal Council and the Cantonal Council are still pending. “We are at an early stage of an ongoing process with an open outcome,” says Florian Weber. He refers to the feasibility study for the renovation of the government building and the preliminary study for the construction of the new cantonal council chamber with site evaluation. According to these studies, the site to the south of the Zug government building is best suited for an extension for the new cantonal council chamber.

Florian Weber continues: “The project clarifications also included land negotiations with the City of Zug. It is not customary to inform the public about such matters before the negotiations are concluded.” The Ornithological Association of the City of Zug was informed jointly by the city and the canton about the planned project in advance. With the media release from last February, the cantonal government provided comprehensive information about the overall renovation of the administration building at Neugasse 2 and the Government Building, as well as a possible new building for the Cantonal Council Chamber.

“A new building south of the government building is the best option”
The Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments and Archaeology was involved in preparing the feasibility study for the renovation of the government building, and then the extended study for a new building for the Cantonal Council chamber with a site evaluation, as explained by the head of the office, Karin Artho. She adds: “A new building for the cantonal council chamber to the south of the government building proved to be the best option not only in terms of building law and functional advantages, but also from the point of view of monument preservation and urban planning.”

As the first state building of its own, the government building is of outstanding importance to the canton of Zug. It should be preserved not only in its historical substance, but also in its representative appearance and solitary position, both on the lake front and on the Postplatz. “Proposals to improve the space for the Cantonal Council within the existing building had been examined in a first step, but had not resulted in satisfactory solutions in terms of space, architecture or monument preservation,” says Karin Artho.

The chosen location of the new building in the immediate vicinity of the old building will ensure that the government building retains its historical function in the future, which is of great importance for a listed building. Karin Artho continues: “Now that the feasibility has been evaluated, the exterior and interior design of the building will be developed as part of an architectural competition. Our office will sit on the jury in an advisory capacity.”

The IG Erhalt Landsgemeindeplatz is also convinced that the new building on the popular and highly frequented location by the lake would also affect Zug's tourism industry. When asked, Zug Tourism did not wish to comment on current political projects of the Canton and the City of Zug.

The Zug Heritage Society and the Bauforum take a critical view
The Zug Heritage Society (Zuger Heimatschutz) rejects the project to build a new cantonal council chamber for the Zug Cantonal Council. They take this view for reasons of protecting the townscape and preserving a popular local recreation area/open space at the Landsgemeindeplatz, in the middle of the Old Town of Zug, as the Zug Heritage Society writes in a press release. It is calling for an expert opinion from the Federal Commission for Monument Preservation (Eidgenössische Kommission für Denkmalpflege). As the canton itself is acting as the developer, the Zug Heritage Society considers that the Cantonal Monument Protection Authority appears to be unsuitable as an independent assessor of the project.

The Bauforum Zug is also of the opinion that particular caution is required for construction projects in Zug's old town, which is classified as a site of national importance. “For this reason, we consider an independent and valid assessment by the Federal Commission for the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage (Eidgenössische Natur- und Heimatschutzkommission) and the Federal Commission for the Preservation of Monuments to be essential,” writes the Bauforum Zug in an open letter to the city and canton. The involvement of the population seems extremely important to the Bauforum, in order to give the project the necessary backing.