Experts’ archives – historic monuments preservation

Riva San Vitale, Baptisterium, Aufnahmeplan 1925 — Ink and watercolour ground plan of the Riva San Vitale Baptistery by Albert Naef (1925).

Experts from the Federal Commission for Monument Preservation (FCMP) appointed by the Federal Council have been overseeing protective measures in the fields of historic monuments preservation, archaeological, nature and heritage protection since 1915. The resulting documentation is systematically collected.

Content and scope

Files, applications, appraisals and correspondence from the work of the FCMP, supplemented by photographs, sketches and plans
Manuscript minutes and notebooks from the early days of monument preservation, in some cases meticulously illustrated with watercolour images

Collection principles

Documenting the FCMP’s advisory work in the fields of monument preservation, archaeological, nature and heritage protection.

Research and access

A large proportion of the documentation has been catalogued and can be researched in the HelveticArchives database.
Originals can be viewed in the Prints and Drawings Department by prior appointment.
Some of the – mainly old – files have not been catalogued and are difficult to access.