List of ambassadors of Switzerland to France

The Ambassador of Switzerland to France is the representative of the government of Switzerland in France and thus responsible for maintaining diplomatic relations between Switzerland and France.

Embassy of the Swiss Confederation in France
Entrance gate of the Hôtel de Besenval, the Embassy of the Swiss Confederation and the residence of the Swiss Ambassador to France
General information
Address	142 Rue de Grenelle
Town or city	Paris
Country	France

First permanent Swiss diplomatic representation in France

The worldwide first ever permanent Swiss diplomatic representation was opened in Paris in April 1798, at the time of the Helvetic Republic. On 28 April 1798, the Helvetic Directorate officially appointed the first envoy Peter Josef Zeltner. However, Zeltner's posting to Paris took place already one day earlier. Today the Embassy of the Swiss Confederation as well as the residence of the Swiss Ambassador are housed in the Hôtel de Besenval in Paris.

The early years: The era of the gentlemen diplomats

The beginnings of Swiss professional diplomacy were modest and accompanied by a certain skepticism. The focus of criticism was the associated costs. Anyone interested in becoming a diplomat in the early years was advised that, in addition to a degree in law, knowledge of modern history, language skills in the Swiss national languages and English – they should have above all something at their disposal: Their own assets. The Swiss Confederation expressly pointed out that a diplomat's salary – even if he is head of mission – will not be enough to cover his living costs. Accordingly, the first Swiss diplomats came from wealthy, mostly industrial and patrician families. This only changed with the adjustment of salaries and the introduction of an admissions competition, the so-called concours diplomatique, which was developed in 1955 under the leadership of Walter Stucki and finally introduced in 1956.

"It is true that until relatively recently Swiss diplomacy was primarily the preserve of members of noble and wealthy families."

— Ambassador Walter Stucki

The last years of the gentlemen diplomats in post-war Paris

It is interesting that in the period after the end of World War II until the 1980s, Switzerland was mostly represented in Paris by people who had not had experience as ambassadors but who otherwise enjoyed a high reputation. They generally stayed at their posts for a long time, sometimes up to 10 years. And surprisingly, the majority of them did not come from the Romandy.

First permanent French diplomatic representation in Switzerland

15 August 1910 – the first state visit ever to the Swiss Confederation (Federal State of 1848) takes place: The President of the Swiss Confederation, Robert Comtesse (right), and the President of the French Republic, Armand Fallières, leave the cour d'honneur of the French ambassador's residence at 44 Sulgeneckstrasse in Bern in a brand new De Dion-Bouton Landaulet Type CH for a city tour (this model was only produced in 1910).

In the aftermath of the Battle of Marignano, the Paix Perpétuelle (Perpetual Peace) of 1516 and the mercenary alliance of 1521, France had already opened a permanent diplomatic representation in 1522 on Swiss territory, however, without a permanent residence for the ambassador. Instead, the French ambassador traveled with the members of the Tagsatzung to the respective venues. Opened on the orders of King François I, this embassy on Swiss territory was the first permanent French embassy in the world, followed by the opening of French embassies in London and Venice.

Solothurn – the City of Ambassadors

It was not until 1530 that the French ambassador moved into permanent residence on Swiss territory, in the city of Solothurn. The ambassador had his seat in the so-called Ambassadorenhof, a building that still exists today. In 1717, however, a major fire destroyed large parts of the ambassador's residence. In 1725, the residence was rebuilt, according to the plans of the Vorarlberg architect Franz Beer. The first French ambassador to move into the Ambassadorenhof was Louis Daugerant, Seigneur de Boisrigaut. The presence of the French ambassador significantly increased the importance of Solothurn and unofficially made the city a center of the political, economic and social life of the Old Swiss Confederacy. Hence still today the city of Solothurn is called the City of Ambassadors. However, the last French ambassador left Solothurn in 1792 during the French Revolution. The French ambassador has resided in Bern since 1799.

In the heyday of the 18th century, many personalities visited the French ambassadors in Solothurn. Among the most famous were Voltaire and Giacomo Casanova, who visited Ambassador Anne-Théodore Chevignard, Chevalier de Chavigny, Comte de Toulongeon et Baron d'Uchon, in 1756 and 1758 (Voltaire) and in May and June 1760 (Casanova) respectively.

Monsieur l'Ambassadeur and the Special Relationship

Seven copies of this so-called Alliance Tapestry were made (executed between 1665 and 1742). Four of the seven copies have survived. In addition to the copy in the Hôtel de Besenval, there is also a copy in the Château de Versailles, in the Museum of the Gobelins Manufactory and in the Swiss National Museum in Zürich, as seen in the picture (acquired by the Gottfried Keller Foundation in Paris in 1896).

An interesting aspect of Franco-Swiss diplomatic history is that until 1953 only the French head of mission was allowed to hold the title of ambassador to Switzerland. It was only from February 1953 that all foreign heads of mission in Switzerland, previously envoys, were allowed to hold the title.

Kings, presidents and ambassadors

The Special Relationship between Switzerland and France can be traced back a long way. A turning point in this regard was certainly the Battle of Marignano and the resulting peace treaty, the so-called Paix Perpétuelle (Perpetual Peace) of 1516 and the mercenary alliance of 1521 resulting from these peace negotiations. The renewal of this mercenary alliance, the so-called Soldallianz von Luzern, on 18 November 1663 in the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris in the presence of King Louis XIV went down in history as one of the king's most important diplomatic achievements. A testimony to its importance is the so-called Alliance Tapestry, a copy of which is on display in the Hôtel de Besenval.

The mutual appreciation was repeatedly expressed at the highest level, which also led to personal friendships:

"Le grand Ambassadeur et l'ami de la France."

— General Charles de Gaulle, Président de la République Française, in memory of Ambassador Agostino Soldati

Ambassadors of Switzerland to France

"The head of mission in Paris realises very early that in a capital of the Occident, which adds to the prestige of an unparalleled past the reality of an intense political and international life, it is not enough to be a diplomat. Simple professional virtuosity, even at its peak, is not everything, far from it. Access to the capital's circles, and therefore not only to official circles, puts the representative of a country small or large, weak or powerful, distant or close in contact with an intellectual and social elite as demanding for themselves as for the foreigner."

— Ambassador Agostino Soldati

From 1798 until 1957 as the Swiss envoy, called Minister

• 1798–1800: Peter Josef Zeltner (1765-1830)
• 1800–1800: Gottlieb Abraham von Jenner (1765–1834)
• 1800–1803: Philipp Albert Stapfer (1766–1840)
• 1803–1814: Antoine Constantin de Maillardoz, Marquis de Maillardoz (1765–1832)
• 1814–1847: Georg von Tschann (1777–1847)
• 1848–1857: Josef Hyazint Barmann (1800–1885)
• 1857–1883: Johann Konrad Kern (1808–1888)
• 1883–1917: Charles Édouard Lardy (1847–1923)

Charles Édouard Lardy was one of the first professional Swiss diplomats (career diplomat)

• 1917–1938: Alphonse Dunant (1869–1942)
• 1938–1944 (from 1940 until 1944 in Vichy): Walter Stucki (1888–1963)

Under Walter Stucki's leadership, the new examination procedure for admission to the diplomatic service was developed in 1955. This process is also known as the democratization process of the diplomatic service. It was the beginning of the end of the era of the gentlemen diplomats

• 1945–1949: Carl J. Burckhardt (1891–1974)
• 1949–1956: Peter Anton von Salis (1898–1982)

From 1957 as the Swiss ambassador – or the upgrade from a legation to an embassy

• 1956–1961: Pierre Micheli (1905–1989)

At the beginning, Pierre Micheli had the rank of minister. In March 1957 he became ambassador, when the Swiss Legation was upgraded to an embassy

• 1961–1966: Agostino Soldati (1910–1966)

Agostino Soldati, who was extremely popular and well-connected in Parisian society, died in office on 11 December 1966. On the day of his death, General Charles de Gaulle, President of the French Republic, sent a telegram of condolence to the President of the Swiss Confederation, Hans Schaffner, which he signed with "Le Général de Gaulle." Charles de Gaulle also sent a personal letter of condolence, dated 11 December 1966, to the widow, Marguerite Soldati-André-Thome, Comtesse André de Contades (1907–2001), called Daisy. This letter he signed with "Charles de Gaulle"

• 1967–1977: Pierre Dupont (1912–1993)
• 1977–1987: François de Ziegler (1922–2006)
• 1987–1993: Carlo Jagmetti (* 1932)
• 1993–1997: Edouard Brunner (1932–2007)
• 1997–2002: Benedict de Tscharner (1937–2019)
• 2002–2007: François Nordmann (* 1942)
• 2007–2011: Ulrich Lehner (* 1954)
• 2011–2014: Jean-Jacques de Dardel (* 1954)
• 2014–2018: Bernardino Regazzoni (* 1957)
• 2018–2020: Livia Leu (* 1961)
• 2020–today: Roberto Balzaretti (* 1965)
• As of January 2025: Tania Cavassini (* 1967)

Seats of the Swiss diplomatic representation in Paris since the mid-19th century

One of the earliest photos of the Hôtel de Besenval: A photographic glass slide made in the second half of the 19th century (after 1866), showing the garden façade of the residence. Glass slides were projected with a magic lantern.

• 1857–1859: 14 Avenue des Champs-Elysées
• 1860–1864: 3 Rue d'Aumale
• 1865–1883: 3 Rue Blanche
• 1892–1894: 4 Rue Cambon
• 1895–1918: 15bis Rue de Marignan
• 1919–1938: 51 Avenue Hoche
• since 1938: 142 Rue de Grenelle

La maison française la plus suisse qui ait jamais été

In order to fulfill his main task of maintaining diplomatic relations, an ambassador depends on having the appropriate framework conditions. This includes, above all, an appropriate embassy residence that reflects the prestige of a nation.

The Swiss Confederation was lucky and in 1938 was able to buy what is probably La maison française la plus suisse qui ait jamais été (the most Swiss French house ever): The Hôtel de Besenval on the Rue de Grenelle, a residence full of Franco-Swiss past, embodied by Pierre Victor, Baron de Besenval de Brunstatt, a Swiss military officer in French service, whom Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve once called "Le Suisse le plus français qui ait jamais été" (the most French Swiss ever).

"At the Hôtel de Besenval you were sure to find not only the elite of Parisian society, but above all a wonderfully balanced representation of the most diverse circles of society from politics, literature and art."

— Sénateur Édouard Bonnefous

Further reading

in alphabetical order

• Claude Altermatt: Les débuts de la diplomatie professionnelle en Suisse (1848–1914), Éditions Universitaires Fribourg Suisse, Fribourg, 1990
• Claude Altermatt: Zwei Jahrhunderte Schweizer Aussenvertretungen (1798–1998), Jubiläumsbroschüre 200-Jahre-Eröffnung der ersten Schweizer Gesandtschaft in Paris 1798, Eidgenössisches Departement für auswärtige Angelegenheiten (EDA), Vorwort Bundesrat Flavio Cotti, 1998
• Carl J. Burckhardt (Préface): In memoriam Agostino Soldati (1910–1966) – Ambassadeur de Suisse, Éditeur: E. Cherix et Filanosa, Nyon, 1968
• Jean-Jacques de Dardel: L’hôtel de Besenval – siège de l'ambassade de Suisse en France, Labor et Fides, Genève, 2013
• Jean-Jacques de Dardel: 1663: Le Renouvellement de l'Alliance avec le Roi de France – histoire et tapisserie, Labor et Fides, Genève, 2013
• Daniel Haener: Ambassadeurs à Paris, Zeitschrift « Le messager suisse: Revue des communautés suisses de langue française », 1998, Heft 110
• Florian Keller: Botschafterporträts – Schweizer Botschafter in den « Zentren der Macht » zwischen 1945 und 1975, Chronos Verlag, Zürich, 2018
• Jacques Rial: Le Bicorne et la Plume – Les publications de diplomates suisses de 1848 à nos jours, Préface de Bénédict de Tscharner, DiploFoundation & Institut de hautes études et du développement, Genève, 2008
• Bénédict de Tscharner: Profession ambassadeur – diplomate suisse en France, Éditions Cabédita, Yens-sur-Morges, 2002
• Paul Widmer: Diplomatie – Ein Handbuch, Verlag Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Zürich, 2014

External links

• Swiss diplomacy through the ages
• Embassy of the Swiss Confederation in France
• Stéphane Bern and his team visiting the Swiss Ambassador, Bernardino Regazzoni, at the Hôtel de Besenval in 2016