Official commemoration of the centenary of the Locarno Treaties

The official ceremony for the Locarno Treaties Centenary (1925-2025) was held on Saturday, 4 October 2025 at the PalaCinema

The event was attended by many distinguished national and international personalities. It was an occasion rich in meaning and emotion, combining historical reflection and current dialogue on the values of peace and international cooperation.

04.10.2025

Locarno. PalaCinema

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The official meeting between the Ambassadors and representatives of the signatory countries and City governement at Palazzo Marcacci

The celebratory day on October 4, 2025 was a particularly significant moment for the City of Locarno. Marking the centenary of the Peace Conference held in Locarno in 1925, the official ceremony succeeded in combining commemorative spirit, collective reflection and international dialogue, reaffirming the relevance of the Treaties as a symbol and instrument of peace.

The event was attended by many distinguished guests, including Ambassadors and representatives of the Embassies of the countries that originally signed the Treaties, who were also received at Palazzo Marcacci for the signing of the City's Golden Book.

Also present were delegations from some of Locarno's Sister Cities, as well as cantonal and federal members of Parliament. Particularly significant was also the presence of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Dr. Alain Berset.

Below are some moments of the meeting at Palazzo Marcacci, captured by photographer Carlo Reguzzi.

James William Squire, Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Switzerland

Gian Lorenzo Cornado, Ambassador of Italy to Switzerland

Ľubomír Lúčan, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Slovakia in Switzerland

Patrick Van Gheel, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to Switzerland

Markus Potzel, Ambassador of Germany to Switzerland

Laurent Alberti, Consul General of France in Zurich

Joanna Wroublewska, Chargé d'affaires a.i. at the Embassy of Poland in Switzerland

Deike Potzel, EU Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva

The official commemoration at the Palacinema in Locarno

Locarno. PalaCinema.

Saturday, October 4, 2025, 3:30 to 6:30 pm.

The ceremony opened with institutional greetings from Locarno Mayor Nicola Pini (link), State Council President Norman Gobbi (link), Federal Chancellor Viktor Rossi (link), and Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Dr. Alain Berset (link).

The program was enriched by the performance of the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana (OSI), featuring the national anthems of Switzerland, England, Italy, and Slovakia (link), as well as those of Belgium, Germany, France, Poland, and the Czech Republic (link), and by the screening of Jonas Marti’s short film La Città della Pace, Locarno 1925. The Pact that Wanted to Change Europe (link).

The programme was further enhanced by a series of high-level lectures by internationally renowned guests.

The opening was given by Dr. Paolo Mieli, Italian journalist and essayist, in dialogue with Sandra Sain (link), who offered profound reflections one hundred years after the Locarno Treaties, thus introducing the next two speakers: Dr. Alain Berset, who spoke on the topic Diplomacy and Democracy: instruments of peace for the 21st century (link), and Prof. Dr. Jörn Leonhard of the University of Fribourg, who instead delved deeper with The Locarno Conference of 1925 (link).

The day - which was also streamed live on the City of Locarno's YouTube channel - ended with a convivial moment at the PalaCinema, another opportunity to continue the discussion and dialogue among the participants in an informal but content-rich atmosphere.

Official photos of the ceremony can be viewed in the image gallery on this page.

The Locarno Treaties Centenary celebrations will continue in the coming months with additional events and initiatives. All updates are available on the dedicated web page www.locarnocittadellapace.ch.