01 Via della Pace

Texts by Rodolfo Huber

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We stand at the entrance to Via della Pace. On one side we see Piazza Grande with its arcades. On the other Via della Pace leads us toward the New Quarter. If we look in the direction of the arcades, we can see the buildings that, in the 1920s, housed the Hotel Metropol, where the Polish delegation stayed during the 1925 Conference.

If we now look on the opposite side we see the Quartiere Nuovo, which testifies to the development of the city in the early twentieth century. Its characteristic feature is the orthogonal structure of its streets, with at its center the large Pedrazzini Square with its monumental fountain. In the early decades of the twentieth century, the Quartiere Nuovo was an area of villas, artisan businesses to which some industrial plants were added. Now it is much more densely built-up. The original Mediterranean style has suffered.

At the end of the nineteenth century Locarno liked to call itself "the Nice of Switzerland" so palm trees were planted along the wide street leading from Piazza Grande to the heart of the Quartiere Nuovo, and the street was named "Via delle Palme."

After the 1925 Conference, it was decided to change the name of the street to Via della Pace (Peace street) because this street is overlooked by Palazzo del Pretorio, which was the site of the diplomatic negotiations. Locarno had thus taken on a new vocation. On October 16, 1925, at the end of the Conference along Via delle Palme, now called Via della Pace, a large and eager crowd of journalists and Locarnese had gathered. When the announcement of the signing of the agreements was made a roaring applause rose from the street. It was an unforgettable moment for Locarno.