Did you know that Zurich boasts (probably) the most beautiful police station entrance hall in the world? It’s all thanks to the Swiss painter Augustino Giacometti and a contest that was held in 1922 to find an artist to decorate what had previously been the ceiling of the cellar in a former orphanage. The work is now considered to be of Swiss national importance.

Project To Convert A Former Orphanage into Zurich City Police Station

Zurich architect Gustav Gull (the brains behind the Swiss National Museum) was in charge of the project to convert the orphanage, and in order to save space, the vaulted ceiling was to be transformed into the entrance area. Augusto Giacometti (1877–1947) won the contest with his beautiful design using al fresco and al secco techniques. The painting took place between 1922 and 1926 with ornamental floral and geometric patterns in vivid warm red and orange colours. On the walls you can see pictures of men at work, including stone masons, carpenters, astronomers and magicians.