The Swiss Federal Bank (Banque Fédérale or Schweizerische Eidgenössische Bank) was a large Swiss bank created in 1862 and merged with another bank in 1945. Contrary to what its names leads to think, it was never Switzerland's central bank which is the Swiss National Bank. However, the Banque Fédérale did have its own banknotes that were used along with the official banknotes for payment in Switzerland.

Few people remember this bank today in Switzerland even though it was one of the largest banks in the country. Its financial life was rambuctious and after having lost a lot of money during the Great Depression, it bet on a very wrong horse in the 1930s and a large proportion of its commercial loans became worthless at the end of WWII. Another bank, UBS, bought it back in 1945 to save it from bankruptcy. The Federal Bank was registered in the Swiss commercial registry until 1992 LINK but it was merely a brand name used by UBS. It was recently dissolved. [Photo entrée banque fédérale]

The building
The fine people who ruled Lausanne in the 19th and early 20th century shared with Joseph Stalin and Nicolai Ceaucescu a passion for tearing down picturesque old buildings and replacing them with ugly blocks of concrete. It is thus exceptional that such a beautiful building was built by the Banque Fédérale S.A. over the remains of one of the nicest buildings in town, the late 'Hôtel du Grand-Pont' built in 1834. The old hotel was destroyed in 1910 and a new building in the characteristic Swiss style Heimastil was built by a local architect, Laverrière.

The Banque Fédérale building in Lausanne was a beautiful hôtel de banque, with a large open space in the ground floor. Large granite tables where bankers in three pieces suits worked. At the end of the hall, a monumental staircase with a huge marble company directory led the visitors upstairs where the bank's back office and the directors sat. [Plan rez - Plan 1er - Photo rez - Photo escalier 1 - Photo escalier 2]

The original vault room
The bank had two undeground floors, with the first level occupied by the bank's own vault to store banknotes, gold and documents. The second underground floor had the client safe deposit boxes (these are the ones we sell!). Clients could come and retrieve the contents of the safe with their own client key and a banker. They were then led in the adjoining space where several private cabinets were available for them to inspect their box's contents in privacy. [Plan en coupe - Plan Niveaux -1 & -2]

The architect
Laverrière is famous for a few landmark buildings in Lausanne Geneva. His most lasting claim to fame is to have designed part of the Mur des Réformateurs in Geneva. 

The building today
The former Banque Fédérale building in Lausanne is now owned by the people insured by the Swiss insurance company 'Zürich' or so it says on the facade. The building is home to its owner - the insurance company - as well as an art gallery and a property management company. But the bank's premises themselves, including both the corporate and client vaults, are all occupied by the restaurant 'Manora' (picture of bank vault's SE corner today). Sic transit gloria mundi.