Locarno and Ascona, Cities of Peace

15 November 2023

In 1919, at the end of the First World War (1914-1918), strict peace conditions were imposed on the defeated states in Versailles. In addition to territorial losses and the demilitarisation of the Rhineland, high reparation payments were imposed on the Weimar Republic.

Locarno, 1925. The participants in the conference hall

It caused tensions which culminated in the French and Belgian occupation of the Rhineland in 1923. Diplomatic negotiations from 5 to 16 October 1925 in Locarno led to the signing of the Locarno Treaty (Canton of Ticino).

Locarno, Via della Pace

On 7 October in the Albergo Elvezia in Ascona near Locarno, an informal but decisive conversation took place between the German Chancellor Hans Luther (1879-1962) and the French Foreign Minister Aristide Briand (1862-1932).

Ascona, Albergo Elvezia

Germany accepted the western border and signed arbitration treaties with Great Britain, Belgium, France, Poland and Czechoslovakia. The spirit of Locarno and Ascona marked a period of security in Europe. However, the treaties were revoked by Germany in 1936 when it occupied the Rhineland.

Impressions of Ascona

Locarno, Visconti Castle, 12th century

Impressions of Locarno