Gilded onion dome on one of the towers of the Stockalper Palace or Stockalperpalast at Brig in Valais Canton in alpine southern Switzerland. The palace was built in the 1600s by a fabulously wealthy entrepreneur, Kaspar von Stockalper, and the onion dome (one of three) was once said to have been covered in gold to proclaim Stockalper’s immense riches.
Brig, officially Brig-Glis, Valais Canton, Switzerland: gilded onion dome on one of the towers of the Stockalper Palace or Stockalperpalast. The Stockalper Palace was built from 1651 to 1671 by Kaspar Jodok von Stockalper (1609 - 1691), a fabulously wealthy merchant and entrepreneur, and was the largest private building in Switzerland at the time of its construction. The palace has three square towers, each topped with a gilded onion dome. Each tower is named after one of the Three Wise Men or Magi of the nativity. The tallest tower, of course, bears Stockalper’s name of “Kaspar” or “Caspar”. The domes were said to be once covered with gold. However, in the 19th century John Ruskin, who visited Brig several times, noted that one of the domes was covered with sheets of tin tarnished to yellow and that this technique was “characteristic of the local industry”. Although Stockalper Palace is Baroque, it has an Italian Renaissance-style courtyard with elegant arcades. The facade is austere and has minimal ornamentation. The windows of the grey stonework towers are relatively small and simple. Today, the palace houses the offices of the Brig municipal administration and its extensive gardens are open to the public. Brig, Brigue (French) or Briga (Italian), lies at the foot of the Simplon Pass and Kaspar Stockalper was known as the “King of Simplon” for developing this pass into a flourishing trade route. He made money by controlling the trade in silk over the pass to Lyon; he then gained the monopoly in trading salt over the pass. At the height of his power, Stockalper was elected President of the Grand Council of Valais, the highest political office in the region.
Size: 4256px × 2832px
Location: Stockalper Palace or Stockalperpalast, Brig-Glis, Valais Canton, Switzerland
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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