Image: Photo of the current building, at the time surrounded by gardens and fields
On the heels of the 150th anniversary of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), it is time to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the International Bureau (IB), a body essential to the functioning of the UPU.
Although the Treaty of Berne was signed in October 1874, the IB was only established in the Swiss federal capital in September 1875, which was also when the first issue of Union Postale was published. The vote to select the host country was tight: in the first round, Belgium and Switzerland each received 10 votes, but the second round went to the Swiss Confederation, with a vote of 12 to 9.In response to a proposal put forward by Delegate Vinchent of Belgium, the IB was created first and foremost to support and serve as an intermediary between Union member countries: receiving and sharing documents, such as statistics; publishing a magazine in three languages (English, French and German); and preparing Congress documents. Over the years, the IB took on more responsibilities: development assistance, film and book loans to administrations, postal expert missions, new working languages, and so on. The number of staff also continued to grow: in 1875, the IB had six employees (one Belgian, one German and four Swiss), including Director General Eugène Borel. In 1975, the IB had 121 employees representing 36 different nationalities. By the end of 2025, the IB had 266 staff members representing 65 nationalities.
Image: Main entrance
Over the course of its 150 years, the IB has moved six times, with the last two buildings having been specifically built for it. The Schosshalde premises, which now house the Embassy of France in Berne, were inaugurated in 1952, but with the rapid expansion of the UPU and the services provided by the IB, a new building was needed. Thanks to Dr Eduard Weber, the last director general from Switzerland, the IB obtained the grounds and funding necessary to construct the current building on Weltpoststrasse, which opened in 1970 in the presence of Bernese, Swiss federal, UPU and UN officials. Sadly, barely a year after his retirement, Dr Weber passed away, before the laying of the building's foundation stone.
The IB has spent the longest amount of time in its current building – over 50 years. The building stands as a witness to previous decades, through the many works of art donated by member countries to adorn the walls; through some of the furniture donated in 1970 that is still in use (in the reading room on the mezzanine, for example); and through the changes made to the use of space. For example, the typing pool took up almost all of the first floor, sharing space with the printing and mail services, where they remain. The library space used to be an exhibition hall, and the library itself was located in what are now the Saint-Exupéry and Thurn und Taxis rooms. And let’s not forget the room dedicated solely to the teletype machines.
Image: Heinrich von Stephan Hall
Over its 150 years, the IB has been able to adapt, always providing the highest quality services to UPU member countries and its various bodies, as well as ensuring effective collaboration with other intergovernmental institutions both within and outside the UN, of which the UPU has been a member since 1947. And there is no doubt that the IB will continue to evolve, offering the best possible support to its partners and exploring new ways to achieve its mission.
[UPU Archives - UPU Berne, 1970]