Land sale and gratuitous right to build
The construction of the Paul Klee-Zentrum in Bern’s Schöngrün district has been made possible by the generous donation by Prof. Maurice E. Müller and his wife Martha Müller-Lüthi. In return, in a framework agreement with the client and sponsor (Maurice E. and Martha Müller Foundation), the public sector has undertaken to make available, free of charge, the plot of land (land area C) required to build the Centre.

Submission 4: Land sale to the Canton and securing the right to build, free of charge, for 80 years
As a fourth voting bill the Bern City Council recommends the following to the City of Bern electorate for acceptance:

The sale of land to the Canton of Bern for a price of 5 million Swiss francs.

The granting of a gratuitous right to build for 80 years in favour of the client and sponsor (Maurice E. and Martha Müller Foundation).

Key points of the submission
1. Schöngrün to remain “green”
Land area C has been in municipal ownership as spare ground for the cemetery since 1979, and in 1989 it was allocated as part of the agricultural zone (under the initiative “Wittigkofen surroundings are to remain green”). The ecologically sensitive planning and development work by the City of Bern Main Office for Building Works and the filigree architectural project designed by Renzo Piano (initial plans, preliminary project) do not in any way run counter to this initiative. On the contrary the Schöngrün district is to be preserved and enhanced as an attractive recreation area as a result of the Paul Klee-Zentrum.

2. Land sale to the Canton
Under the terms of the Agreement both the City and the Canton of Bern are each to share half the public sector costs. With a land value of 9.8 to 10.5 million Swiss francs (third-party valuation) the City and the Canton of Bern as an “ordinary company” (contract of purchase) have agreed to a value of 10 million francs and consequently to a sale price of 5 million Swiss francs. (In the contract of purchase the City of Bern reserves the right to buy back portions of the land area, should it prove necessary to extend the Schosshalden cemetery.)

3. Depreciation and renunciation of revenue through gratuitous right to build
The new value of the plot of land requires depreciation by the City of Bern of 1,422,652 Swiss francs. The assurance given to the client and sponsor of a gratuitous right to build for 80 years also means that the City and the Canton of Bern each renounce annual revenue of around 240,000 Swiss francs.