House of Religions

In the 2000s started the plans to establish a cultural institution of Jewish, Christian, Islamic, Buddhist and Hindu faith traditions, and on 25 April 2002 the association "Haus der Religionen – Dialog der Kulturen" (meaning "House of Religions - Dialogue of Cultures") was established. In March 2006 the "Stiftung Europaplatz" foundation was founded, which raised the necessary funds for the project, including sacred spaces, among others for Hindu and Buddhist communities, of the Alevis and the Council of Christian Churches in the canton of Bern (AKiB). In the beginning, the Jewish community of Bern and the Baháʼí Faith community did not wish to set up own rooms, but ideally supported the project. The cantonal Islamic Umma association has withdrawn from the project after initial concessions, but the Muslim association Hochfeldstrasse, however, was interested to participate. == Building ==

The building includes, besides the house of religions, 88 apartments, shops, catering services and offices on a floor area of approximately . == Inauguration ==

Christians, Alevis, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists in their church, Dargah, mosque, temples and centre now celebrate their cults. The religious communities celebrated the indentation in the newly built glass building on the Europaplatz square in the west of Bern on 14 December 2014 with thousands of visitors. While religious wars play anywhere in the world, we here get the opportunity to get to know other religions, a Sikh visitor told, and a Krishna monk tells in the Mosque, that Muslims pray daily five times, is discipline for my own religion. A young Albanian Muslim family is pleased with the open setting in the house: "I'm hip-hopper, my wife wears a headscarf. No reasons to condemn a people are both". And the non-denominational fellow hopes, "the House can help to break down stereotypes". Some of these religious communities lived so far in back yards or basements. The foundation provided funding to the (as of December 2014) five religious communities, and had to provide for the interior fittings and payments of the rental fees. Also the Bernese Jews, Baháʼí, and Sikhs are members of the association, which operates the house. == Aims ==

The House of religions is used by cultural and religious communities of the city and the canton of Bern that previously had no rooms adapted to their needs. They represent Alevi, Christian, Islamic, Buddhist and Hindu faiths. Partners in the dialogue are also the Jewish community, the Baháʼís and Sikhs. A dialogue of cultures, access to experience, knowledge and spirituality of other cultures and religions are taught, as they have been found in the Bern region their home. Haus der Religionen will provide a center of excellence for dialogue its services. Everyone involved in the project knows the inviolable dignity of the human being, the idea of tolerance and mutual respect obliged. We were dreamers, utopians, do-gooders far from any reality, said Guido Albisetti, president of the association. But now the Haus der Religionen is built, and past experience showed that the common dialog is possible and fruitful. According to the operators, the architecture of the building allows the various communities to engage with each other, but also to withdraw. The building's design enables that the sacred spaces on either side of a so-called dialog area are accessible to everyone, and therefore are arranged on two floors. == Common space ==

Immediately after the opening ceremony the versatile cultural program was launched, lasting until March 2015 opening events. The restaurant Vanakam is the central meeting place, where every day different delicacies are prepared, so also an Ayurveda vegetarian lunch. The two largest facilities will be the mosque with about and the Hindu temple with about . Alevis, Christians and Buddhists claim space in the size of to . The public part with infrastructure, cafeteria, exhibition, course and event spaces comprise about . == Rooms of the faiths ==

Alevites Förderverein Alevitische Kultur represents the Alevite faith. Primarily important is that people feel comfortable, and the ritual small fire pit will be a symbol of purity. In addition to the meeting and prayer room with seating for about 70 people, a children's corner. a library and a room for religious instruction and a kitchenette are provided, based on budget and furnishings collected amount. Christians Interested Christians, church communities, are involved since 2009 in the Club "Kirche im Haus der Religionen". Hindus The Hindu temple of the Saivanerikoodam association was not yet finished in December 2014, but the interior rooms are shaped after the 'typical' South Indian temple architecture. For ten Hindu deities shrines are to be built, integrated into a temple of about . There are also several rooms for seminars, yoga, meditation, and for cultural and language training for children and adolescents. Of central importance will be the vegetarian cuisine. For the entire interior decoration, the Hindu community expects costs of two million Swiss Francs. Muslims The Muslims community is represented by Muslimischer Verein, needing about as the second largest community. The Mosque is located on two floors, the prayer rooms for men and women are interconnected. Planned were a large prayer room for women and an approximately large room for the men. Skip offices and a café in the mosque were also planned. == See also ==