Broken Chair, Wooden sculpture in Geneva, Switzerland
Broken Chair is a wooden sculpture at Place des Nations in Geneva, rising 12 meters tall and weighing roughly 5.5 tonnes. The work displays three complete legs while the fourth appears severed, taking the form of an oversized piece of furniture.
Daniel Berset created the work in 1997 while groups pushed for completion of the Ottawa Treaty, which called for a global ban on antipersonnel landmines. The chair stayed in place after the treaty was signed, serving as a visible reminder of international agreements against these weapons.
An inscription in nine languages stands at the foot of the sculpture, installed when it was rededicated in February 2007 to the Oslo process against cluster munitions. On 3 December 2015 a temporary prosthesis was added for the World Day of Persons with Disabilities, and in 2016 the work was renovated and given night lighting.
The square in front of the work is reachable by tram and bus, laid out flat all around so orientation is easy. The sculpture stands in the open and remains visible at all hours, with the open space providing enough distance for photos.
The chair is made of Douglas fir, and its underside and inner faces are left unpainted, showing bare wood. In 2015 a temporary prosthesis was fitted to the broken leg for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December. It was renovated in 2016, when night lighting was added. In December 2024 two Femen activists cut into one leg with a chainsaw, and the marks remain.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,598 contributors worldwide.
