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EntranceThe entrance to the parliament building is flanked by two statues by Maurice Hippolyte Reymond: the two seated figures represent the “historian”, on the left, and the “chronicler”, on the right, who judge the work of parliament at the same time through the eyes of the present and with the passing of time. The inscription “Curia Confoederationis Helveticae” refers to the Roman senate. 
HelvetiaThe pediment of the north façade is decorated with a group of allegorical statues by Rodo von Niederhäusern. They depict Helvetia, who symbolises Switzerland’s political independence, flanked by the legislative assembly on the left and the executive body on the right. 
The domeOne of the dominant features of the federal parliament building is the dome, which has 22 windows that represent the 22 cantons (excluding the Jura, which came into being only in the late 20th century). Originally, internal lighting transformed the dome into an enormous lantern intended to illuminate the four corners of the country. In effect, the federal parliament building is the heart of Switzerland, a guiding light for the people and the cantons. The decorative features of the dome and the Swiss cross that surmounts it now shine out once again thanks to the recent renovation of the building. 
Glass roof of the chamber of the Council of StatesThe Council of States represents the cantons and therefore has 46 members, i.e. two members for each of the 20 cantons and one for each of the former half-cantons (Obwald, Nidwald, Basel-Stadt, Basel-Land, Appenzell Ausserrhoden and Appenzell Innerrhoden). This means that Zurich, for example, which has a population of over a million, has two members in the Council of States, as does Uri, which has fewer than 35,000 inhabitants. 
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