Switzerland's Bundeshaus, or Federal Palace, stands in a city that was never officially named the country's capital. The 1848 constitution didn't name one. A few months later, parliament chose Bern as the federal seat, a compromise that kept power from gathering in any single city.

Compromise runs through the building. Seven members of the Federal Council share the role of head of state, and the president, who changes every year, is only first among equals. In the Council of States, every canton has two seats, except the six half cantons, which have one. The stone came from every part of the country, and the 64-metre green dome was extraordinary for its time.

VoiceMap's self-guided audio tours stop here with different stories. One explains how Bern became the federal seat. The other starts beside the building and follows the water outward, from the Bundesplatz fountain, whose 26 jets represent the 26 cantons, to the flood-risk parliament debates.