Anniversary balloon christened in front of the Federal Palace

Shortly after 4 p.m. on March 22, 2026, the HB-BOX with the 125th anniversary Aero Club logo took off in front of the Federal Palace. Beforehand, it was christened by Ruth Metzler, President of Swiss Olympic, and aviation pioneer Bertrand Piccard.

You don't see a balloon launch on the Bundesplatz every day. What luck that the weather cooperated. Invited guests, godparents, photographers and journalists arrived on the Bundesplatz at around 2.30 pm. Central President Matthias Jauslin took the opportunity to host the event himself and skillfully interviewed balloon pilots, sponsors and christening sponsors.

Media presence

As soon as balloon pilot Pascal Witprächtiger and his team began laying out the envelope, passers-by noticed that something unique was about to happen on the Bundesplatz. They stopped, asked questions and pulled out their cell phones to record the assembly process, the christening and the subsequent launch. And anyone who wondered about the balloon rising out of the city of Bern found out why in the report by Tele Bärn.