Montesquieu Tower
The Montesquieu Tower of the Court of Justice of the European Union is named after Charles-Louis de Secondat de la Brède, baron de Montesquieu, whose work laid the foundations for the principle of separation of powers and judicial independence. Home to various Court’s services, including the Registry of the Court of Justice, its golden anodised aluminium mesh façade give it a distinctive golden colour.
Who was Montesquieu?
Charles-Louis de Secondat de la Brède, baron de Montesquieu (1689-1755), was a lawyer, judge and writer. He is renowned for his work De l'esprit des lois (“The Spirit of Laws”), published in 1748 after several years of travel in Europe, during which he studied the political systems, economies, climates, histories and customs of the countries in which he stayed. Considered for that reason to be one of the first comparative legal scholars, but also a pioneer of modern sociology, Montesquieu advocated a redistribution of State powers in which the powers of the State are both separate and interdependent, guaranteeing that they are balanced. He thus laid the foundations for the principle of the separation of powers, which is still considered today to be the bedrock of any democracy.
The Montesquieu Tower and its role at the Court
By naming the tower after Montesquieu, whose ideas helped to forge the principle of judicial independence, the Court of Justice of the European Union draws attention to the values, shared by all Member States, which define the EU as an autonomous legal order.
The Montesquieu Tower is part of the fourth extension of the Palais.
Its golden colour comes from an anodised aluminium mesh that acts as a sunshade. This same mesh has also been used in the other buildings at the Court, to create a unified architectural whole. This intricate metal weave gives the tower its distinctive identity through the pattern of its structure, the brightness of its texture and the depth of its layers.
The Montesquieu Tower’s 26 floors reach a height of 103 metres. At the time of its inauguration in December 2008 – alongside its twin, the Comenius Tower – the Montesquieu Tower was the tallest building in the country. It has since been surpassed by the Rocca Tower.
Today, the Montesquieu Tower is home to many of the Court’s administrative services, including the Registry of the Court of Justice and the Library Directorate.
