Presidium

This article is about the Presidium in general. For the location in Mass Effect 3, see Presidium Commons.

The Presidium is the gleaming heart of the Citadel. It is located in the 10km wide central ring of the station, home to the various government offices of the Citadel Council, as well as embassies for all of the species represented in the Citadel. While the Wards are home to most of the Citadel's population and are considered more lively, the Presidium is considered to be the province of Citadel space's most elite and powerful individuals.

The interior of the Presidium is landscaped to resemble a lush parkland on a 'G' type planet (using the Systems Alliance's Morgan-Keenan classification system). No detail was overlooked, boasting a large freshwater lake, verdant fields of grass, trees, and clouds, as well as artificial sunlight and gentle breezes. The Presidium goes through a brief day-night cycle, allowing six hours of darkness during which the 'sky' is darkened. The lakes on the Presidium act as reservoirs, independent from the water storage tanks in the wards. The water is purified to prevent bacteria from one species infecting another, due to the difference of amino acid structures that could prove fatal if ingested.

The buildings are built along the curving walls of the ring, and were meant to blend in unobtrusively with the surroundings. Located in the very heart of all this is the immense Citadel Tower, where the Citadel Council itself meets and holds audience with ambassadors from the various governments.

Key Locations

• Entrance to the Citadel Tower
• The Embassies (human, elcor and volus)
• Embassy Bar
• Executor Pallin's office
• Consort's Chambers
• Financial District
  • Barla Von's office
  • The Emporium
• Docking Bays
  • Bay D24
  • Bays E24 to E28
• Huerta Memorial Hospital
• Citadel Embassies
• Presidium Commons
• Dr. Bryson's Lab

Points of Interest

• Avina terminals are placed at key points throughout the Presidium, giving information on the surroundings.
• The Wards Access corridor is accessible from an elevator between the Citadel Tower and the Embassy Lounge, in a curving alleyway. There is also a Citadel Rapid Transit terminal by the alleyway entrance.
• The Relay Monument, a scale reconstruction of a mass relay, can be found not far from the entrance to the Citadel Tower. This statue is believed to be a piece of Prothean art.
• Near the Emporium is the Krogan Monument, a huge statue commissioned to commemorate the efforts of the krogan during the Rachni Wars.
• A male salarian and a human woman can be found chatting outside the Consort's Chambers on various topics. The woman mentions her office has been rearranged by the keepers five times this week. They also chat about entertainment on the Citadel, comparing the Embassy Bar to Chora's Den.
• Delan, a hanar merchant at the Emporium, can give some insight into his people.

Trivia

• The name Presidium is derived from the Latin praesidium, meaning fort, stronghold, or garrison.
• The Presidium's appearance is very similar to a 1976 artist's conception of the interior of a Stanford Torus space habitat.
• The view from within the Presidium is reminiscent of the interior of the eponymous spacecraft from Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke.