Villa Merian
Encyclopedia
Münchenstein
Münchenstein is a municipality in the district of Arlesheim in the canton of Basel-Landschaft in Switzerland.-Historical records:Münchenstein is first mentioned in 1196 as Kekingen. In 1270 it was mentioned as Geckingen and in 1279 as Munchenstein.* 1259: The hamlet and the mill, between "Neue...
, in the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Basel-Country
Basel-Country
Basel-Landschaft , is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland. The capital is Liestal...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Geographical location
The geographical area Brüglingen is a plane region that lies along the western bank of the river Birs between St. Jacob an der Birs (now part of Basel) and Münchenstein. The Villa Merian, with its English Garden, stands upon the elevated plain directly above the Watermill Museum BrüglingenWatermill Museum Brüglingen
The Watermill Museum Brüglingen is housed within the former watermill and stands in the lower plane of Brüglingen, in the sub-district "Neue Welt", Münchenstein, in the canton of Basel-Country in Switzerland....
.
History
The BaroqueBaroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
above the watermill and the canal was built in the year 1711 by Alexander Löffler. The two storey building was covered by a gentle sloped hipped roof
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
. Before the northern cladding there was a courtyard. To the south there was an arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
and nursery. On the western side there was a tower and a gardening house. Built onto the rear of the house was a polygonal tower with spiral staircase.
In 1801 the manor was rebuilt in early Classicism
Classicism
Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint...
style. The polygonal tower with stairway and the tower to the west were removed. The staircase was relocated internally. A winter garden
Winter garden
The origin of the winter garden dates back to the 17th to 19th centuries where European nobility would construct large conservatories that would house tropical and subtropical plants and would act as an extension of their living space. Many of these would be attached to their main palaces...
, with a pergola
Pergola
A pergola, arbor or arbour is a garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support cross-beams and a sturdy open lattice, often upon which woody vines are trained...
above it, was built onto the rear of the villa. A pillared portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
was placed in front of the main entrance. Above the structure of the hip roof a parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
was drawn in and installed as fixed-point mounting.
Approximately ten years later the stately home and its properties were acquired by Christoph Merian-Hoffmann and in 1824 he gave the estate to his son Christoph Merian
Christoph Merian
Christoph Merian was a banker and businessman. He was the son of Christoph Merian senior and Valeria Hoffmann and married in 1824 to Margarethe Burckhardt from Basel.He was the owner of a large estate, agriculturist and rentier. He was one of the richest Swiss men of that time...
as wedding present. The Villa Merian was used by Christoph Merian and his wife Margarethe as a summer residence.
Standing in Unteren Brüglingen, the lower district, is a mill from the 15th century. On the opposite side of the canal there is a tenantry house from the 16th century and a gardeners house dated 1824.
In 1837 the architect Melchior Berri
Melchior Berri
Melchior Berri was a well-known Swiss architect.He was the son of Melchior Berri and Appollonia Streckeisen. In 1832 he married Margaretha Simone Burckhardt of Basel....
developed another farm house north of the manor house with an outbuilding with stables, in Vorder-Brüglingen, the "front" district of Brügglingen on the elevated plain. This raised plateau offers an ideal terrain for an English garden. To the south of the Villa gardens is the Merian Park that extends south to the Neue Welt
Neue Welt
The Neue Welt is a sub-district of Münchenstein, in the canton of Basel-Country in Switzerland.-Geographical location:The geographical area called the Neue Welt evolved in the 17th century as the industry started establishing itself around the upper end of the "St. Alban-Teich". This is a canal,...
" district in Münchenstein.
During 1858/59 Christoph Merian rebuilt the villa in Second Empire style. The architect Johann Jakob Stehlin-Burckhardt from Basel received the assignment. Although Stehlin proposed a new building, Merian restricted the rebuild to a refurbishment. The quintessential walls were roughcast and clad
Cladding (construction)
Cladding is the application of one material over another to provide a skin or layer intended to control the infiltration of weather elements, or for aesthetic purposes....
with cast iron and iron mouldings. The ground floor was clad with imitation ashlar and the windows were summated with acroterion
Acroterion
An acroterion or acroterium is an architectural ornament placed on a flat base called the acroter or plinth, and mounted at the apex of the pediment of a building in the Classical style. It may also be placed at the outer angles of the pediment; such acroteria are referred to as acroteria angularia...
. The first and second floors were separated by Gesims and the outer corners of the building were reinforced. The roof parapet was replaced by an Attica and covered by a hipped roof, the crown of which is concluded by a belfry. The portico at the front entrance was replaced by a two storey cast iron pavilion, the projecting roof being used as a balcony. To the rear the winter garden and pergola were replaced by a three axe cast iron open hall way that was encased with artificial marble. The stairway was replaced and finished with elaborate iron rolling bars, the room arrangement remained unaltered.
Christoph Merian died in 1858 before the refurbishment works were completed. Despite this the Villa was still used by his widow Margaretha Merian-Burckhardt as her summer residence. She died on the 3rd of May 1886. With her death the will of her husband became legally binding and the public utility institution Christoph Merian Stiftung
Christoph Merian Stiftung
The Christoph Merian Stiftung is a non-profit-making public utility institution, with its seat in Basel . Up until 1972 the institution was named Chr. Merian’sche Stiftung.-Foundation:...
came into effect and inherited the manor Brüglingen and the five affiliated farmyards (Singerhof, St. Jakob, Ziegelhütte, Unter- und Vorder-Brüglingen)
Modern-day History
In 1967 the institution Christoph Merian Stiftung made the decision to lease the villa and the estate to the city of Basel, gratuitously for one hundred years, so that a botanical gardenBotanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
could be established within the grounds.
During the summer of 1980 Münchenstein was the host municipality for the 2nd Swiss exhibition for garden and Landscaping, which was named Grün 80. The exhibition was held in Brüglingen and also made benefit of the entire estate grounds. The remains of the former exhibition complex, the park and its gardens, are now a local recreation area. Within the boarders of the Merian Park the botanical gardens can be found, which covers an area of 135'000 m2. On the bank of the "St. Alban-Teich", an artificially constructed canal, is the Watermill which has been used as museum since 1966: The late Gothic mill is situated directly below the prominent Villa.
With a view to the Grün 80, during 1977, the Villa Merian was overhauled and became a coffee house. Since then the Villa has been reconverted and redecorated. The two cast iron veranda's on either side of the house were removed, but all the other cast iron prefabricated units and the inner decorations were carefully restored. In the lower floor various demolition works were carried out and new toilets for the coffee house were installed and the unused arched cellar and basements were rebuilt so that these recourses could be utilized. The painted, stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
ed ceilings with their gold-plated ornaments, the wall panelling, the bas-relief overdoor
Overdoor
An "overdoor" is a painting, bas-relief or decorative panel, generally in a horizontal format, that is set, typically within ornamental mouldings, over a door, or was originally intended for this purpose.The overdoor is usually architectural in form, but may take the form of a cartouche in Rococo...
s and the parquetry
Parquetry
Parquetry is a geometric mosaic of wood pieces used for decorative effect. The two main uses of parquetry are as veneer patterns on furniture and block patterns for flooring. Parquet patterns are entirely geometrical and angular—squares, triangles, lozenges. The most popular parquet flooring...
were all completely restored.
The tower heating furnace, that had once been removed and stored in the basement, was reinstalled in the parlour. The entrance hall, the three axe cast iron hall way and the entire first floor were left unaltered, but ceilings, walls and floors were redecorated. In the Attica area the walls were demolished, the hipped roof had windows built in and it was insulated. Three seminar rooms and a central zone with toilets were built in.
Literatur
- Hans Rudolf Heyer: Brüglingen (Schweizerische Kunstführer). Bern 1977.
- Rudolf Suter: Die Christoph Merian Stiftung. Basel 1986.
- Gustav Adolf Wanner: Christoph Merian. Basel 1958.
External links
- Brüglingen: Die Merian-Villa, Kunstführer Brüglingen