Former horse hospital at Papiermühlestrasse 40

About the building

On Papiermühlestrasse in the Allmend-Murifeld quarter, low buildings of yellow brick enclose a rectangular courtyard planted with chestnut trees. Red bricks form decorative details, while cornices and keystones are of sandstone. Towards the street the two-storey administration building shows its gable end; pilasters divide it into three bays, with a round window at the top.

The complex served the Swiss Army's horses. In 1890 the cavalry and remount depot was founded on the site, where newly purchased young horses were trained. It included the horse hospital with sick stables, a pharmacy and a flat for the veterinary surgeon. Its building date is given differently: the building inventory gives 1891 for the administration building and stables, while Wikipedia describes the hospital in 1890 as having been built a year earlier. The client was the state of Bern, and the design came from the cantonal building office.

At first the complex was U-shaped: the administration building in the middle, with the low stables at the sides under widely projecting roofs supported by brackets. Inside them, stalls of different sizes are lined up under the open roof truss; each door is paired with two windows. In 1910 two further sick stables were added, divided inside into three aisles by cast-iron columns, and in 1911 an operating hall, a plain rendered building with large windows. In 1936 the architects Lutstorf & Mathys closed the courtyard with wings that closely follow the older stables.

In 1950 the site became the Federal Military Horse Establishment (EMPFA); at times up to 1200 horses lived here. After the cavalry was abolished in 1972, operations were reduced. Since 1997 the National Equestrian Centre cooperative has run the site, with a veterinary clinic, training and a historic harness and carriage collection belonging to the Confederation. The ensemble is a cultural property of regional importance.

A detail to look for: the round window in the gable of the administration building above Papiermühlestrasse.

Researched and summarised by Bärn Kit. Sources: Bauinventar der Stadt Bern: Papiermühlestrasse 40 / Mingerstrasse 3, 3A, 3B · Wikipedia (de): Nationales Pferdezentrum Bern · Plattform J: Stadt Bern, 12. Oktober 2022 (Nationales Pferdezentrum) · Wikidata: Q29651681