Glurhaus

About the building

Down in the Marzili, where the Marzilibahn has its lower station on Weihergasse, stands a tall house of sandstone blocks with its gable facing the square. The Glurhaus acts like a reception building for the district and is considered its oldest surviving building.

Its exact age is given differently. The building inventory dates its core to the end of the 16th century, while the inventory's own history of the district gives the 17th century. What is certain is a major remodelling in 1743/44. At that time the original coupled windows were replaced by four bays of tall rectangular windows; in the gable two round oculi flank the upper window.

The house stands under a tall, bent, three-quarter hipped roof. The portal with its hood on the gable side dates from the time of construction, whereas the coat-of-arms relief in the middle of the facade is more recent. On the north-east long side a spiral staircase is incorporated into the building, a detail of interest for architectural history. The side arcades were rebuilt several times and extended with later half-timbered additions.

Being built of expensive stone and with several storeys gave the house a stately appearance. It once dominated the surrounding fields and represents the earlier settlement of craftsmen and workshops on this site. The heritage office compares it most closely with the Talgut country house in Ittigen.

In the 19th and 20th centuries the house was altered again and again: inside from 1820, in 1867 it was given a cellar, and in 1955 the eastern annex was replaced by a new building and Café Marzili was remodelled. In 1995/96 the architect Rolf Mühlethaler renovated the building. It is a cultural property of regional significance.

Researched and summarised by Bärn Kit. Sources: Bauinventar der Stadt Bern: Weihergasse 17, 17A, Marzilistrasse 1 · Bauinventar der Stadt Bern: Quartiergeschichte Marzili-Weissenbühl · Wikipedia (de): Marzilibahn · Wikidata: Q29651695