Villa Stucki

About the building

Behind an iron gate on Seftigenstrasse, a drive leads into a park-like garden where a large villa with a lively roofscape stands. It was built in 1885/86 to plans by the Bern architect Eugen Stettler for Ernst von May-Wagner; a list of works on Wikipedia dates it to 1884/85.

The plan has many parts, and the roof with its carefully designed dormers is stepped accordingly. The tall rectangular windows sit in regular bays and have decorative frames. On the first floor, sills on brackets and window cornices mark the piano nobile, the main floor. Jointed pilaster strips, base and floor cornices and a projecting entrance section on the right divide the main facade. The heritage office sees it as a convincing example of Baroque-inspired historicism; rendered ornaments, coffered eaves and a small lookout turret complete the picture.

In 1911 the internist Hermann Sahli acquired the villa and set up a private practice on the ground floor. In 1970 the City of Bern bought the house from the Stucki-Sahli heirs, and in 1982 it became the cultural and community centre „Villa Stucki“. During the 1988/89 conversion it was mainly restored, and a lift was added. The facades were renovated in 2007, the hall on the first floor in 2010.

Today the villa is a neighbourhood centre where rooms can be rented for events, parties and local projects; at times a restaurant is also a guest. According to the operators, the park is public and car-free. The villa is protected and part of a townscape of national significance. When you enter the garden, look up at the small belvedere on the roof.

Researched and summarised by Bärn Kit. Sources: Bauinventar der Stadt Bern: Seftigenstrasse 11 · Quartiertreff Villa Stucki (Website) · Wikipedia (de): Eugen Stettler (Werkliste) · Wikidata: Villa Stucki (Q133307054)