Villa at Thunstrasse 68

About the building

On Thunstrasse stands a compact villa of 1908. It is by Henry Berthold von Fischer, who built several villas in the immediate area, including number 67 opposite, and like that house it was commissioned by the Kirchenfeld building company. The building inventory describes it as a sophisticated villa in the Louis XVI style.

The rendered building, with rich sandstone decoration, sits under a mansard hipped roof. Although many extensions and porches were added over time, the cube looks closed and unified. This is due to the regular roof and the large triangular pediment spanning the entire west side. Banded pilaster strips frame the four corners, and a classically moulded string course and the straight boarded eaves run all the way round.

The main front is the pedimented three-bay west side. Here you see what von Fischer is valued for: rendered and stone surfaces lie in several layers on top of each other. Towards the street, an off-centre stair-tower projection with its own roof sets an accent, and on the east side a boldly projecting vestibule with a segmental arch. At the south-west corner stands a low corner tower with its own roof; its dormer has a richly moulded round-arched hood with garlands. The veranda terrace was later altered without much sensitivity, but the change can be reversed.

In 1993 offices were fitted into the attic floor. Today, according to Wikidata and the directory search.ch, the villa houses the chancery and consular section of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Von Fischer (1861–1949) had studied in Paris and built almost nothing but villas.

Researched and summarised by Bärn Kit. Sources: Bauinventar der Stadt Bern: Thunstrasse 68 · search.ch: Iran (République Islamique), Ambassade, Thunstrasse 68 · Wikipedia (de): Henry Berthold von Fischer · Schweizerische Nationalbibliothek: An architectural treasure chest – the work of Henry B. von Fischer · Wikidata: Q106624766