Former orphanage on Waisenhausplatz

About the building

At the northern, lower end of Waisenhausplatz stands a wide three-storey building with eleven window bays, projecting central and side sections and an enclosed forecourt. The city's heritage office counts it among Bern's most important monuments in terms of urban design, architecture and social history, because the present shape of the square would be unthinkable without it.

According to SRF, the Burgergemeinde had already founded an orphanage on today's Waisenhausplatz in 1757. The present building was put up as a boys' orphanage to plans by Ludwig Emanuel Zehender; the building inventory dates it to 1782–1786, while Wikipedia gives 1782/83 and names Samuel Jakob Imhoof as a second builder. The square takes its name from the house, at first only its northern part, which had been filled in by 1784. For a long time the large arsenal stood in front of it and hemmed in the square; only after its demolition, in 1876 according to the building inventory and 1877 according to Wikipedia, did the orphanage face open city space.

The courtyard enclosure dates from 1859 and reuses the old grille above the gate from the time of construction; the row of poplars was probably planted around 1835. In 1938 the orphans moved to the edge of the city. In 1941/42 the city building office converted the house for the police, which changed the interior considerably; Wikipedia gives 1942 as the year the cantonal police moved in. When the car park under the square was built, opening in 1957, the garden was dug away down to the first basement level.

Its outward appearance has been protected by a cantonal government decision since 1908. At the back, which is designed much like the main front, several additions were made in the 20th century, most recently in 1987–1989 by Jürg Althaus. Today the building is a police station. A detail to look for when passing: the wrought-iron grille above the gate to the forecourt, which dates from the time of construction.

Researched and summarised by Bärn Kit. Sources: Bauinventar der Stadt Bern: Waisenhausplatz 32, 32A · Wikipedia (de): Waisenhausplatz (Bern) · SRF: Burgerliches Jugendwohnheim – Nach 260 Jahren ist Schluss · Wikidata: Waisenhaus (Q29651751)