House at Habsburgstrasse 8

About the building

The Kirchenfeld was the first district in Bern to be built to a detailed plan: in 1881 the Burgergemeinde sold the land to the English Berne Land Company. Within a few metres, Habsburgstrasse shows how differently people built there around 1904. Number 8 was designed by the Bern architect E. Senften, who according to the City of Bern building inventory was also the client. The house dates from 1904, is rated worthy of protection and belongs to the Kirchenfeld building group. In the same year a Gothic-style brick house (number 10) and the house by Walther Joss (number 12) were built next door.

The roof is what catches the eye. The mansard roof is excessively steep and tall and ends at the top in a flat hip. A tall chimney and narrow dormers stress the vertical even more. Below lies a rendered building whose string courses, corner pilasters and window frames are of sandstone.

Towards the south-west, the street front and the slope of the roof run without a break into a two-storey projection. Pilasters frame it, and at the top it ends in an open, hipped and kinked gable. Originally this projection was a glazed veranda with a terrace. Piers of the same form also frame the small entrance porch, which carries a terrace.

The original fence round the plot survives, with an idiosyncratically designed wrought-iron railing. When walking past, it is worth noticing this railing and the silhouette of the roof. The exterior of the house was renovated in 1994. The surroundings of the house are also listed as an outdoor space of heritage interest.

Researched and summarised by Bärn Kit. Sources: Bauinventar der Stadt Bern: Habsburgstrasse 8 · Bauinventar der Stadt Bern: Habsburgstrasse 10 · Bauinventar der Stadt Bern: Habsburgstrasse 12 · Wikidata: Q138819700