Wysslochgut

About the building

Between the rows of houses on Egelbergstrasse and Bürglenstrasse the ground dips into a hollow, and in it stands a farm much older than anything around it. The Wysslochgut was originally called Vorderwittigkofen. According to the city heritage office it is one of the oldest country estates in Bern; who had it built is not known.

The house grew in two stages. The ground floor and first floor date from 1605, the second floor was added on top in 1656. The lower part is rendered and decorated with sandstone elements, while the upper floors are timber-framed, with the timbers painted red. The roof is a gable roof with hipped tips and a gallery under the gable. Galleries added later on the north and south-east sides now hide part of the old fabric; an extension followed in 1926.

Also in 1656 a barn was built on at right angles to the house. It has a masonry ground floor, a timber-post structure above and a far-projecting roof that is hipped by a quarter at the narrow ends. On the gate to the threshing floor you can read the date 1656.

Two more buildings belonged to the old estate, on the other side of Laubeggstrasse, up on Wysslochweg at Schosshaldenstrasse 76 and 76A: a massive barn with the date 1605 on its lintel, and a granary. The granary is built of halved logs, rests on four sandstone blocks and has a gallery on its upper floor; this way of building makes it a rarity within the city of Bern. Both outbuildings belong to the City of Bern and have been protected since 1995. The Wysslochgut itself is listed in the Swiss inventory of cultural property as an object of regional importance. As you walk past, look at the red timber frame above the pale ground floor.

Researched and summarised by Bärn Kit. Sources: Bauinventar der Stadt Bern: Laubeggstrasse 111 · Bauinventar der Stadt Bern: Schosshaldenstrasse 76, 76A · Wikidata Q29651761