Villa Merian

The Villa Merian, with its English Garden, stands on the elevated plain above Brüglingen in Münchenstein, in the canton of Basel-Country in Switzerland.

The geographical area Brüglingen is a plane region that lies along the western bank of the river Birs between St. Jacob an der Birs (now part of Basel) and Münchenstein. The Villa Merian, with its English Garden, stands upon the elevated plain directly above the Watermill Museum Brüglingen.

The original manor house was built in 1711 Baroque style by Alexander Löffler, above the watermill and the canal. The two storey building was covered by a gentle sloped hipped roof. Before the northern cladding there was a courtyard. To the south there was an arboretum and plant nursery. On the western side there was a tower and a gardening house. Built onto the rear of the house was a polygonal tower with spiral staircase.

In 1801 the manor was rebuilt in early Neoclassical style. The polygonal tower with stairway and the tower to the west were removed. The staircase was relocated internally. A winter garden, with a pergola above it, was built onto the rear of the villa. A pillared portico was placed in front of the main entrance. Above the structure of the hip roof a parapet was drawn in and installed as fixed-point mounting.

Approximately ten years later the stately home and its properties were acquired by Christoph Merian-Hoffmann, and in 1824 he gave the estate to his son Christoph Merian as wedding present. The Villa Merian was used by Christoph Merian and his wife Margarethe as a summer residence.

During 1858/59 Christoph Merian rebuilt the villa in Second Empire style. The architect Johann Jakob Stehlin-Burckhardt from Basel received the assignment. Although Stehlin proposed a new building, Merian restricted the rebuild to a refurbishment. The quintessential walls were roughcast and clad with cast iron and iron mouldings. The ground floor was clad with imitation ashlar and the windows were summated with acroterion. The first and second floors were separated by Gesims and the outer corners of the building were reinforced. The roof parapet was replaced by an Attica and covered by a hipped roof, the crown of which is concluded by a belfry. The portico at the front entrance was replaced by a two storey cast iron pavilion, the projecting roof being used as a balcony. To the rear the winter garden and pergola were replaced by a three axe cast iron open hall way that was encased with artificial marble. The stairway was replaced and finished with elaborate iron rolling bars, the room arrangement remained unaltered.

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