The Villa Ehinger is in the ''

Neue Welt The Neue Welt is a sub-district of Münchenstein, in the canton of Basel-Country in Switzerland. Geographical location The geographical area called the ''Neue Welt'' (new world) evolved in the 17th century as the industry started establishing ...

'', a sub-district of

Münchenstein Münchenstein (Swiss German: ''Minggestai'') is a municipality in the district of Arlesheim in the canton of Basel-Landschaft in Switzerland. Historical records Münchenstein is first mentioned in 1196 as ''Kekingen''. In 1270, it was mentione ...

, in the canton of

Basel-Country Canton of Basel-Landschaft or Basel-Country, informally known as Baselland or Baselbiet (; ; ; ; ), is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of five districts and its capital city is Liestal. It is traditional ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

Geographical location

The geographical area called the ''Neue Welt'' (new world) evolved as the industry started establishing itself around the upper end of the "St. Alban-Teich". This is a canal, artificially constructed by the Basler Kloster St. Alban during the 12th century, so as to bring water and water power to the industry in Basel. Later, during the years 1624–25, the canal was prolonged through Brüglingen towards the

Birs The Birs (French: ''Birse'') is a long river in Switzerland that flows through the Jura region and ends as a tributary to the Rhine between Basel and Birsfelden. It is the most important river of the Swiss Jura. Course The Birs has its sour ...

waterfall in Münchenstein and from here the water is diverged.

History

Hammerschmiede, Neue Welt, Münchenstein, refurbished in 1970 The Villa Ehinger is situated in the middle of a Park, above the industry. The neo-classical summer residence became renowned under the name of the ultimate owners. The Villa was originally built in association with the previous

hammer mill A hammer mill, hammer forge or hammer works was a workshop in the pre-industrial era that was typically used to manufacture semi-finished, wrought iron products or, sometimes, finished agricultural or mining tools, or military weapons. The featur ...

(Hammerschmiede). left, Villa Ehinger, refurbished in 1973 The hammer mill from 1660 is the oldest building situated on the banks of the canal. It was built by Ludwig Krug. In 1822 the hammer mill was refurbished as a cotton-spinning mill by Felix Sarasin (1771–1839). The technical administration was taken on by his son Ludwig August Sarasin (1804–31), who sought for his new residence to be built nearby. Sarasin's acquaintance with the young architect Melchior Berri led him to commission Berri with the planning and construction of this country house in 1829. Up until then Berri's work had been confined by the existing frontages of the town streets (Basel Casino and other buildings within the town). Here, however, he was free to build a house that was unconfined by other buildings or existing boundaries, a building that should have an English garden surrounding it. Unfortunately Ludwig August Sarasin died in 1831, before the conclusion of the building, in 1932. One of the Sarasin daughters married into the Ehinger Family and that is how the villa came to its name.

Modern History

left, Villa Ehinger Villa Ehinger The family Ehinger sold the entire estate including the villa and its grounds to the municipality (Gemeinde) Münchenstein in 1959. The municipality then passed the estate onto the canton Baselland in 1962. The canton built a grammar (secondary) school on the estate grounds in 1972. In 1973 the villa was completely restored and refurbished as a music school. During the refurbishment, significant cultural consideration were paid to the initial Architecture. Special attention was given to ensure that each separate room was given a new function, without changing its individuality within the historical building.

Architecture

left, Villa Ehinger. The Portico with Balcony und the Main Entrance Villa Ehinger, Main Entrance The villa has a virtually quadratic ground plan. It is a two-storey building. On the western side of the house there is a

Portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

as entrance. Two Doric columns carry an

entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...

and the balcony. Built onto the eastern side of the villa (facing towards the park) there is also a two-storey

Loggia In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior Long gallery, gallery or corridor, often on an upper level, sometimes on the ground level of a building. The corridor is open to the elements because its outer wall is only parti ...

, but this is somewhat narrower. The semicircular arched foyer is one of the most significant features of this villa. This foyer/ vestibule can be assigned to the themes of

Sebastiano Serlio Sebastiano Serlio (6 September 1475 – c. 1554) was an Italian Mannerist architect, who was part of the Italian team building the Palace of Fontainebleau. Serlio helped canonize the classical orders of architecture in his influential treatise ...

(1475–1554) and

Andrea Palladio Andrea Palladio ( , ; ; 30 November 1508 – 19 August 1580) was an Italian Renaissance architect active in the Venetian Republic. Palladio, influenced by Roman and Greek architecture, primarily Vitruvius, is widely considered to be on ...

(1508–1580). In the middle of the pyramidal broach roof is the

Palmette The palmette is a motif in decorative art which, in its most characteristic expression, resembles the fan-shaped leaves of a palm tree. It has a far-reaching history, originating in ancient Egypt with a subsequent development through the art o ...

(also called anthemion) window storey. The crown is concluded with a roof pinnacle, a

rod of Asclepius In Greek mythology, the Rod of Asclepius (⚕; , , , sometimes also spelled Asklepios), also known as the Staff of Aesculapius and as the asklepian, is a serpent-entwined rod wielded by the Greek god Asclepius, a deity associated with healing ...

, to emphasize the apex of the gable. There is a fountain on the southern side of the house that is typical for the epoch. In the interior, the sections are aligned to the east-west axis. The rooms are grouped around the central Foyer. Not only Berri's stucco ceilings, but also the neo-classical white stove on the first floor and the original drawings of the Portico remain conserved.

References

External links

* — {{DEFAULTSORT:Villa Ehinger (Munchenstein) Ehinger Buildings and structures in Basel-Landschaft Münchenstein Neoclassical architecture in Switzerland