The Villa Mettlen is a country estate in the municipality of

Muri bei Bern Muri bei Bern is a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. History Muri is first mentioned in 1180 as ''Mure'' while Gümligen appears in 1239 as ''Gumelingen'' or ''Gumlingin'' Archae ...

in the

Canton of Bern The canton of Bern or Berne (german: Kanton Bern; rm, Chantun Berna; french: canton de Berne; it, Canton Berna) is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. Its capital city, Bern, is also the ''de facto'' capital of Switzerland. ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

History

The first documented evidence of Mettlengut is in 1650. The first Lord was Samuel Ougspurger, who was married to Jacqueline de Graffenried. Around 1750, Johann Albrecht von Steiger improved the estate with money and artistic flair, as have other owners who have left their mark, most notably Count

Friedrich von Pourtalès Jakob Ludwig ''Friedrich'' Wilhelm Joachim de Pourtalès (24 October 1853 – 3 May 1928) was a German aristocrat and diplomat who served as the List of ambassadors of Germany to Russia, Ambassador to the Russian Empire in Saint Petersburg from 19 ...

in the 19th century (who also owned Schloss Glumbowitz). In the 1960s, then current owner César Gustav Tauber sold the estate to the municipality of Muri, on condition that it be remodeled into a cultural center. Since 1970, the villa has been the headquarters of the Muri-Gümligen music school. The ground floor and vaulted cellars can be rented for private events such as birthday parties, corporate conferences or weddings.

References

External links

Villa Mettlen website
{{coord, 46, 55, 43, N, 7, 28, 56, E, region:CH-BE_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title Villas in Switzerland Buildings and structures in the canton of Bern *