The Béatrice-von-Wattenwyl-Haus (also known as the Frisching-Haus) is a town

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...

on the

Junkerngasse The Junkerngasse ("Nobility Lane") is a street in the Old City of Bern, the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. It connects the tip of the Aar peninsula (the '' Nydegg'' neighbourhood) to the Münster. The Junkerngasse is the Old Cit ...

No. 59 in the

Old City of Bern The Old City (german: Altstadt) is the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. Built on a narrow hill bordered on three sides by the river Aare, its compact layout has remained essentially unchanged since its construction during the twelfth ...

, only a few steps away from the

Erlacherhof The Erlacherhof is a town mansion on the Junkerngasse No. 47 in the Old City of Bern, Switzerland, only a few steps away from the Béatrice-von-Wattenwyl-Haus. The Erlacherhof is the most representative patrician town mansion in Bern. It is th ...

. The mansion is built up of several medieval houses. This is still visible on the north façade (main entrance) which consists of 3 medieval

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air cond ...

s. Between 1695 and 1710 on the order of its owner, the Bernese

patrician Patrician may refer to: * Patrician (ancient Rome), the original aristocratic families of ancient Rome, and a synonym for "aristocratic" in modern English usage * Patrician (post-Roman Europe), the governing elites of cities in parts of medieval ...

Samuel Frisching (II) Samuel Frisching (27 June 1638 – 23 October 1721) was a Bernese soldier and politician. Between 1715 and 1721 he served as that city's "Schultheiss", a position not totally dissimilar from that of a modern city mayor. Life His parents' fourth ...

, an ancestor of

Franz Rudolf Frisching Franz Rudolf Frisching (1733–1807) was a Bernese patrician, officer, politician and industrialist. Life and career Franz Rudolf Frisching was the son of Vinzenz Frisching (1689–1764) who was Master of Schlosswil. In 1748 Franz Rudolf Fri ...

, the mansion underwent a rebuilt by the architect Joseph Abeille. Abeille restructured the interior of the mansion and added the elegant south façade in the

Louis XIV Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...

style. In 1838 the mansion passed through marriage into the von Wattenwyl family. The last private owners of the mansion, the Bernese patricians Béatrice and Jakob Emanuel von Wattenwyl, had no children and bequeathed the mansion to the

Swiss Confederation ). 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 ...

in 1929. When Jakob Emanuel von Wattenwyl, who survived his wife, died in 1934, the gift took effect. The mansion is still equipped with the original furniture mainly from the 18th and 19th century as well as many portrait paintings representing members of the Frisching and the von Wattenwyl families. To the mansion belongs the largest terraced garden of any privately built residences in the Old City of Bern. Nowadays, the mansion is used as the official town residence for ceremonial events by the

Swiss Federal Council The Federal Council (german: Bundesrat; french: Conseil fédéral; it, Consiglio federale; rm, Cussegl federal) is the executive body of the federal government of the Swiss Confederation and serves as the collective head of state and governm ...

. The so-called ''von Wattenwyl talks'' exist since 1970, and are a regular forum to exchange opinions between the Federal Council and the heads of those parties that are represented in the Federal Council. The mansion is open to the public 4 times a year, every first Saturday in January, April, July and October.

Literature

* Monica Bilfinger und Martin Fröhlich: Schweizerische Kunstführer GSK, Band 681: ''Das Beatrice von Wattenwil-Haus in Bern'', Bern 2000,

External links

Further information and pictures about the Béatrice-von-Wattenwyl-Haus on g26.ch

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beatrice-Von-Wattenwyl-Haus Streets in Bern Old City (Bern) Official residences in Switzerland