The Bruckgut estate lies at the foot of the hill, below the village centre 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 ...

.
The Bruckgut farming estate is listed as a heritage site of national significance.

Geographical location

Up until the end of the 18th century, the lowlands of the river

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 ...

were very sparsely populated. Once where the river meandered its way into the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

, is where the modern day Münchenstein spreads itself. The Bruckgut estate lies in the Münchenstein lowlands on the right hand bank of the river Birs. The Bruckgut farmhouse and the barn are on the opposite bank of the river.

History

First an immured manor house with gabled roof stood here. The privately owned estate Bruckgut was built in 1758 for the Basler manufacturer Markus Weiss-Leissler (1696-1768). Next to the estate is a gardeners house. On a high-situated rock above the estate is a pavilion dated 1764. The most important crossing over the Birs between Basel and Münchenstein up until the mid 18th century was a wooden bridge and tollhouse by the Bruckgut. Prior to the erection of the single-track railway bridge in 1874/75 by

Gustave Eiffel Alexandre Gustave Eiffel ( , ; Bonickhausen dit Eiffel; 15 December 1832 – 27 December 1923) was a French civil engineer. A graduate of École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, he made his name with various bridges for the French railway net ...

the river was straightened and embanked. The opening of the Jurabahn from Basel to

Delémont Delémont (; ; , ) is the capital of the Swiss canton of Jura. The city has approximately 12,000 inhabitants . History The area of the municipality was already settled in the middle Bronze Age. Fifteen urn burials have been discovered in the ...

(German: Delsberg) was on September 23, 1875. It is exactly at this point where the

Münchenstein rail disaster The Münchenstein rail disaster on 14 June 1891 was historically the worst railway accident ever to affect Switzerland. A crowded passenger train fell through a girder bridge, killing more than seventy people and injuring many others. The accide ...

occurred on 14 June 1891, historically the worst railway accident ever to affect Switzerland. The farm house and barn were built in 1888 by the famous Swiss

Philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

Carl Geigy Carl Geigy (24 June 1860, in Steinen, Baden-Württemberg – 3 January 1943, in Münchenstein) (also Karl) was a famous Swiss philanthropist. Biography Geigy was son of Carl (1834–1862), Basler Entrepreneur, and Margaretha Emilie Burckhardt (18 ...

Architecture

Samuel Werenfels (1720-1800) designed the estate house.

References

Houses in Switzerland Münchenstein Buildings and structures in Basel-Landschaft Houses completed in 1758 Samuel Werenfels buildings Baroque architecture in Switzerland 18th-century architecture in Switzerland {{BaselCountry-geo-stub