Muraltengut

The Muraltengut is a former country house in the Enge district of Zurich . Today it is used by the Zurich City Council for representational purposes .

history

The Muraltengut was built between 1777 and 1782 by Johannes Werdmüller (1725–1801) according to his own plans as a summer residence on the shores of Lake Zurich . At that time it was called Werdmüllersches Landgut .

Johannes Werdmüller was a town builder, but was accused of not knowing anything about building. In order to prove the contrary, he had his summer residence built according to his own plans and with new construction machines. In general, although he was judge and member of the Small Council, he did not adhere to the conventions. He dressed extravagantly and demonstratively carried a book by Voltaire under his arm on Sunday. Enlightenment ideas were discussed in the salon of his house.

In 1825 the property went to the mayor Hans Konrad von Muralt (1779–1869), from whom the estate takes its name today. In 1924 Martin Bodmer bought it and saved it from demolition. Since 1944 it has belonged to the city of Zurich, which uses it for representation purposes. Unlike the building, the park is open to the public.

The guests received at the house include Margaret Thatcher , François Mitterrand , Kofi Annan and the Dalai Lama .

Architecture and art

The Muraltengut before the construction of the railway line

The composition is baroque , and the entire project with the gardener's house and park is in the style of a French maison de plaisance . On the lake side, however, there are already features of early classicism , while on the opposite side, facing the Seestrasse, there is a traditional court of honor . Inside, little has been preserved from the time it was built, as the property was modernized by Martin Bodmer from 1924 to 1926 in the neoclassical style.

The house consists of two floors, with the five-meter-high ground floor in particular for three halls adjoining the terrace. The floor above was intended for living. High tent roofs form the conclusion. The house also has a cellar, the entrances of which are under the terrace.

The property was separated from the lake in 1900 by the construction of the railway and the filling of the lake shore. The former lake line is now marked by a line of trimmed linden trees.

The Muraltengut houses some works by important modern artists, including those by Pipilotti Rist and Fischli / Weiss , as well as a mural with a circus scene by Alois Carigiet and two cityscapes by Ernst Morgenthaler . Even Karl Walser created several murals for the Muraltengut.

park

Pool of water, behind it the horse, in front of it a girl standing

The publicly accessible park includes a rosarium with over 5000 rose bushes , which are maintained by Grün Stadt Zürich . Four sculptures are also distributed in the park: Schreitender Jüngling (Franz) by Karl Geiser , the horse by Otto Charles Bänninger , standing girl by Hermann Haller and Arlecchino in attesa by Emilio Stanzani .

The park has been redesigned over the years. While a baroque garden design with gently curving paths is still visible in photos from 1924, later photos from 1956 show a rectangular, elongated water basin that fits into a large and strict room design. The structural changes and the associated change of style were probably carried out by the city after the property was purchased. The mix of styles in particular is perceived as appealing:

“The garden impresses with the exciting juxtaposition of different styles: the long, straightforward terrain modeling of the early 20th century meets the symmetrical staircase in front of the main facade, which dates from the late 18th century and is inspired by the Italian Renaissance. The park conveys pleasant spaciousness and tranquility. "

literature

Building culture in Zurich: Enge, Wollishofen, Leimbach (= buildings worthy of protection and good architecture of recent years [without volume number]). Edited by the Building Department of the City of Zurich, Office for Urban Development. Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Zurich 2006, p. 83.
Herman Balsiger: The Muraltengut in Zurich. In: Architektur und Kunst 11, 1924, pp. 115–122.
Christine Barraud Wiener, Regula Crottet, Karl Grunder, Verena Rothenbühler: The City of Zurich V. The «Ausgemeinden» of the City of Zurich until 1860 (= The Art Monuments of the Canton of Zurich. New Edition Volume V). Edited by the Society for Swiss Art History . GSK, Bern 2012, pp. 186–190.

Web links

Commons : Muraltengut - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Muraltengut on the website of the city of Zurich

Individual evidence

^ ^A ^b ^c Christine Barraud Wiener, Regula Crottet, Karl Grunder, Verena Rothenbühler: The City of Zurich V. The «Ausgemeinden» of the City of Zurich until 1860 (= The Art Monuments of the Canton of Zurich. New Edition Volume V). Edited by the Society for Swiss Art History. GSK, Bern 2012, pp. 186–190.
↑ ^a ^b Baukultur in Zurich: Enge, Wollishofen, Leimbach (= buildings worthy of protection and good architecture of recent years [without volume number]). Edited by the Building Department of the City of Zurich, Office for Urban Development. Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Zurich 2006, p. 83.
↑ ^a ^b Rebekka Haefeli: A visit to the Muraltengut: where Maggie Thatcher enjoyed Zurich char - and her husband fell on a wine glass . In: NZZ , January 2, 2018.
^ ^A ^b Hermann Balsiger: the Muraltengut in Zurich . In: Das Werk: Architektur und Kunst . tape 11 , no. 5 . ETH Library, Zurich 1924.
^ Architecture and Art: Karl Walser. Retrieved October 27, 2019 .
^ Art and Construction Muraltengut - City of Zurich. Retrieved May 2, 2019 .
^ Art and Construction Muraltengut - City of Zurich. Retrieved May 2, 2019 .
^ Art and Construction Muraltengut - City of Zurich. Retrieved May 2, 2019 .
↑ Two sculptures in the Muraltengut Park in Zurich . In: Das Werk: Architektur und Kunst . tape 43 , no. 8 . ETH Library, Zurich 1956, p. 258-259 .
↑ Muraltengut, special. In: www.stadt-zuerich.ch. City of Zurich, Civil Engineering and Waste Management Department, accessed on May 5, 2019 (German).

47.35355 8.5326Coordinates: 47 ° 21 '12.8 " N , 8 ° 31' 57.4" E ; CH1903: six hundred and eighty-two thousand six hundred and fifty-three / 245320

[kdm-1] A ^b ^c Christine Barraud Wiener, Regula Crottet, Karl Grunder, Verena Rothenbühler: The City of Zurich V. The «Ausgemeinden» of the City of Zurich until 1860 (= The Art Monuments of the Canton of Zurich. New Edition Volume V). Edited by the Society for Swiss Art History. GSK, Bern 2012, pp. 186–190.

[baukultur-2] Baukultur in Zurich: Enge, Wollishofen, Leimbach (= buildings worthy of protection and good architecture of recent years [without volume number]). Edited by the Building Department of the City of Zurich, Office for Urban Development. Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Zurich 2006, p. 83.

[NZZ-3] Rebekka Haefeli: A visit to the Muraltengut: where Maggie Thatcher enjoyed Zurich char - and her husband fell on a wine glass . In: NZZ , January 2, 2018.

[:0-4] A ^b Hermann Balsiger: the Muraltengut in Zurich . In: Das Werk: Architektur und Kunst . tape 11 , no. 5 . ETH Library, Zurich 1924.

[5] Architecture and Art: Karl Walser. Retrieved October 27, 2019 .

[6] Art and Construction Muraltengut - City of Zurich. Retrieved May 2, 2019 .

[7] Art and Construction Muraltengut - City of Zurich. Retrieved May 2, 2019 .

[8] Art and Construction Muraltengut - City of Zurich. Retrieved May 2, 2019 .

[9] Two sculptures in the Muraltengut Park in Zurich . In: Das Werk: Architektur und Kunst . tape 43 , no. 8 . ETH Library, Zurich 1956, p. 258-259 .

[10] Muraltengut, special. In: www.stadt-zuerich.ch. City of Zurich, Civil Engineering and Waste Management Department, accessed on May 5, 2019 (German).