Blumenstein Castle

The Historical Museum Blumenstein ( HMBS ) is opened in 1952 in the baroque country Blumenstein historical museum of the city of Solothurn. It, together with the Kunstmuseum Solothurn and the Natural History Museum Solothurn an administrative department of the municipality of the city of Solothurn.

• 2.1 history

Museum

The Historical Museum Blumenstein collects objects, which represent relevant aspects of the history of the town of Solothurn and the immediately adjacent thereto communities. The accommodation on the ground floor exhibition gives an insight into the life of Solothurn patricians and in the significantly less privileged everyday lives of their employees. Upstairs convey a permanent exhibition and temporary exhibitions aspects of regional history. The representative rooms on the ground floor will be used for public events, lectures and concerts and are available for private occasions open.

History

The collection of the Historical Museum Blumenstein emerged from the 1860s with regard to the construction of a museum of the city of Solothurn, which could be opened as a classic multi-use building in 1902. In addition to the historical and antiquarian collection supervised and taught today Kunstmuseum Solothurn an art collection, a natural history and an ethnographic collection. The limited display and storage area soon led to problems. When the couple Hirt Baumgartner 1950, the city's former country estate Blumenstein offered for sale, this opportunity was taken to move the historical and antiquarian collection in this property. On 3 May 1952, the Historical Museum Blumenstein was opened. The current museum concept aims at a balanced range of permanent and temporary exhibitions, children's workshops, public and private events.

Country house ( castle ) Blumenstein

The former country estate Blumenstein, which covered 20 ha in 1797 at the time of its greatest expansion in the year, is now in the middle of a residential area. The extensive agricultural areas and the seven- terraces 1699-1703 ornamental garden was completely built over in the 20th century. In the midst of new buildings, the elaborate retaining walls of the former garden, the Fegetzallee created in 1700, two gazebos built in 1711 and in the 1920s into a double dwelling house converted orangery from 1721 remained. Built in 1726 economics building burned on August 1, 1952 in full and in 1954 was canceled.

The ensemble of the main building, courtyard, fountain Home and Garden vault was built between 1725-1729 by the architect Jean Fortier and supplemented in 1800 with a tenant house. Due to its compact design, it stands out clearly from the main building type Türmlihaus older country seats from Solothurn. The reluctant designed facade contrasts with the very prestigious rooms inside. The refined interior construction with mezzanine floors and a hidden staircase to the staff reflects the emerging in the era of Regency comfort needs of france oriented Solothurn patricians.

History

Wolfgang I. Greder of Wartenfels (1592-1641), lieutenant colonel and later regiment in the French service, bought in 1624 an estate in the area of the former Fegetzsteinbruchs. The estate was called back then Blumenstein. Wolfgang I. and his son Wolfgang II (1632-1691) enlarged in the following decades, the flowers stoneware with land purchases. 1656 let Greder remodel the existing house. At that time the still existing vaulted cellar was built in the basement of the main building. 1691 was the Blumenstein to Franz Lorenz Greder ( 1658-1716 ). In 1698 he left by architect Melchior Erb a large-scale new construction project and probably work out a more modest garden project afterwards. This second project Greder let run until 1703.

1709 sold Lorenz Greder of Wartenfels the Blumenstein to Franz Heinrich von Stäffis - Mollondin ( 1673-1749 ), with the Greders sister Mary Frances ( 1674-1743 ) was married. Franz Heinrich came of an old New Burger gender, which takes its name from Stäffis lake, French Estavayer -le- Lac, herleitete and on both sides of Lake Neuchâtel rich estates possessed. In the early 1720s, Franz Heinrich and Maria Franziska decided to build a summer house Blumenstein from scratch. 1725, the house was razed to the vaulted cellar and built to 1729 the still existing ensemble.

After the death of Franz Heinrich the Blumenstein went in 1749 to his son Joseph Lorenz of Stäffis - Mollondin ( 1705-1758 ), who with Jeanne Charlotte Cléophe ( 1713-1794 ), née von Sury de Bussy, was married. 1757 inherited son, John Victor Urs Joseph Lawrence of Fidel Stäffis - Mollondin ( 1753-1787 ) and his wife Marie Jeanne Nicole ( 1757-1838 ), born Durfort- Léobard de Besançon, the flowers stoneware. With the death of Johann Victor died in 1787 the line of the Stäffis - Mollondin from. The Blumenstein was a " Weibergut ," which the two daughters Johanna Karolina Anophe and Ludovica Franziska shared with her grandmother Jeanne Charlotte Cléophe and her mother Marie Jeanne Nicole. Only when Ludovica Franziska in 1797 married Robert Carl Fidel Wallier of St. Aubin, came the stone flowers in her sole property. After the death of Franziska Ludovica the Blumenstein 1847 went to her sister Charlotte Glutz Wallier of St. Aubin, who inherited the house in 1856 her three sons, Edmund, Ludwig and Alfred Glutz Ruchti. 1861 Edmund bought out his three brothers and became the sole owner.

Edmund Glutz Ruchti bequeathed the Blumenstein 1885 to his nephew Joseph Glutz Ruchti. This modernized the ancient summer residence basic. He enlarged the house in 1911 with a porch, let upstairs bathroom and installing a spacious kitchen and central heating in the basement. The former summer house, which previously could not be sufficiently heated by the existing fireplaces, the year was now habitable. Your lavish lifestyle funded Josef Glutz Ruchti and his wife Mathilde, born Pfyffer of Heidegg by the extensive floral earthenware from 1919 parceled and sold piecemeal. Nevertheless Glutz Ruchti mid-1920s was insolvent; he went bankrupt and his property was auctioned. On October 18, 1928, the Basel architect HR bought control the empty castle and the remaining garden for 400,000 -. Francs. The garden was divided into lots and sold as building land.

The tenant house and the farm buildings was 1933 for CHF 16,000 to the tenant family Bläsi, which managed the floral earthenware from 1870 to 1926 and from 1930. The main building and its immediate surroundings purchased on September 11, 1933 Fritz Hirt Baumgartner for CHF 85'000. Fritz Hirt Baumgartner and his wife Lucie made ​​it in the following two decades, the task of buying various items from the former estate of Joseph and Mathilde Glutz Ruchti and due to the Blumenstein.

On February 7, 1951 finally sold the couple Hirt Baumgartner the Blumenstein for CHF 180,000 and its inventory of 40,000 francs to the municipality of the city of Solothurn, which opened its History Museum Blumenstein on May 3, 1952. Fritz Hirt Baumgartner's wife Lucie retained until her death in 1977, a right of residence in several rooms of the upper floor. After the fire, the building economics from 1 August 1952, the family Bläsi sold in 1955, the fire and the adjoining tenant house for 80,000 francs to the city.