Next to the front vestibule once stood a music room, now known as the ‘Literatenzimmer.’

 

The wall decoration, with its stucco pilasters and rose garlands in the panels, follows a design by Samuel Werenfels, executed by Johann Martin Frohweis.

 

In 1921, the pilasters and ornaments were removed, and the stove niche in the center of the longitudinal wall was bricked up.

 

However, thanks to the original plans and sketches preserved directly on the wall, the room was faithfully restored in 1981.

 

Above the doors, Frohweis sculpted three views of the banks of the Rhine in Basel, based on models by Emanuel Büchel.

 

In the northern view, he even included the Reichensteinerhof and the Wendelstörferhof, just built during his time.”**

 

Credit:

Ms. Sarah Hummel-Smit

Architect specializing in historical monuments and heritage conservation