Description of the attraction
The house "At the Cherry Orchard", built in the period from 1775 to 1780, is the brightest example of architecture in the style of Louis XVI. The house is at the same time a museum with a significant and oldest exhibition of household items in Basel. The owner of this wonderfully stately private home was Johan Rudolf Burckhardt de Bari, a silk merchant.
The most impressive features of the building are the graceful sandstone façade with a covered gallery, carriage gates with twin columns, and a spacious hallway. The decision to turn the house into a museum was made in 1933, but it was closed until 1951. By that time, most of the original furniture and the way it was arranged had been lost. And today the building provides nothing more than a fragmentary view of the original interior. The interiors of the hall, vestibule and salon have been partially preserved, as well as the library on the first floor and three rooms on the third - the Green Room, Burckhardt's bedroom and the Pink Boudoir, dating from 1780. The museum also exhibits items of international importance: collections of porcelain, watches, scientific instruments, silverware made in Basel and toys.
