Description of the attraction
The Erlacherhof Palace, located in the historic center of Bern, is a fine example of a late Baroque urban mansion. The palace was built in 1745 - 1752. designed by the famous Bernese architect Albrecht Stürler. The customer was the famous Bernese patrician Jerome von Erlach. The mansion was built on the site of two medieval houses, one of them being the family house of the Erlach family.
In 1748, before the end of the construction, both the chief architect and the customer died one after another. Von Erlach's son, Albrecht Friedrich von Erlach, ordered the construction to continue. The sculptor Johann August Nahl probably played an important role in this. To perpetuate the memory of his father, Albrecht Friedrich von Erlach ordered to decorate the pediments of the east and west facades with the monogram "HvE" - Jerome von Erlach.
In 1795 the Erlach family sells the palace. In 1798, during the occupation of Switzerland by France, the palace housed the residence of the general of the Napoleonic army, Guillaume Brune. Then there was a school in the palace, since 1831 - the French embassy, and from 1848 to 1857 the Federal Council of Switzerland entered the palace. Currently, the Erlacherhof Palace houses the Mayor of Bern and his administration.
Erlacherhof is the most representative example of a patrician town mansion in Bern. The palace has been restored and restored to its original appearance. Now it is the only mansion in the city with a real courtyard. The palace is closed to the public.
