Of farmers and builders: Centre Loewenberg’s history and architecture.

Count Rudolf IV of Habsburg negotiated contracts in Löwenberg in 1267; Napoléon Bonaparte visited Denis de Rougemont in 1797: Architecture (history) is an exciting theme at Centre Loewenberg.

The present-day grounds of Centre Loewenberg are located on the hills between Murten and the Grand Marais near the shores of Lake Murten. Originally it was used for agriculture and growing grapevines. In the late Middle Ages, the extensive estate, including mills, farms, vineyards and a pub, was owned by the Velgas, an aristocratic family of Freiburg. The first documented owner of the Löwenberg estate was Sebastian von Diesbach in 1511. He was a nobleman from Bern, lived from around 1481 to 1537, and was the first to leave behind visible traces in the manor which have survived until today. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the property changed hands a number of times and the main building was developed from a winegrower’s house into a manor.

The age of de Rougemont.

In 1794, ownership of the Löwenberg estate was eventually passed on to the Neuenburg banking family de Rougemont. Denis I. de Rougemont, who made his fortune with his bank in Paris, and his three sons, distinguished themselves as lovers of excellent architecture and as patrons. They transformed Löwenberg’s main building into a prestigious landmark between 1794 and 1839, built various farm buildings, and redesigned the area as an English-style landscape park. In 1888, a final reconstruction was carried out, including the building of the Orangery. After the death of the last great-grandson of de Rougement in 1973, the estate was sold to SBB.

The age of SBB.

Between 1980 and 1982, SBB constructed its training centre on the meadows at Centre Loewenberg. At the same time, the historic buildings were restored.

In 2017, SBB sold Centre Loewenberg in a sale and leaseback transaction to Novavest Real Estate AG. SBB remains the tenant with a long-term contract, meaning that Centre Loewenberg will continue to be used as a seminar and conference centre for SBB employees and others.

The historic buildings were renovated again in 2019. In 2022, while closed for a year, all the Haller buildings were completely renovated with a focus on sustainability. A new building management system, photovoltaic systems and other energy-saving measures have been implemented.

In order to concentrate the training for the traditional railway trades of the 1980s in a central, easy-to-reach location, SBB decided to build a training centre on the grounds of the Löwenberg estate. After an open architectural competition, the project was started in 1977 by the winners Alfons Barth and Hans Zaugg from Aarau. Together with the architect Fritz Haller, the concept of the current building was finally created. Centre Loewenberg was constructed between 1980 and 1984.

Its charm lies in its relaxed layout and relationship with the landscape. For instance, the education centre is sunk so that, despite its two levels, the view of, and from, the manor house remains undisturbed.

From afar, the circular accommodation buildings look like trees: their ground floors are free-standing, while from the first floor and above, the building projects outwards and is fronted with green glass. The green glass is also used on all new buildings so that they fit in perfectly into the park setting.

Architect Fritz Haller.

Fritz Haller, a representative of the Solothurn School, developed a standardised, modular and grid-based system of construction together with USM (Ulrich Schärer Münsingen, still known today for its furniture construction system). This approach was successfully implemented at Centre Loewenberg.

This system of construction is characterised by transparent ribbons across buildings and lamella ceilings which let lots of daylight in. Room partitioning can be easily changed thanks to regularly spaced steel supports, the trussed girders attached to them and a light-weight glass front – exactly as depicted in Fritz Haller’s original concept when he designed the system of construction. In fact, over the course of time, numerous rooms at the training centre have been repartitioned.

Because of its strategic location between Lake Murten and the foothills of the pre-alpine hill country, from very early on it was important to impede a military advance on Bern from the north-west. As Löwenberg is a bottleneck on this route, and because of the increased threat from aeroplanes and tanks after the First World War, anti-tank obstacles – toblerones – and a trench were laid. In 1990, one of the rare Centi bunkers was then built next to the wine-press house, with the gun turret of a decommissioned Centurion tank, including canons. The facilities are no longer in operation today but remain as military monuments of national significance.