Baroque Beauty in the Bernese Alps

Less than 300 metres from the hiking trail between Feutersoey and Gsteig, not far from Gstaad, stands a house is impossible to forget. The Gander House, built in 1747, features a façade that is unparalleled in the history of Swiss farmhouses, with emblems, carvings, a blue-painted roof and swallows painted with such precision by Baroque masters that one must look twice to distinguish the real ones from the painted ones. The clever birds have built their nests right next to their artistic counterparts, as if they have instinctively sensed that this place is permanent.

The house’s origins are described in a flowery script, ‘By the Trust of God, Mr Peter Matti, former Lieutenant Notary, and his wife Catharina Kohli had this house built by master carpenter Ulrich Hausswihrt and his journeymen. Soli Deo Gloria.’ According to documents, the basic structure was built by a knight in 1747, and the stable was added in 1847. Three generations of the Gander family have lived here. The great-grandfather acquired the house and farm when it was still affordable, resisting an offer from the Ballenberg Open-Air Museum in the 1930s. The museum curators wanted to transport the extraordinary building to Brienz to join the 110 magnificent buildings that stand as a witness to history, and rebuild it there, exactly as it was. However, no price was high enough to persuade the owners to take this step.

The Gander House is built using post-and-beam construction – a technique that connects the timber-framed lower story with the timber-framed upper story. The picturesque façade is striking, revealing an asymmetrical arrangement of windows. Staircases are located on both sides of the house. The motifs on a house front are rarely as lavish and colourful as they are here, embellished with elaborately carved elements typical of the 18th century.

However, beauty comes at a price. Every renovation, every beam, every roof tile is subject to historic preservation regulations. For example, when Markus Gander wanted to replace the roof, years of bureaucratic wrangling ensued. In the end, pragmatism prevailed, with a storm-proof aluminium roof resistant to fire and the warm, powerful Foehn winds common in the Alps.

Meanwhile, inside the house, austerity reigns. No colour, no ornamentation. Only old wood, which rises and falls by up to four centimetres in winter, held together solely by wooden dowels and natural joints, without a single nail. In the cellar lies the gold of the Saanenland: Hobelkäse, a traditional Swiss cheese shaved into thin curls and matured for up to three years on wooden racks. In summer, the cows graze on the alpine pastures with the Diablerets massif in the background.

One thing is crystal clear: The Gander House in Saali will remain exactly where it is – for another 300 years or more, if the wind, the weather, and the family have anything to say about it.

Good to know

Those who want to discover the architectural beauties of the Saanenland with experts can book a tour with the Gstaad Saanenland Guides gstaad.ch

Photo book Farm Pride – The Most Beautiful Farms by Reto Wilhelm and Yannick Andrea, Orell Füssli Verlag, available in the PR Kiosk online shop. pantarhei.ch

Words Reto Wilhelm
Image Yannick Andrea