Dorneckstrasse 41

The architect Hermann Ranzenbeger (1891-1967) built his own house on a steep western slope in the early 1930s. He had worked closely with Rudolf Steiner as an employee in the Goteeahnum building office and received many tips from him on the design of buildings and furniture. In the 1930s, he was one of the leading and busiest architects on Dornach Hill and in Arlesheim.

His house comprised two apartments, guest rooms, a studio and a garage. Towards the valley, the storeys rise four storeys high, each clearly separated from the others by cornices or canopies. The accentuated window surrounds give a sense of how the building leans into the slope, while the elegant sweep of the staircase at the side softens this austerity. But it is easy to imagine the architect of this building playing Wagner’s works on the grand piano at the open window.

Similar features can be found in many of Hermann Ranzenberger’s buildings, in his doctor’s houses in Arelsheim or in the two buildings to the north: Haus Messmer and Haus Blommenstein II at the beginning of Brosiweg, which were also planned by him in the 1930s. Together with his own house and the historicizing country house on the other side of the street, they form an exciting open spatial situation with multiple references to each other and to the valley. The small Marwitz house was later placed in this open space and only hints at the original urban planning arrangement.

As a small detail, it should be noted that there was a “bathhouse” opposite Haus Ranzenberger from the mid-1920s – for all the residents of the hill who only had a washbasin in their small rooms.

Pictures: Main picture above, picture on the right 2nd from bottom: © Jolanthe Kugler | Drawing: Architekturpfad Dornach Arlesheim | Image on the right 1st from bottom: Architecture Trail Dornach Arlesheim