Guggenhürli

About the museum

The Guggenhürli stands on a small hill in the Langdorf district of Frauenfeld and was originally a vineyard and summer house. For a long time it was believed to have been built around 1720 for the Reichenau-Konstanz bailiff Joseph Anton Bruno Johner, known as Rüpplin; meanwhile, however, older building components from 1575 and 1590 have been identified in the building and its façades. The eastern annex was added around 1791. The name derives from “Guggen” (to look) and an old word for a small hill with a view.

Among its known owners was the Thurgau cantonal government councillor Johann Conrad Freyenmuth, who as construction director had the cantonal road between Frauenfeld and Weinfelden built. Later the house belonged to the politician Johann Conrad Kern (1808–1888), co-founder of ETH Zurich and envoy in Paris, or rather to his wife Aline, a daughter of Freyenmuth. In 1799 the French General Oudinot is said to have set up his command post at the Guggenhürli. In the 19th century, canned foods were produced in the outbuilding; the company later became Hero.

After the house had fallen into disrepair and demolition threatened, a group of committed citizens acquired it in 1963, founded the Genossenschaft Guggenhürli and restored it according to heritage conservation criteria. Today a small exhibition shows objects connected with the former residents, above all the Kern couple, as well as a collection of around thirty pictures by the Frauenfeld draftswoman and painter Martha Haffter (1873–1951). The “blue room” is considered one of the most beautiful wedding rooms in Switzerland; at the foot of the hill the cooperative runs a small vineyard.

Highlights

• Vineyard and summer house from the early 18th century, with older building parts from 1575 and 1590
• Small exhibition on the Kern couple, the house’s best-known residents
• Around thirty pictures by the Frauenfeld painter Martha Haffter
• “Blue room” as a wedding room for free wedding ceremonies
• Vineyard with Müller-Thurgau at the foot of the hill

Permanent exhibition

• Das Ehepaar Kern und Bilder von Martha Haffter – A small collection of objects that recall the former residents of the summer house, supplemented by around thirty pictures by the Frauenfeld painter Martha Haffter.

Operated by

Genossenschaft Guggenhürli

Admission & discounts

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Accessibility

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Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

The house stands on a small hill in the Langdorf district, near the Oberkirch church.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 10 guests.

The house is open to small groups. For free wedding ceremonies with a celebrant in the “blue room”, a maximum of ten people is possible; civil weddings performed by the registry office are no longer offered.

Plan your visit