A Home for Artists and Scientists
In the 18th century, the agricultural estate Krämerstein is transformed into a patrician summer residence, temporarily owned by the family Meyer von Baldegg, then the family von Sonnenberg. The Villa Krämerstein and its other buildings belong to the numerous estates in possession of the wealthy population of the city of Lucerne eager to combine the status-driven architecture of urban dwellings with the comforts of life in the countryside.
1786 The silk trader Balthasar Falcini builds the neoclassical Villa.
1787 The Haus am See is built and used for agricultural purposes, first and foremost for work requiring fire: drying, washing, distilling liquor, and perhaps also the fabrication of cheese.
1906 Carlos Keller, a merchant and Brazilian honorary consul from Winterthur, buys the estate. He renovates the Villa and builds the lavish park.
1980 His son, Philipp Keller, an enthusiastic collector of nautical antiques, leaves the estate to the Verkehrshaus of Switzerland in his will.
1982 The municipality of Horw buys the estate. The Verkehrshaus uses the money from the sale to build its nautical hall.
1984-2005 The MAZ, the Swiss school for journalism, uses the villa for its courses.
1990 The municipality of Horw renovates the building on the lakefront and calls into life the Haus am See in collaboration with the MAZ with the intention of “using it in particular for educational, artistic, cultural, and social purposes.”
2005 The MAZ leaves the Villa. The board of the foundation finds a new partner with the IG Kultur. The board consists of five members, including two representatives of the municipality of Horw and two representative of the society IG Kultur Luzern.
2006 The International School of Zug and Lucerne moves into the Villa.
2016 The International School of Zug and Lucerne leaves the buildings in the Krämerstein park.
2017-18 Kindergarten and grade school classes take place in the Villa while the buildings of the Mattli school in Kastanienbaum are renovated.
2019-2021 The municipality of Horw debates the future use of the estate. Before the new tenant moves in, the entire estate, including the porter’s and gardener’s houses as well as the Villa, is generously refurbished. “The Krämerstein estate is a matter of the heart for the municipality of Horw” (Christian Volken, Spokesperson, Municipality of Horw).
2021 The new tenant, the international investment company Apeiron Holdings AG, moves into the premises of the Krämerstein estate. The surrounding parklands and the lakefront remain open to the public. The Villa is set to recapture its historic splendor once more. The board of the foundation Haus am See will continue its mission to provide a space for artists and scientist in the little timber house independent of the use of the other buildings in the Krämerstein park.
2021 Current members of the board of the foundation:
Regula Jeger, President
Ruedi Burkard, President of the Municipality of Horw
Brigitte Amrein, Representative of the Municipality of Horw
Laura Breitschmid, IG Kultur Luzern
Remo Bitzi, IG Kultur Luzern