Villa Dollfus, Castagnola

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Castagnola, Lugano, Ticino, Svizzera
Surname/tag: Dollfus

Villa Dollfus is (or probably was) an estate in Castagnola in Ticino, Switzerland, which meanwhile belongs to the city of Lugano. It is situated at the bottom of Monte Brè.

History

Construction of the Villa itself began on 10 May 1888, after elevating ground level by 2 meters since November 1887.^[1]

Builder and first owner was Albert Louis Dollfus.^[2]

In 1900 the Dollfus family occupied two women that were from Baden: Maria Ermann (maybe Maria Hermann?) and Kunigunda Schindler.^[3] The latter already probably had been in service there since 1890,^[4], but for sure since 1895.^[5]

After his father had died in 1909,^[6] Roger Dollfus bought Kiesen Castle in 1915 and died there in 1948.^[7] Max Brod in 1911 describes uninhabited villas, which must refer to the Villas Lepori, Selvano, Favorita and Dollfus.^[8]

In spring 1923 Roger bought the Villa Dollfus from his brother Oscar Dollfus and Nelly Archer, their sister and moved his residence to there.^[9]

There is an envelope sent from a Frederico Fankhauser from Curitiba in Brasil, sent to "Madam Annie E. Dollfus, Villa Dollfus, Castagnola b. Lugano, Tessin, Suissa" from 1938 which is/was for sale online.^[10]

Research notes

A query at map.search.ch shows "Villa Dollfus" roughly at 46.0003, 8.98164. According to Open Street Map this would be the address Via Cortivo 22B. Google Street View reveals that at this address there meanwhile is a complex of three modern apartment blocks. So the Villa probably was replaced by them at one point.

• If the mother Laure Vonwiller only died in the 1930s, why was the Villa abandoned in 1911?
• Who owned the Villa after Ruggero Dollfus?
  • Might have been his siblings, but why did he move his residence to there and then died in Kiesen anyway?
• When was it demolished?
• Does anybody have photographs of it?

Sources

1. ↑ Villa Dollfus in Castagnola bei Lugano: Architekt: F. Kühn In: Verlags-AG der akademischen technischen Vereine (Herausgeber): Schweizerische Bauzeitung, Band 23/24 (1894), Heft 20, 19 May 1894, p. 128, scan (also has some plans/sketches)
2. ↑ La Tribune de Genève, part 31, #203, 1 September 1909, issue 4 (e-newspaperarchives.ch
3. ↑ Controllo abitanti, Registro delle notifiche degli stranieri 1898-1905, registro 15, 1900/11
4. ↑ Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg, B 726/1 Nr. 5146, Ausstellung von Heimatscheinen für in der Gemeinde Bärental Heimatberechtigte 1874-1894, 10958/No. 216
5. ↑ Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg, B 726/1 Nr. 5147, Ausstellung von Heimatscheinen für in der Gemeinde Bärental Heimatberechtigte 1895-1905, 19458?
6. ↑ Schweizerisches Geschlechterbuch. Almanach Généalogique Suisse (1913), p. 173 (Internet Archive, Google Books)
7. ↑ Gemeinde Kiesen - Ortsgeschichte, kiesen.ch
8. ↑ : Von Zauberhüten und Märchenbrunnen, 6 July 2002, nzz.ch
9. ↑ Schweizerische Bauzeitung 91/92, issue 7 (1928), p. 90 (scan)
10. ↑ : Couvert Annie Dollfus Castagnola Ruggero, ricardo.ch