Villa Tobler, Villa in Hottingen, Zurich, Switzerland

Villa Tobler is a late Classicist mansion built in 1853 by Gustav Albert Wegmann at Winkelwiese in Zürich-Hottingen, between the Kunsthaus and Forchplatz. Its interior was redesigned around 1900 by Hans Eduard von Berlepsch-Valendas and retains Art Nouveau rooms. The house stands in a public park with winding paths, walls, a dragon fountain and a pergola; the Theater an der Winkelwiese occupies the basement.

Bank manager Jakob Emil Tobler-Finsler and his son Gustav Adolf Tobler-Blumer had architect Gustav Albert Wegmann build the mansion at Winkelwiese in 1853 in late Classicist style. In 1900 Hans Heinrich Conrad von Muralt carried out a far-reaching reconstruction, with interiors by Hans Eduard von Berlepsch-Valendas. The city of Zürich bought the property in 1964, preventing its demolition and planned redevelopment.

The basement theatre opened on 16 June 1964 with Pinter's "Der Hausmeister", staged by actress and director Maria von Ostfelden, who had architect Jakob Zweifel convert the cellar. It became a venue for avant-garde authors such as Arrabal, Ionesco and Albee. The Dramenprozessor, a support programme for young Swiss playwrights started in 2000, received the Federal Office of Culture's Theatre Prize in 2015.

The rooms work for different event sizes, from smaller gatherings to large receptions, depending on which space you choose. Visitors should plan ahead as the historical features and different levels of the house create a special experience that requires consideration.

The garden's 1900 redesign by the Mertens brothers added the dragon fountain with its gold-coloured mosaic basin and Richard Kissling's youth figure under the pergola beside it. The playground set up in 1983 was placed so the fountain was not cut off, only showered and covered with cement slabs.