Altes Landhaus (Old Country House), Bregenz

The Altes Landhaus, or Old Country House, was completed in 1921 as a government and convention building. It was designed by Austrian architect Willibald Braun in a Neoclassical style, with a symmetrical four-storey façade. Built shortly after the First World War, it reflected a desire for stability and continuity in Vorarlberg’s public life.

The front elevation is marked by Ionic columns that rise across the upper levels, giving the building a formal rhythm. A gabled roof crowns the structure, and triangular frontons reinforce its classical appearance. In 1923, additional artistic elements were introduced. The gable mosaic was created by Joseph Huber-Feldkirch, adding colour and symbolic detail to the upper façade. At the corners, sculptural works by Josef Piffrader contribute a three-dimensional presence that contrasts with the flat wall surfaces.

A distinctive feature appears in the central section of the façade, where a rounded lobe above the ground floor is framed by a projecting balcony. This subtle curve softens the otherwise strict geometry of the design. Today, the building continues to serve administrative and representative functions, and its exterior remains accessible to visitors interested in early twentieth-century civic architecture.