The Wenkenhof and the English Park in Riehen

2 September 2025

Wenkenhof first appears in the early Middle Ages, referring to an estate located on the hillside above the Wiesental. As early as 751, a document mentions the Wenken as the property of Ebo, a count of an Alemannic tribe.

The estate belonged successively to the abbey of St. Gallen (c. 800-ca. 1100) and the monastery of St. Blasien (c. 1100-early 17th century). Afterwards, there were several private owners.

In 1735, Johann Heinrich Zäslin of Basel (1697-1752) purchased the estate. He built a summer residence in the French style. After several successors, the complex was converted into a country house in 1860 and expanded with other buildings. The architect was Johann Jakob Stehlin (1826-1894), who designed many residential and public buildings in Basel. The large complex was named Alte Wenken and Neue Wenken.

 

In 1917, the industrialist Alexander Clavel-Respinger (1881-1973) bought the estate. He created the English Park and restored the French garden to its former glory.  The terrace with a view of Basel was completed in 1957.

His brother was René Clavel (1886-1969), founder of the Domus Romana and a mecenas of the Pro Augusta Raurica Foundation in Augst, as well as the Römer-Stiftung René Clavel and the manor of Castelen.

The owner donated the Alte Wenken to Basel in 1932. The park now belongs to the municipality of Riehen and is open to the public. The Alexander Clavel Foundation owns the Neue Wenken and its French garden, which is open to the public on Sundays.

(Source and further information: www.wenkenhof.ch)