Franciszek [Franz] Stempkowski [Stempkowsky] (1844 - 1902), Polish architect of the historicist era, active in Switzerland. Information on his life is scarce, little is known in particular about Stempkowski's young years, and even his place of birth is unknown. He received his education in Warsaw, and probably interrupted it to take part in the January Uprising. It is most likely that immediately afterwards he left the Kingdom of Poland forever. He continued his education, studying architecture in Prague and Vienna. He arrived in Switzerland in the late 1960s as a political refugee, probably also attending the Zurich Polytechnic. He worked as a draughtsman in that city for a while before moving to Hungary, having been employed as a construction manager on the railway. He returned to Switzerland, however, and after staying in Zurich again in the early 1870s, he moved to Bern, where he became involved in the architectural studio of Johann Carl Dähler. In December 1875, he was taken on as an assistant to the cantonal architect Friedrich Salvisberg. Four years later, Stempkowski was granted citizenship of the municipality of Guttannen. A significant promotion came in March 1880 when he took over the temporary leadership of the cantonal architect's office after the dismissed Salvisberg. From then on, Stempkowski's official duties included, in addition to an increasing number of project works, the substantive control of all public investments in the Bernese canton. By conscientiously and diligently fulfilling his daily arduous tasks, the Polish émigré slowly gained more and more recognition from his superiors, which was evidenced by his final appointment as cantonal architect on 17 December 1890. It came as a surprise to everyone; no explanation for this desperate step can be found in the currently known documents. The architect left behind a wife and six children.

Almost all of Stempkowski's known works are linked to his official work in the Canton of Bern. Apart from the construction of new buildings, this included numerous adaptations and consultations, which makes it very difficult to determine the architect's basic oeuvre (incidentally, the surviving archival projects are not signed with his name). The buildings designed by Stempkowski usually combine good and functional interior solutions with modest elaboration of the facades, usually referring to the Renaissance or provincial, local Baroque. This restraint of form, a consequence of budgetary constraints, continued at the same time the traditional visual identity of the canton's public developments. Examples include the Molkereischule Rütti in Zollikofen (1890), or the headquarters of the local authorities (the so-called Amtshaus) in Bern, Biel or Meiringen (the latter - rebuilt). Strict neo-Romanism characterised the prison building in Biel (1886).

A good example of the difficulty of separating the role of individual architects in a long and painstakingly created work is the large establishment in Münsingen, important for the history of mental health treatment. From 1880 onwards, the architect Adolf Tièche prepared three versions of the building and a basic concept of the whole, but Stempkowski (realised 1892-1895) probably had the decisive voice in the development of the final version. Innovative in its functional layout, the ensemble of buildings was given an exterior that skilfully combined the forms of a traditional Swiss chalet with touches of provincial Renaissance and Baroque.

Other works include the reconstruction of the school in Brügg and the interior of the church in Täuffelen (1880-1902), the church tower in Münchenbuchsee (1890-1891) and the ¬permissibly ¬ adaptation of the convent in Bellay into a psychiatric asylum.

Against this background, the edifices designed by Stempkowski for the University of Bern are particularly interesting because of the importance and unconventional nature of the task: the chemical laboratory (1891-1893, demolished in the 1960s), the Institute of Physiology, the so-called Hallerianum (1892-1894) and the Anatomical Institute (1896-1898). These buildings were not routine productions; their functional programme had to correspond to the increasingly complex needs of the natural sciences ¬ e.g. in the construction of the chemistry laboratory, Stempkowski consulted the eminent chemist Stanisław Kostanecki. The low-rise, highly fragmented edifices proved to be a practical solution, while the calm Renaissance-style facades with their sparse detailing and brick facing expressed academic seriousness and matter-of-factness well and without pathos.

Unfortunately, it is only by description that Stempkowski's unusual work, which was created outside of his official duties, is known, which he submitted together with Friedrich Studer to the competition for the Union Institute for the Sick of Body and Mind in Chur (1888). The justification for the award of the 3rd prize praised the layout of the whole and the elevations in French taste.

Although the buildings he constructed are an important part of the Bernese architectural heritage of the historicist era, Stempkowski is today an almost completely unknown figure. A publication on the architecture of the University of Bern, published in 2009, is a good indication of the restoration of his rightful place in the history of Swiss architecture. There, Kantonsbaumeister's projects became the subject of an art-historical analysis for the first time, which revealed the good level of his professional skill.