Located in the centre of the Gsteig district, close to the old town, the building of the Cantonal Burgdorf Technical School (now used by the Fachhochschule in Bern) has enjoyed widespread acclaim since its inception. This success was the result of Polish-Swiss architectural cooperation.

The genesis of the technical college

In 1890, the Bern authorities decided to establish the first technical college in the canton in order to strengthen the local industrial sector by training specialists. The competition for the location of the college included requirements to bear half the cost of building and equipping the facility and one third of the operating costs. Nevertheless, three towns, Berne, Biel and Burgdorf, entered the competition. In 1891, the competition was decided in favour of Burgdorf.

At the end of the 19th century, Burgdorf was one of the most important industrial centres in the canton. The town was home to numerous agricultural factories and companies specialising in medical technology. This industrial potential determined the choice of Burgdorf by the Grand Council of the Canton of Bern as the location for a new technical college.

The historic Gsteig district was chosen as the location for the new building to emphasise the importance of 'education as the highest good'. Access to the university was made possible by the construction of the arterial Technikumstrasse in the northern part of the district.

Architecture

The building of the technical college, was created with the idea of placing an educational institution there. In 1892 an architectural competition was held for its design, which was won by the Swiss architects Otto Dorer and Adolf Füchslin. Construction supervision of the project was entrusted to a Pole - the cantonal architect of Bern - Franciszek Stempkowski. Work continued until January 1894.

The technical school building is an example of architecture of the Wilhelminian period. It was probably inspired by the design of the Zurich Polytechnic, which Otto Dorer and Adolf Füchslin attended. The 10-storey, 10-axis building in Neo-Renaissance style was made of brick and faced with sandstone. The building consists of a central body with a representative staircase, isolated on the north-west side, and side wings. The main façade of the technical college is varied by three risalits and a Neo-Renaissance entrance portal.