Haus zum Sternen

History: The Sternen (Star) oriel was built by Daniel Kunkler (1658-1727), who had five brothers and eight sisters. Around 1700, the brothers not only lived in the area, but also had imposing houses with oriel windows: Andreas lived in the «Blauer Himmel» (blue sky), Laurenz in the «Kugel» (sphere), Johannes in the «Regenbogen» (rainbow) and Hans Jacob in the «Handelshaus» (trading house). The Kunklers, from Tablat, were originally craftsmen and traditional members of the Schneiderzunft (the Tailor’s Guild), which was large and influential in St. Gallen. Their luxurious lifestyle however suggests that their wealth was probably thanks to the linen trade rather than craftsmanship. Nonetheless, they never became members of the «Notensteinern» who represented the tradesmen. The later owners of the house are not all known, both the Zollikofer family and the Reutlinger family owned it at one stage. Architecture: The Haus zum Sternen dates back to 1564. Individual parts are, how-ever, older: an attic from 1420 was used in the construction, probably that of the previous building, which is recorded in city records from 1468/70. The oriel window is however younger than the house: It was built in 1699, at a time when many new oriels were built in St. Gallen thanks to the booming linen trade. The panelling with the six-point star is younger still; it dates back to 1765. In 1805, a man named Baretta from Ticino opened the first coffee house in St. Gallen in the Haus zum Sternen with «several German, French and Italian newspapers». Later, the house held Johann Konrad Rehsteiner’s «Sternenapotheke» (Sternen apothecary), which has been at Spisertor since 1913. Present-day use: Since 1984, Spisergasse is part of the «Spisermarkt», a shopping arcade which comprises several properties between Spiser- and Löwengasse and integrates them structurally. The complex is owned by SUVA. In the last few years, the «House of Jeans» has been the main tenant.