Ka-We-De

About the building

The name is an abbreviation: Kunsteisbahn und Wellenbad Dählhölzli, the artificial ice rink and wave pool of Dählhölzli. The complex on Jubiläumsstrasse lies right next to the Dählhölzli zoo. From the street you mainly see the two-storey main building on the north side. It stands on a high basement that evens out the slope of the ground, with roughly rendered façades and a flat roof. Sill and lintel cornices tie the windows together into horizontal bands that run round the north-east corner, and the red-painted window sashes provide the main touch of colour. On the west side a stair tower with a vertical strip of windows rises above the roof.

The complex was built in 1932 and 1933 by the Bernese architects Rudolf von Sinner and Hans Beyeler for a founding committee. The Bauinventar calls it the first modern combined sports facility and one of the most convincing examples of Neues Bauen in Bern. In summer the pool is used as a wave pool; in winter it becomes a cooled ice surface. On the south side there is a restaurant with a terrace, and on the east side there was originally a glazed grandstand.

From 1933 to 1967 SC Bern played here, winning the Swiss championship in 1959 and 1965. The attendance record came on 21 February 1959, when 10,500 people watched a game against HC Davos. By the 1980s the complex was in poor condition. During the renovation from 1986 a new changing-room wing was built where the grandstand had been, and a 60-metre water slide was added; the Ka-We-De reopened in 1989. It is a cultural property of national importance.

From September 2024 the complex was again thoroughly renovated. The non-swimmers' pool and the ice rink were rebuilt, the wave pool was renewed and the ice and pool-water technology replaced. The historic buildings received new windows and additional insulation, and heating now comes from the waste heat of ice production and a heat pump. In October 2026 the first ice season after the works began.

One detail is worth a look: the red window sashes, which show how sparingly and yet clearly the architects used colour.

Researched and summarised by Bärn Kit. Sources: Bauinventar der Stadt Bern: Jubiläumsstrasse 101, 101A, 101C, 101D · Wikipedia (de): Ka-We-De · Plattform J: Eis- und Wassersportanlage in Bern (15. Oktober 2026) · Wikidata: Q8984935