Zähringen Monument (Zähringer-Denkmal)

History of the work

In the small courtyard by the Nydegg church, the Nydegghöfli, stands a bronze statue of Duke Berchtold V of Zähringen, the founder of the city of Bern. It was designed and modelled by the Bernese Karl Emanuel von Tscharner. Two inscriptions are cast into the back: on the left Tscharner's signature with the year 1846, on the right the mark of the founder F. Miller, Munich, 1847.

The monument was cast at the Royal Foundry in Munich. It was unveiled on 8 May 1847 on the Münsterplattform. Tscharner also made four bronze plaques for the pedestal, which had been designed by Jakob Friedrich Studer. At the end of 1961 the monument was removed from the terrace; in 1968 it was given a new pedestal in the Nydegghöfli. The four plaques were set into the retaining wall of the Nydeggasse. According to the Historical Dictionary of Switzerland, the statue was already completed in 1842; the inscriptions on the casting give 1846 and 1847, the city's register 1840–1847.

Karl Emanuel von Tscharner, born in Bern in 1791, learned sculpture and painting from Valentin Sonnenschein. After two years in Italy, where he worked in the studio of Vincenzo Camuccini, he served as an officer, from 1816 as a lieutenant in the Swiss Guard in Paris. Later he lived on the Lohn estate. In 1871 he made a Pietà of white marble for Bern Minster; he also painted in oils, for example “The Return of Bubenberg to Bern” (1844). He died in Bern in 1873.

The man portrayed died on 18 February 1218 as the last of his line. He founded Bern, enlarged Thun and built Burgdorf Castle. The monument should not be confused with the Zähringer fountain of 1535, which has also been associated with Berchtold V since the 19th century. If you walk around the statue, you will find the two inscriptions of sculptor and founder on the back.

Researched and summarised by Bärn Kit. Sources: Kultur Stadt Bern, Kunst im öffentlichen Raum (offene Daten) · Wikipedia (de): Zähringerdenkmal · HLS: Karl Emanuel von Tscharner (Tapan Bhattacharya) · SRF: Vor 800 Jahren starb Berchtold V. von Zähringen (2018) · Wikimedia Commons: Bern-BerchtoldVZahring.JPG