Soldiers' Memorial

History of the work

On the avenue between the Innere and Äussere Enge, on a viewing terrace above Tiefenaustrasse, stands a memorial to the soldiers of active service in the two world wars. Max Fueter made it on commission from Bern's municipal council. According to a description in the city parliament in 2019, it is a rectangular, slightly tapering block of Ticino granite just over two metres high with a broad cornice. On the north side is an inscription about guarding the border in the war years; the dates sit within a raised outline of Switzerland.

The memorial was unveiled on 1 September 1964, the anniversary of the 1939 mobilisation. The ceremony included soldiers in steel helmets, flags and the laying of a wreath, followed by a second ceremony on the Bundesplatz. The federal inventory of army and war memorials now lists it as canton of Bern no. 13.

Later the stone was heavily covered in graffiti for a long time. In 2019 two SVP members of the city parliament tabled a motion demanding that it be cleaned. In its reply of January 2020 the municipal council stated that the memorial stands on a plot belonging to the Burgergemeinde but, according to new enquiries, probably belongs to the city; it had meanwhile been cleaned for 3800 francs. In November 2023 the city parliament adopted the motion by 30 votes to 28. The debate also touched on what place such memorials should have in public space today.

Fueter, born in 1898 and died in Bern in 1983, was known above all for figures and fountains. Here he chose a stele without a figure. On site, look at the north side, where the outline of Switzerland with the dates can be seen in relief.

Researched and summarised by Bärn Kit. Sources: Stadt Bern: Kunstwerke im öffentlichen Raum (opendata.swiss) · Stadt Bern, Stadtrat: Motion 2019.SR.000243 mit Antwort des Gemeinderats · Keystone-SDA/plattformj: Das Aktivdienst-Denkmal kann geputzt werden (2023) · VBS: Inventar der Armee- und Kriegsdenkmäler, Kanton Bern (2025) · SIKART: Max Fueter · HLS: Max Fueter · Wikipedia (de): Max Fueter · Wikimedia Commons: Foto