Sights in Bern
Zytglogge, Minster, Federal Palace, Bear Pit, Rose Garden, fountains and bridges: the best-known places in Bern, each with its own page with history, sources, photo and map.
Old town and landmarks
Zytglogge
The Zytglogge in Bern's old town was a city gate and a prison, and since the 15th century it has been a clock tower …
Bern Minster
Bern Minster on Münsterplatz is a late Gothic church begun in 1421; its tower, about 100 metres tall, was completed …
Federal Palace (Bundeshaus)
The Federal Palace in Bern is the seat of Switzerland's government and parliament; the domed parliament building was …
Käfigturm
The Käfigturm at the top of Marktgasse is a baroque city gate built from 1641 to 1644, long used as a prison and today …
Erlacherhof
The Erlacherhof at Junkerngasse 47 is a late baroque town palace built from 1745 to 1752 and today the seat of the …
Former Kornhaus (Granary)
The Kornhaus at Kornhausplatz 18 was built from 1711 as the Republic of Bern's store for grain and wine and is now a …
Rathaus zum Äusseren Stand
The Rathaus zum Äusseren Stand at Zeughausgasse 17 was built around 1730; in its Empire hall the Diet adopted the …
Blutturm
The Blutturm on Langmauerweg is a half-round defence tower of 1468–1470 on the Aare and a rare remnant of Bern's old …
Untertor Tower (Felsenburg)
The Untertor tower on Klösterlistutz, now the Felsenburg, guarded the Untertorbrücke as a city gate from about 1260 and …
Stadttheater Bern
The Stadttheater Bern on Kornhausplatz is a Neo-Baroque theatre designed by René von Wurstemberger and opened on 25 …
Casino Bern
Casino Bern on Casinoplatz 1 is a concert and assembly hall, built in 1906–1908 by Paul Lindt and Max Hofmann and …
Hotel Bellevue Palace
The Hotel Bellevue Palace on Kochergasse, just east of the Federal Palace, reopened in a new building in 1913 and is …
Fountains and monuments
The figure fountains of the Old Town
Between Spitalgasse and Gerechtigkeitsgasse, almost every corner has a fountain with a colourful figure on its column. …
Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen: Justitia with her eyes covered
Blindfolded, with sword and scales, Justitia stands above Gerechtigkeitsgasse. At her feet are a pope, an emperor, a …
Kindlifresser Fountain
A giant devouring children, right in the middle of Bern's Old Town. He has stood on Kornhausplatz for almost 500 years, …
Zähringerbrunnen: the bear in armour
A bear with a helmet, swords and a flag stands in the middle of Kramgasse, with the Zytglogge behind it. It recalls the …
Moses Fountain on Münsterplatz
In front of the Minster stands Moses with the Ten Commandments. His finger points at the ban on making images, while he …
Anna-Seiler-Brunnen in front of the Käfigturm
A woman in a blue dress pours water from a small jug into a bowl. The fountain in front of the Käfigturm bears the name …
Ryfflibrunnen: the marksman with the little bear
A warrior with a feathered hat on a red column, next to him a little bear with a gun. The Ryfflibrunnen on …
Schützenbrunnen: the banner bearer and the bear with the gun
A man in armour with a banner and a sword, between his legs a bear aiming a gun at the arcades. The Schützenbrunnen has …
Läuferbrunnen: the city messenger with the little bear
A man in red and black with the Bernese coat of arms on his chest, a young bear at his side. The Läuferbrunnen at the …
Simsonbrunnen: the man who tears a lion apart
In the middle of Kramgasse, a man in Roman armour tears open the jaws of a golden lion. It is the biblical hero Samson, …
Vennerbrunnen on Rathausplatz: the banner bearer
A knight in armour holds a banner with the Bernese bear. He stands in front of the town hall, but he was not always …
Pfeiferbrunnen: the bagpiper of Spitalgasse
A brightly dressed bagpiper stands on a red column in the middle of Spitalgasse. The fountain once had another name, …
Meret Oppenheim Fountain on Waisenhausplatz
A tall column with water running down it in a spiral and moss and grass growing on it. When the fountain arrived in …
Bernabrunnen: Berna in front of the Federal Palace
A woman with a mural crown, a lance and a bear shield watches over the courtyard of the Bundeshaus West. Berna stands …
The main portal of Bern Minster: the Last Judgement
Above the main entrance of the Minster, angels, saints and the damned crowd together. For more than 500 years the …
Universal Postal Union Monument on the Kleine Schanze
Five women float around a globe and pass letters to each other. The monument recalls that the Universal Postal Union …
Bubenberg-Denkmal: the defender of Murten
A man in armour, no helmet, a hand on his sword: the monument on Hirschengraben recalls Adrian von Bubenberg, who …
Churches
Church of the Holy Ghost (Heiliggeistkirche)
The Reformed Church of the Holy Ghost at Spitalgasse 44 on Bern's station square was built from 1726 to 1729 by master …
French Church (Französische Kirche)
The French Church on Zeughausgasse is the former Dominican church of the late 13th century and the oldest surviving …
Nydegg Church (Nydeggkirche)
The Reformed Nydegg Church on the eastern edge of Bern's old town has stood since 1341–1346 on the site of the former …
Former Antonier Church on Postgasse
The former Antonier Church at Postgasse 62 in Bern is a Gothic church of the Order of St Anthony that was long put to …
Bridges and views
Nydeggbrücke (Nydegg Bridge)
Since 1844 the Nydegg Bridge has linked Bern's lower old town with the Bärengraben; its stone arch over the Aare spans …
Untertorbrücke
The Untertorbrücke at the eastern end of Bern's Old City is the oldest bridge across the Aare in Bern; the stone arch …
Kirchenfeld Bridge
Since 1883 the Kirchenfeld Bridge has linked Casinoplatz with the Kirchenfeld; the iron arch bridge opened up the new …
Kornhaus Bridge
Since 1898 the Kornhaus Bridge has led from Kornhausplatz across the Aare valley to the northern districts, with a …
Lorraine Viaduct
Since 1941 the Lorraine Viaduct has carried trains for 1092 metres from Bern station across the Aare to Wylerfeld, with …
Altenbergsteg
The Altenbergsteg of 1857 is an iron chain footbridge that crosses the Aare just above the water, linking Bern's old …
Parks and bears
Rosengarten Bern
The Rosengarten on Alter Aargauerstalden in Bern was a cemetery for over a hundred years and has been a public park …
Bear Pit (Bärengraben)
The Bear Pit on Grosser Muristalden in Bern was built in 1856/57 and since 2009 has been part of the Bear Park on the …
BärenPark Bern: the bears go into winter rest
In autumn the bears in the BärenPark on the Aare eat up reserves. In October and November they then retreat to their …
Elfenau Manor House
Elfenau manor house at Elfenauweg 91 in Bern is a country seat of about 1735/40, remodelled in Empire style from 1814 …
Museums
Zentrum Paul Klee
The Zentrum Paul Klee on the eastern edge of Bern is a museum by Renzo Piano formed by three undulating hills, opened …
Kunstmuseum Bern
The Kunstmuseum Bern at Hodlerstrasse 8–12 moved into Eugen Stettler's new building in 1879 and is one of the oldest …
Bern Historical Museum
The Bern Historical Museum on Helvetiaplatz is a historicist castle-like building of the 1890s, originally intended for …
More about Bern
All buildings A–ZAll 493 artworks from A to ZA summer day in Bern with Bärn KitA winter day in Bern with Bärn KitWhat is free in BernFree drinking water in Bern: all fountains on one mapPhotos: Mike Lehmann, Mike Switzerland, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wladyslaw Sojka, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Flooffy, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 · Wladyslaw, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Baikonur, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Raphael Frey, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gidoca, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Krol:k, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Krol:k, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · KTB Mitarbeiter, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo: Andreas Praefcke, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 · Sandstein, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain · Axel Tschentscher, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · JoachimKohler-HB, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · JoachimKohler-HB, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Krol:k, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Andrew Bossi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Tilman2007, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · AnBuKu, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · JoachimKohler-HB, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · AnBuKu, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Nikolai Karaneschev, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 · Николай Максимович, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 · Comstar70, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 · AnBuKu, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · JoachimKohler-HB, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mike Lehmann, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Baikonur, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · DrHäxer, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Comstar70, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 · Krol:k, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wladyslaw Sojka at German Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ginkgo2g, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Baikonur, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Baikonur, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Adrian Michael, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Krol:k, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Yann (talk), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sandstein, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 · Schofför, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Sandro Senn, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Christine Zenino, Wikimedia Commons (zugeschnitten), CC BY 2.0 · Chrisaliv, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 · Jean-Pierre Dalbéra from Paris, France, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 · Photo: Andreas Praefcke, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 · Krol:k, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Texts: Bärn Kit, researched with sources (on each page). Found a mistake? Write to hallo@uebrig.ch.