Münsterplattform: the park high above the Aare

The Münsterplattform lies on the south side of Bern Minster. A massive wall carries it, about 30 metres above the Badgasse in the Matte district. On top there are shady chestnut trees, benches and lawns. From the parapet you look down on the Aare and the roofs of the Matte.

From rubble to park

The wall was built from 1334. According to the City of Bern, its basic form stood by 1450, and it was extended to its present shape by 1531. The area was first a rubble heap, then a cemetery, and today it is a park. The city counts the platform among the monuments of national importance.

The find of 1986

During the Reformation in 1528, Bern had the pictures and statues removed from its churches. Some of them ended up as fill in the ground of the platform. In 1986 archaeologists digging there found figures of saints again. Because the earth had protected them, some of their colours were still well preserved.

Down to the Matte by the Mattelift

In the two corners towards the Aare stand two pavilions. On the east side runs the Mattelift, also called the “Senkeltram” in Bern. It has connected the platform with the Badgasse since 1897. A trip costs CHF 1.50. According to the operator, the lift runs Monday to Saturday from 6 am to 8.30 pm, on Sundays and public holidays from 7 am to 8.30 pm. If you would rather walk, take the Mattentreppe stairs.

Art on the lawn

In the lawn of the platform lies a steel work by Carlo E. Lischetti called “Münster-Plattform”, from 1983. Right in front of the Minster, on the Münsterplatz, stands the Mosesbrunnen. In Advent the Christmas market takes place there, more in Christmas markets in Bern 2026.

Good to know

You reach the platform via the Münsterplatz. From the Zytglogge it is a few minutes on foot. The Matte below is the old quarter by the Aare; from there you can walk on to the Untertorbrücke and the Bärengraben.

Sources: City of Bern, report of the city government to the city parliament “Münsterplattform: Instandsetzungsarbeiten der Stützmauer” (2021); Berner Münster-Stiftung, teaching text “Bern im Mittelalter”; Bern Welcome, page on the Münsterplattform; mattelift.ch; Wikipedia, article Münsterplattform. Read on 10 November 2026.