#14 of 124 · things to do in Bern
Käfigturm (Prison Tower)
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#8Landmarks in BernTravelers' Choice
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Käfigturm (Prison Tower) is a Baroque city gate beside Bärenplatz in Bern’s old town. It hosts political exhibitions and events.
Why go
- Part of Bern’s Old City UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- A bell captured near Vesoul during the Thirty Years War was added to the tower in 1643.
- Political exhibitions explore the development of Swiss democracy.
Opening hours
Today10:00 – 18:00Show all
Monday14:00 – 18:00
Tuesday10:00 – 18:00
Wednesday10:00 – 18:00
Thursday10:00 – 18:00
Friday10:00 – 18:00
Saturday10:00 – 16:00
SundayClosed
Don't miss
- Stone medallionTwo Bern coats of arms flank an imperial eagle.Above the tower passage.
- Hour-only clocksThe clock faces have no minute hands.On both sides of the tower.
- Five roof turretsFive early Baroque turrets crown the sandstone tower.On the roof.
Know before you go
- Open Monday 14:00–18:00, Tuesday–Friday 10:00–18:00, and Saturday 10:00–16:00.
Tips for your visit
- Use the second arch on the west side, reserved for pedestrians, to reach the information-centre entrance. West-to-east buses and trams use the main tower arch.
Interesting facts3
Shorts
History
The first tower was a hollow square, largely open toward the city at the rear. Its replacement incorporated a house to the south into the prison.
- 1256Bern built the first tower here as a western defensive tower during the city’s second expansion.
- 1345Bern’s third expansion moved the city boundary west to today’s Heiliggeistkirche.
- 1405After a fire at the Zytglogge, prisoners moved to this tower.
- 1640The dilapidated tower was demolished; its replacement would stand four metres farther west.
- 1641–1644Joseph Plepp designed the replacement. Antoni Graber took charge in 1642; the exterior was finished in January 1643, and most interior work by spring 1644.
Show all
- 1886The canton rejected a petition to demolish the tower to ease traffic; a second pedestrian passage opened through the house to its north.
- 1897The prison closed, and about seventy prisoners were transferred elsewhere.
- 1903–1977The tower housed cantonal archives for district and high court records.
How to get there
- On footFollow Spitalgasse west from the tower toward the railway station (Bahnhof).
- TramWest-to-east trams pass through the tower’s arch.
Sources: Käfigturm - Wikipedia · Käfigturm - Wikipedia · Torre Käfigturm - Wikipedia · checked 29 Sep 2026
Where
Marktgasse 67, Bern, 3003
- Phone
- +41 31 310 20 60
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Questions and answers
Where does the name Käfigturm come from?
It derives from kebie, a shortened word for jail.
What was Käfigturm’s original gate called?
Gloggnerstor, named after a local civic family.
Why was the present Käfigturm built?
It replaced a deteriorated predecessor and was designed to bring Bern’s separate prisons into one building.
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