Old City
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Why go
- Bern Minster’s 100-metre bell tower is the highest in Switzerland.
- Mechanical figures on the Zytglogge medieval clock tower perform three minutes before each hour.
- More than six kilometres of sandstone arcades line the streets.
- 16th-century fountains display allegorical statues in the city’s squares and streets.
- Einstein lived in an Old City apartment from 1903 to 1905 and developed some of his famous theories there.
Opening hours
Today00:00 – 23:59Show all
Don't miss
- UntertorbrückeThe Old City’s oldest surviving bridge; work on its stone replacement began after a flood destroyed the original bridge in 1460.At the Nydegg crossing of the Aare
- Last Judgment portalThe Gothic Last Judgment scene contains 47 replica statues and 170 original smaller figures.Bern Minster portal
- KindlifresserbrunnenBuilt in 1545–1546, this fountain depicts an ogre swallowing a child, with others in a sack at its feet.Kornhausplatz
- ZähringerstadtThe oldest, central neighbourhood once housed Bern’s main political, economic and religious institutions.Central Old City
- Parliament complexThree federal buildings line the peninsula’s southern edge; the domed central building was constructed in 1894–1902.Southern edge of the Aare peninsula
Interesting facts8
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10 tonnes
The minster’s largest bell weighs about 10 tonnes and rings daily.
Old City (Bern) - Wikipedia (part 2) -
1360
Three channels in the Matte riverside neighbourhood once powered city-owned mills built in 1360.
Old City (Bern) - Wikipedia (part 2) -
The Vennerbrunnen outside the old city hall depicts an armoured banner-bearer.
Old City (Bern) - Wikipedia (part 3) -
1527
The Zytglogge began as a western gate tower after Bern’s first expansion; its astronomical clock reached its present form in 1527–1530.
Old City (Bern) - Wikipedia (part 2) -
1528
After secularization in 1528, the Holy Ghost Church served as a granary before religious services resumed in 1604.
Old City (Bern) - Wikipedia (part 3) -
13 beds
The Anna Seiler fountain at the upper end of Marktgasse honours the founder of Bern’s first hospital, which began with 13 beds and two attendants.
Old City (Bern) - Wikipedia (part 3) -
1829
Poet Jeremias Gotthelf served as the Holy Ghost Church’s vicar in 1829 and 1830.
Old City (Bern) - Wikipedia (part 3) -
1513
Bears were kept at Bärenplatz from 1513 before being moved across the Aare in 1857.
Old City (Bern) - Wikipedia
Shorts
History
Bern’s central, oldest neighbourhood is Zähringerstadt, once home to the city’s main institutions. The Old City also includes Nydeggstalden and Mattequartier, Bern’s smallest medieval neighbourhood. A wooden bridge across the Aare helped trade grow and enabled settlement on the east bank. Walls, gates and earthworks protected the landward approach until their demolition in the nineteenth century. Bern’s medieval core has been a UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site since 1983.
- 1191Duke Berchtold V of Zähringen founded Bern on the Aare peninsula.
- 1218After the Zähringen line ended, Bern became a free city with imperial city privileges.
- 1255–1260Bern expanded westward to today’s Käfigturm.
- 1343The Outer New City extended Bern’s defences with a third defensive layer.
- 1405A fire destroyed much of the city; rebuilding in sandstone shaped its later streetscape.
Show all
- 15th c.Arcades were added as upper floors extended over the streets.
- 1421–1893Work on Bern Minster began in 1421; its bell tower was completed in 1893.
- 1864–1865A close vote in December 1864 approved removing the Christoffelturm and city wall; the tower was dismantled in spring 1865.
Tips for your visit
- Many Old City streets are pedestrian zones, while major routes also carry buses, trams and private vehicles.
- The covered walkways beneath the arcades, called Laubengänge, provide shelter from rain on both sides of the streets.
Sources: Old City (Bern) - Wikipedia · Old City (Bern) - Wikipedia (part 2) · Old City (Bern) - Wikipedia (part 3) · Berner Altstadt - Wikipedia · Vieille ville de Berne - Wikipedia · Città Vecchia (Berna) - Wikipedia · checked 24 Sep 2026
- Phone
- +41 31 328 12 12
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Questions and answers
Where is Bern’s Old City’s medieval character best preserved?
Below the Zytglogge clock tower.
Is Bern’s Old City still a centre of government?
Yes. Federal, cantonal and municipal government offices are located there.
What is Bern’s Mattequartier?
It is the Old City’s smallest medieval neighbourhood, in the riverside area.
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