terravelSwitzerland · Europe
Old City of Bern
What is Old City of Bern, and where is it?
The Old City of Bern is the medieval center of Switzerland's capital, built on a narrow peninsula bordered by the Aare River. Constructed between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries, it remains one of Europe's most intact medieval urban cores, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for its coherent planning and preserved character.
A Peninsula Shaped by the Aare River
Bern's Old City occupies a narrow hill surrounded on three sides by the Aare River, a geography that determined everything about its form. Duke Berchtold V of Zähringen chose this defensible location in 1191, and the river's embrace made the peninsula easy to protect. The long, narrow shape forced the city to develop as parallel rows of houses running east to west, with cross streets marking each stage of expansion as the city pushed westward over four centuries.
The river itself became infrastructure. A wooden bridge built in the thirteenth century increased trade and allowed settlement on the eastern bank. Later, three artificial channels diverted Aare water to power city-owned watermills built in 1360, and a busy landing place called the Schiffländte handled goods transported by boat. A hydroelectric plant replaced the mills in the early twentieth century, showing how the same geography adapted to new needs.
The Great Fire of 1405 and Stone Reconstruction
In 1405, fire destroyed most of Bern's wooden buildings in a single catastrophe. Rather than rebuild hastily, the city chose to reconstruct in stone, a decision that gave Bern its enduring character. Throughout the fifteenth century, as houses expanded upward into upper stories, arcades were added to the street level—a practical solution that became the city's defining architectural feature. These covered passages line the major streets today, their stone construction a direct legacy of medieval disaster.
The rebuilding established standards that persisted for centuries. Stone construction and arcades remained essential elements even as houses were modified in subsequent centuries. The eighteenth century brought significant new construction, yet the medieval street plan survived intact. By the nineteenth century, when Bern became Switzerland's federal capital and the city expanded beyond its old walls, the decision was made to preserve rather than demolish the medieval core, allowing modern Bern to grow around it.
Four Medieval Neighborhoods with Distinct Functions
The Old City historically divided into four neighborhoods, each with its own character. The Zähringerstadt, the oldest and most central, strictly separated functions: official buildings clustered around Kreuzgasse, ecclesiastical buildings around Münstergasse and Herrengasse, and merchants' shops around Kramgasse and Gerechtigkeitsgasse. The Innere Neustadt emerged during the first westward expansion in 1255, centered on the broad Marktgasse. These neighborhoods were not administrative divisions but social ones, where people of similar rank congregated.
The Nydeggstalden and Mattequartier in the northeast and southeast remained the smallest neighborhoods, dominated by workshops and commerce. Medieval sources record complaints about the constant noise of machinery and carts—the sound of a working city. The Äussere Neustadt, added last starting in 1343, initially contained only four streets lined with houses; the rest was devoted to agriculture and animal husbandry. This layered expansion created a city that grew methodically westward, each phase visible in the street plan.
The Zytglogge: Medieval Timekeeping and Transformation
The Zytglogge, or time bell tower, has stood since approximately 1218–1220, making it one of Switzerland's three oldest clocks. Originally a squat 16-meter gate tower for the first fortifications, it was heightened around 1270–1275 to overlook surrounding houses as the city expanded. After the third expansion, it became a women's prison, most notoriously housing women convicted of relations with clerics. The Great Fire of 1405 completely burned out the tower, and structural repairs continued until 1983.
The tower's transformation reflects Bern's changing needs. After the fire, a clock was installed above the gate, giving the tower its name. By 1527–1530, an astronomical clock was added, and mechanical figures—a rooster, fool, knight, piper, lion, and bears—were installed to perform at three minutes before each hour. The tower's exterior was repainted multiple times: in 1607–1610 with the large clock faces that now dominate the east and west façades, and again in 1890 in Rococo style. It remains one of Bern's most recognizable symbols.
The Münster: Gothic Cathedral and Reformation Aftermath
Construction of the Münster began in 1421 and was not completed until 1893 with the addition of its bell tower, which at 100 meters is the tallest church tower in Switzerland. The cathedral's main portal displays a rare complete collection of Gothic sculpture representing the Last Judgment, with 47 large free-standing statues (replicas) and 170 smaller original statues. The largest bell in the tower, cast in 1611 and weighing about 10 tons, is still rung daily and is the largest bell in Switzerland.
The cathedral's interior tells the story of the Protestant Reformation. In 1528, nearly all art and altars were removed during iconoclasm, with paintings and statues dumped on what became the Cathedral Terrace—now a rich archaeological site. The stained-glass windows from 1441–1450 survived and are considered Switzerland's most valuable, including an entire "Dance of Death" window showing death claiming people from all professions and social classes. The choir houses Switzerland's first Renaissance choir stalls, carved with lifelike animals and scenes of daily life.
Where is Old City of Bern?
Old City of Bern is in Switzerland, Europe, at 46.95°N, 7.45°E. The closest places in the Terravel atlas are Mole Antonelliana (210 km), Ironbridge Gorge (950 km) and Matka Canyon (1,230 km).
Photos of Old City of Bern
Photo: Franz Schmid · Public domain
Photo: Matthäus Merian / Joseph Plepp · Public domain
Photo: Baikonur · CC BY-SA 3.0
Old City of Bern at a glance
Questions about Old City of Bern
Why did Bern's street plan survive so many centuries unchanged?
The narrow peninsula geography forced the city to develop as parallel rows of houses running east to west. Each westward expansion added a new cross street, but the fundamental layout remained fixed. The 1405 fire, though devastating, led to stone reconstruction that reinforced rather than altered the medieval plan. Nineteenth-century growth occurred outside the old walls, allowing the medieval core to be preserved intact.
What happened to Bern's famous bears?
Bears were first kept on Bärenplatz in 1513 according to historical records. They were moved to the Schanzengraben near the former Christoffelturm in 1764. When Bern expanded as the federal capital in the nineteenth century, the bears and their enclosure were relocated across the Aare River on May 27, 1857, as the city needed the space for modern development.
How did Bern become Switzerland's federal capital?
Following the Sonderbundskrieg in 1847, Switzerland established a federal constitution and chose Bern as the capital. The vote in Bern itself was close (419 to 313) due to concerns about costs. Three parliament buildings were constructed between 1852 and 1902 in New-Renaissance and domed styles, representing the majority of federal construction in the Old City.
What makes the Zytglogge's mechanical show distinctive?
At three minutes before each hour, mechanical figures including a rooster, fool, knight, piper, lion, and bears perform an animated show. The animals chase each other, the fool rings bells, and the rooster caws. Small crowds regularly gather at the tower's base to watch the performance, which has entertained visitors since the figures were installed in the late fifteenth century.
Why are the arcades such an important feature of Bern's streets?
The arcades were added throughout the fifteenth century as houses expanded upward into upper stories. They originated as a practical solution during reconstruction after the 1405 fire, when the city rebuilt in stone. The covered passages became the defining architectural feature of Bern's streets and remain a distinctive element of the medieval city today.
Sources and further reading
This article was written from the reference material below, retrieved and reviewed for source alignment on September 13, 2026. Use official local sources for changing access or travel information.
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Test yourself
Which European city's medieval street plan survived a devastating 1405 fire and remains virtually unchanged after nine centuries?
The Old City of Bern, Switzerland is uniquely defined by its medieval street layout persisting essentially unchanged since the twelfth century, despite the catastrophic 1405 fire that required major reconstruction in sandstone.
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