Bern, Switzerland

For wonder | wander | women's adventures in Switzerland last year, we were invited to stay with friends who live in one of the most fascinating medieval towns in the world. Bern is a UNESCO World Heritage site, founded in 1191 on a peninsula formed by the meandering Aare River.

View of Bern from the Rose Garden

The Old City of Bern is the primary UNESCO site declared in 1983, a medieval city with steep terraces stepping down to the river. It was built on a high hill sitting among surrounding slopes and is one of the most picturesque European cities, with modern facilities being built into mostly medieval and Renaissance structures.

The river is fed by glacial melt and spring water from the Swiss Alps, and the glacial mica gives it a glowing turquoise colour. It's popular for swimming in summer, and there is a riverside park where people walk year-round. 

The Mattenschwelle weir in Bern

The Mattenschwelle weir was built in the early days of the city to slow the flow of the sharply-bending river and power several of the mills that made the city rich. These days a hydroelectric plant runs in their place, with a new structure just finished in 2024-2025.

The Fountain of Justice on the Gerechtigkeitsgasse ("Justice Alley")

The Old City is home to many fountains, churches, and shopping arcades. The street arcades are famous, and the most striking marker of the Old City. Instead of sidewalks, arched corridors line the cobblestone streets. These sheltered walkways used to house thriving markets, and now are home to shops, cafes, and traditional theatres in former medieval cellars.

One of the grotesque novelties of the Old City is the Kindlifresserbrunnen fountain, by Hans Gieng, the same sculptor who created the beautiful fountain of Lady Justice on Justice Alley. This fountain depicts an ogre eating a bag of children like snacks. It's speculated that the ogre is symbolic: that it represents historical figures who committed crimes against the city or that it is a visualization of time eating the months and hours the way the god Chronos ate his children.

The Kindlifresserbrunnen

Dominating the center of town, the Bern Münster is the tallest cathedral in Switzerland. Built of local sandstone, it began construction in 1421 and is famous for its Gothic tower which was completed in 1893. It has survived the Reformation, various schisms, and centuries of attempted modernization.

The interior of the church is austere like most Protestant churches, but the elaborately carved and gilded entrance shows its Catholic origins. Unlike a Catholic church, though, same-sex couples are permitted to celebrate their civil unions and hold prayer services, and women can be ordained.

One of the most popular sites is the astronomical clocktower, the Zytglogge or "time bell". This is one of the oldest structures in the city, and has served as a guard tower, a prison, a civic memorial, and now a tourist attraction.

Eastern side of the Zytglogge with astronomical clock

The East-facing side of the clock tower has an astronomical clock built by Kaspar Brunner in 1527-1530. There was a simpler version that had been installed when the tower was built, but the Swiss mechanic built a masterpiece whose design could rival any modern hyper-engineered wristwatch, able to tell hours, calendar dates, what day of the week it was, and even tracking lunar and zodiac cycles.

Western side of the Zytglogge

The western side is simple in comparison but with a beautiful fresco that makes it equally photogenic. The fresco, called "Beginning of Time" and painted by Victor Surbek, depicts Chronos sweeping down with a red cape over Adam and Eve being evicted from Eden.

The Federal Palace is home to the parliament, the Federal Assembly and the Federal Council. Switzerland doesn't have a main capital; instead it has several de facto capitals that house government seats and assemblies. Bern is one; others include Geneva, Zurich and Basel.

Over many centuries this town has transformed from a tiny village in the Dark Ages, through decades of struggle, building and rebuilding, and the slow gaining of knowledge and experience, to become this peaceful gem of a city nestled in the turquoise ring of a river. We can only admire and be grateful that such a place exists, and that we were invited to visit and enjoy it in the company of friends.