Old Town (Bern)

The earliest settlements in the Are Valley are from the Neolithic . After the conquest of Helvetius by Rome, a small Roman settlement arose in the area of ​​the present Old City. This settlement was abandoned by residents during the II century AD, after which until the founding of Bern at the beginning of the XII century the area was uninhabited.

The history of the city of Bern begins with its founding by Duke Bertold V Zeringen in 1191 . Local legend says that the duke vowed to name the city in honor of the first animal that he would meet on the hunt, and it happened that a bear turned out to be such an animal ^[2] . The name of the city ( German Bär (e) n - bears) and its heraldic animal come from this legend. At that time, most of today's Switzerland (which was then part of southern Burgundy ) was ruled by the ducal house of Zähringen, whose possessions extended south of the Rhine . To strengthen their influence, the Dukes of Tseringen founded and expanded a number of cities and settlements, including Friborg (in 1157), Bern, Burgdorf and Murten ^[3] .

The place chosen by Bertold V for the foundation of the city is located on a hilly peninsula surrounded on three sides by the River Are, which facilitated the defense of the city and subsequently influenced its development. Due to the long, narrow shape of the peninsula, the city developed in length and was built up in parallel rows of buildings. The only streets crossing them (running from north to south) went at the level of the city's borders along the city walls, which were transferred as the city grew. Therefore, the formation of new perpendicular streets marks the stages of development of the Old City in Bern.

In the eastern part of the peninsula, a small fort called the Nydegg Castle was founded in the second half of the 12th century by the Duke Bertold IV. Most likely, the construction of the city began precisely with the construction of this fort. The first expansion of Bern occurred in 1191. The city was divided into quarters by three longitudinal streets that stretched from the castle to the city wall ^[4] . During the first half of the 13th century, 2 more streets formed: Brunngasse and Herrengasse. Brunngasse had a semicircular configuration and ran along the northern edge of the city, while Herrengas bound the city from the south. A wooden bridge was built across the Are River, which contributed to the development of trade relations.

The entire territory of the Old City in Bern is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site . At the same time, there are a number of buildings and fountains in the city that deserve special mention. All of these buildings are listed on the Swiss Cultural Heritage Register of national and regional significance.

Bernese Cathedral ( German: Berner Münster ) is a Gothic Protestant cathedral located on the south side of the peninsula. The construction of the temple began in 1421 and ended in 1893 with the construction of a bell tower. The bell tower of the Bernese Cathedral is the highest in Switzerland and has a height of 100 meters. The main bell of the cathedral weighs about 10 tons and has a diameter of 247 centimeters ^[5] .

At the main entrance to the cathedral are statues representing paintings of the Last Judgment . Numerous Gothic sculptures are installed above the main entrance (47 large statues, the originals of which are stored in the Bern Museum of History, and 170 smaller statues are original works of the 15th – 16th centuries).

The spacious interior of the temple is quite empty. Almost all artistic images, including the design of the altar in the cathedral, were removed in 1528 during the Protestant Reformation and the struggle against the church’s excessive luxury. The only fully preserved works of art in the cathedral are stained glass windows and choirs . The stained-glass windows of the cathedral date back to 1441-1450 and are considered the most valuable in Switzerland from an artistic point of view ^[6] . Stained-glass windows include many heraldic symbols and religious images, including one of the stained-glass windows “Dance of Death” depicts death in the form of a skeleton, requiring sacrifices among people of all professions and classes. This picture was intended to serve as a reminder that death will come to everyone, regardless of status and wealth.

The choirs on the eastern side of the cathedral, the first Renaissance-style choirs in Switzerland ^[5] , are decorated with wooden carvings depicting animals on nature and scenes from everyday life.

Zytglogge (Zytglogge) - a medieval clock tower arose approximately in the years 1218-1220 and is one of the most famous symbols of Bern ^[7] . The name Zyglogge in the Bernese dialect of German corresponds to Zeitglocke in German and translates as “bell of time”. This is one of the earliest tower clock devices, consisting of a clock connected with a hammer, which rang a small bell every full hour. The clock on the Citglogge tower is one of the three oldest watches in Switzerland. ^[eight]

After the first expansion of Bern, Zytglogge was a tower over the gates of the western wall of the city. At that time, it was a squat fortress tower about 16 meters high. Subsequently, the tower ceased to be part of the city fortifications transferred to the new frontiers of the city, and its height was reduced. Around 1270–1275, the tower was added another 7 meters. After the third expansion of the city, the tower was transformed into a women's prison and was used to contain women of easy virtue, accused of intimate relations with clergymen ^[9] .

During the great fire that occurred in Bern in 1405, the tower was burned and completely restored only in 1983. The prison cells were no longer used after the fire, and a clock with a bell every hour was set on the tower above the gate. This watch gave the tower the name Zytglogge. At the end of the 15th century, the tower was decorated with four decorative corners and heraldic symbols. In addition to watches, a special Zytglogge mechanism represents a group of mechanical figures. Three minutes before the start of the next hour, figures are replaced on the tower, which include a rooster, a fool, a knight, a chimney sweep, a lion and bears ^[10] . Animals chase each other, a fool rings a bell, and a rooster crowes. This sight usually attracts many tourists. In 1770-71, the clock tower was restored in the late Baroque style by Nicholas Hebler and Ludwig Emanuel Zender. Both facades were finished in the Rococo style by Rudolf von Steiger in 1890.

In 1981-83, the tower was completely restored and restored in the form in which it existed in 1770.

The bridge at the lower gate ( German: Untertorbrücke ) is the oldest bridge in Bern, operating to date. Originally built in 1256, the bridge was made of wood and crossed the Are River in the vicinity of Niedegg Castle. The bridge was destroyed during a flood in 1460. Over the next year, construction began on a new stone bridge. The small chapel of the Virgin Mary ( German: Mariakapelle ), located near the bridge on the city side, was consecrated in 1467, but the construction of the bridge was completed only by 1490. The new bridge was 52 meters long and consisted of three arches 13.5 meters, 15.6 meters and 13.9 meters. The bridge was reconstructed several times, including the dismantling of stone fences, which in 1818-19 were replaced by iron rails. Prior to the construction of the new Nydeggbrücke bridge in 1840, Untertorbrücke was the only bridge across the Are within the city of Bern.

The Niedegg Church ( German: Nydeggkirche ) stands on the spot where the Niedegg Castle was originally located, founded around 1190 as part of Bern's city fortifications.

In 1268, the castle was destroyed by the citizens of Bern. The church with a small spire was built on the ruins of the castle from 1341 to 1346. Between 1480 and 1483, a bell tower was attached to the church. During the Reformation, from 1529, the Niedegg Church was used as a warehouse for timber and grain. Later, starting in 1566, the church was again used for worship .

Fountains

The sights of Old Bern are also numerous fountains, the total number of which exceeds 100 pieces. Most of the fountains were created in the 16th century during the Renaissance , when Bern became the capital of the canton . Fountains were originally built as public water facilities. As the power of Bern strengthened, the fountains were decorated and improved, but they did not lose their original purpose.

• Läuferbrunnen - Runner's fountain near the Niedegg Church. The fountain was rebuilt several times, its configuration changed (the last reconstruction of the fountain dates from 1824), while the figure of a runner, created in 1545, invariably adorns the fountain ^[11] .

• Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen - The Fountain of Justice was built in 1543 by Hans Ging and is decorated with a statue depicting the goddess of Justice with blindfolds and ears, holding the sword of truth in one hand and the scales in the other. At her feet are four figures depicting the pope , the sultan , emperor and mayor . This sculpture depicts the supremacy of justice over all rulers and political regimes ( theocracy , monarchy , autocracy and republic ). Copies of this statue are available in various cities of Switzerland. At present, there are 11 “fountains of Justice” in the country: exact copies of the Bernese goddess of Justice have been established in Solothurn (1561), Lausanne (1585), Budri, Kudrefen and Neuchatel ; projects executed under the influence of Bernese sculpture are available in Aarau (1643), Biel , Burgdorf , Brugge, Zurich and Lucerne .

• Vennerbrunnen - The standard bearer fountain is located in front of the old town hall building. The role of standard-bearer in medieval Switzerland belonged to the person responsible for maintaining order in a separate part of the city and called upon to form an army from the inhabitants of this part of the city and lead him into battle. The statue, dated 1542, depicts a standard bearer in battle armor with a banner.

• Mosesbrunnen - The Moses Fountain is located on Cathedral Square (restored in 1790-91). The fountain adorns the statue of Moses with the Ten Commandments, which he carries to people.

• Simsonbrunnen - The Samson Fountain presents the biblical story of Samson killing a lion. The fountain was built in 1544 by Hans Ging after a similar fountain was created in Solothurn.

• Zähringerbrunnen - The Tseringen Fountain was built in 1535 as a monument in honor of the founding of Bern by Duke Berthold V Zeringen. The fountain is decorated with a statue of a bear in full military outfit (in medieval armor ) with a teddy bear located at his feet.

• Berne
• Bern fountains