A picture depicting the tower, and its statue of Saint Christopher, about 5 years before removal
The Christoffelturm was a tower built between the years 1344 and 1346, which featured a prominently displayed statue of Saint Christopher. It was located in the old part of the Swiss city of Bern, in the upper section of Spitalgasse, near Holy Spirit Church.
After a political decision on December 15, 1864, the Christoffelturm was removed by Gottlieb Ott, a Swiss building contractor. Ott began the destruction of the tower in spring of the following year.[1]
The decision to remove the tower, which had become a landmark of sorts, was not met without opposition,[2] and the motion of removal succeeded only by a 415 to 411 vote.
During an extended period of time, other statues existed near or actually on the site where the tower used to stand. These included a statue of King David, both as a boy holding a slingshot, and as a man. An early 20th century plan to erect a figure of the Bernese knightRudolf von Erlach was never realised.
Other towers in Bern
Bern's other medieval guard towers are the Zytglogge and the Käfigturm. These towers still stand today.
Zytglogge
In the Zytglogge (Clock Tower), a figure of the Greek god Kronos or Chronos strikes the bell atop the tower each hour.[3]
The tower was originally of wood, when it was built sometime between 1218 and 1220.[3] It survived until sometime in the very early 15th century, when it was burned down in the fire that struck the city in 1405.[4]
However, it was rebuilt with a new stone design, and has stood ever since. It was when it was rebuilt that it was fitted with a clock. The clock too, however, soon broke, and was left unserviced and broken for 122 years before 1530, when Caspar Brunner installed a new well-functioning mechanism.[3]
Käfigturm
The Käfigturm (Cage Tower), built 1256, ceased to be a prison in 1897.[5]
Bern or Berne is the de facto capital of Switzerland, referred to by the Swiss as their "federal city". With a population of about 144,000, Bern is the fifth-most populous city in Switzerland. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 36 municipalities, had a population of 406,900 in 2014. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000.
Clock towers are a specific type of structure which house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another building. Some other buildings also have clock faces on their exterior but these structures serve other main functions.
The Zytglogge is a landmark medieval tower in Bern, Switzerland. Built in the early 13th century, it has served the city as guard tower, prison, clock tower, centre of urban life and civic memorial.
Bern Minster is a Swiss Reformed cathedral, in the old city of Bern, Switzerland. Built in the Gothic style, its construction started in 1421. Its tower, with a height of 100.6 m (330 ft), was only completed in 1893. It is the tallest cathedral in Switzerland and is a Cultural Property of National Significance.
Gottlieb Ott was a Swiss building contractor. Ott and his company are credited with planning and constructing many buildings and structures in and around Bern, including the church field bridge. He also supervised the removal of the Christoffelturm, a local tower built in the 14th century.
Wybunbury Tower is what remains of the building formerly known as St Chad's Church in the village of Wybunbury, Cheshire, England. The body of the original church has been demolished but the tower still stands. The tower is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. The site of the tower is a Scheduled Monument. The current St Chad's Church is located in a modern building on a different site in the village.
The Old City is the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. Built on a narrow hill bordered on three sides by the river Aare, its compact layout has remained essentially unchanged since its construction during the twelfth to the fifteenth century. Despite a major fire in 1405, after which much of the city was rebuilt in sandstone, and substantial construction efforts in the eighteenth century, Bern's old city has retained its medieval character.
The Kramgasse is one of the principal streets in the Old City of Bern, the medieval city centre of Bern, Switzerland. It was the center of urban life in Bern until the 19th century. Today, it is a popular shopping street. Its length, slight curve and long line of Baroque façades combine to produce Bern's most impressive streetscape.
A jacquemart is an automaton, an animated, mechanised figure of a person, usually made from wood or metal, which strikes the hours on a bell with a hammer. Jacquemarts are usually part of clocks or clocktowers, and are often near or at the top of the construction. The figurine is also known as Jack of the Clock or Jack o'Clock.
The Aarbergergasse is one of the streets in the Old City of Bern, the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. It was originally the most important of the five streets that were part of the Äussere Neustadt, which was the section outside the city walls. One fountain, the Ryfflibrunnen on the Aarbergergasse is listed on the Swiss inventory of heritage site of national significance and it is part of the UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site that encompasses the Old City.
The Marktgasse is one of the streets in the Old City of Bern, the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. It is part of the Innere Neustadt which was built during the 13th Century. It runs from the Käfigturm between Waisenhausplatz and Bärenplatz in the west to the Zytglogge between Kornhausplatz and Theaterplatz in the east. It is part of the UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site that encompasses the Old City.
The Zähringerstadt is a historic section in the Old City of Bern in Bern, Switzerland.
The Innere Neustadt is a historic section in the Old City of Bern in Bern, Switzerland.
The Bahnhofplatz is a plaza just outside the Old City of Bern, the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. It was built following the destruction of the Christoffelturm which had been part of the third city wall. It is located north of Bubenbergplatz and surrounds the Heiliggeistkirche and Bern's central train station. It is part of the UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site that encompasses the Old City.
The Bubenbergplatz is a plaza in the Old City of Bern, the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. It is part of the area outside the third city walls. It is located south-west of Bahnhofplatz and is part of the UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site that encompasses the Old City.
The Kornhausplatz is a plaza in the Old City of Bern, the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. It is on the edge of the Zähringerstadt which was built during the founding of the city in 1191, though the plaza wasn't built until later. It is located near the Kornhausbrücke and the Zytglogge clock tower. It is part of the UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site that encompasses the Old City.
The Reformed Nydeggkirche is located on the eastern edge of the Old City of Bern, in the Nydegg section.
The Käfigturm is a medieval tower in Bern, Switzerland. It is part of the UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site of the Old City of Bern and the tower is a Cultural Property of National Significance. The original tower was built as a gate house during the second expansion of Bern in 1256. The tower was demolished in 1640 and completely rebuilt immediately thereafter.
The following is a timeline of the history of the municipality of Bern, Switzerland.
The town hall of Bern is the building in Bern, Switzerland that houses the Grand Council of Bern, the Executive Council of Bern and the Grand Council of the City of Bern. The building is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Old City of Berne and is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.
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