This is a list of towers in Bern. As the city of Bern in Switzerland grew, gatehouse towers and other defensive towers were built. Many of the towers have been rebuilt multiple times and served many different purposes over the centuries since Bern's founding.
For more information on the history of the UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site of Bern, see Old City of Bern.
Image | Name | Year built | Year demolished | Height | Street/Square | Coordinates | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blutturm | |||||||
Christoffelturm | 1344 and 1346 | 1865 | Spitalgasse | Demolished to make room for train station. | |||
Dittlingerturm | |||||||
Felsenburg | 1260-1270 | Klösterlisturz 2 | 46°56′58″N7°25′31″E / 46.94944°N 7.42528°E | ||||
Holländerturm | 1230 or early 17th Century | Waisenhausplatz 15 | 46°56′55″N7°26′38″E / 46.94861°N 7.44389°E | The exact age of the tower is unclear. The name means Dutch tower and refers to a Bernese mercenary commander who bought the tower after service in Holland. | |||
Innere Aarbergertor | |||||||
Käfigturm | 1256 rebuilt 1642-1645 | first tower 1640 | 49 m (161 ft) | Marktgasse | 46°56′54″N7°26′38″E / 46.94833°N 7.44389°E | First tower demolished in 1640. Second tower started in 1642. Name means prison or cage tower. | |
Zytglogge | 1218–1220 | 54.5 m (179 ft) | Kramgasse | 46°56′53″N7°26′52″E / 46.94806°N 7.44778°E | Name means clock tower. Features a large clock, a smaller astronomical clock and moving figures. |
Bern or Berne is the de facto capital of Switzerland, referred to by the Swiss as their "federal city", in German: Bundesstadt, French: ville fédérale, and Italian: città federale. 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.
New Bern is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 29,524, which had risen to an estimated 29,994 as of 2019. It is the county seat of Craven County and the principal city of the New Bern Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The canton of Bern or Berne is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of ten districts and its capital city is Bern. The bear is the heraldic symbol of the canton, displayed on a red-yellow background.
Clock towers are a specific type of building 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.
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.
Bümpliz-Oberbottigen is a Stadtteil (district) of the city of Bern, Switzerland. It is situated to the west of the city center and consists of the Quartiere (quarters) Bümpliz, Oberbottigen, Stöckacker, Bethlehem and Brünnen.
The Kochergasse 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 expansion of 1255 to 1260. It runs in front of the Bundeshaus East and it is part of the UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site that encompasses the Old City.
The Innere Neustadt is a historic section in the Old City of Bern in Bern, Switzerland.
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 Felsenburg is a fortified castle and tower in the city of Bern, Switzerland. It is part of the UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site of the Old City of Bern and, together with the adjacent Untertorbrücke, it is a cultural property of national significance
The Holländerturm is a former defensive tower in the old city of Bern in Switzerland. It is part of the UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site of the Old City of Bern. The tower was originally part of the city wall of Bern but was absorbed by the house at Waisenhausplatz 15.
A gate tower is a tower built over or next to a major gateway.
Ringgenberg Castle is a castle in the municipality of Ringgenberg of the Canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.
The Altes Schloss Bümpliz is a castle in the section of Bümpliz-Oberbottigen in the city of Bern of the canton of Bern in Switzerland.
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.