22 Sights in Bern, Switzerland (with Map and Images)

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.

Wikipedia: Old City (Bern) (EN)

The Bärengraben, or Bear Pit, is a tourist attraction in the Swiss capital city of Bern. It is a bear pit, or enclosure housing bears, situated at the eastern edge of the old city of Bern, next to the Nydeggbrücke and the River Aar. Although still in use, the Bärengraben has been supplemented since 2009 by the adjacent BärenPark, a larger and more natural enclosure alongside the River Aar.

Wikipedia: Bärengraben (EN), Website

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.

Wikipedia: Bern Minster (EN), Website, Opening Hours

The Natural History Museum Bern is a natural history museum in Bern, Switzerland. It is one of the most important natural history museums in Switzerland. It is visited by up to 131,000 people a year and works closely with the University of Bern in teaching and research. Among the most famous objects in the house are the legendary rescue dog Barry, the giant crystals from the Planggenstock and the collection of African animals of the big game hunter Bernhard von Wattenwyl. His historical dioramas of native and African animals made the museum internationally known in the 20th century. The museum is also a research institution with a focus on meteorite research, paleontology, cynology, malacology, herpetology and arachnology.

Wikipedia: Naturhistorisches Museum der Burgergemeinde Bern (DE), Website, Website

The Federal Palace is a building in Bern housing the Swiss Federal Assembly (legislature) and the Federal Council (executive). It is the seat of the government of Switzerland and parliament of the country. The building is a listed symmetrical complex just over 300 metres (980 ft) long. It is considered one of the most important historic buildings in the country and listed in the Swiss Inventory of Cultural Assets of National Importance. It consists of three interconnected buildings in the southwest of Bern's old city. The two chambers of the Federal Assembly, the National Council and Council of States, meet in the parliament building on Bundesplatz.

Wikipedia: Federal Palace of Switzerland (EN), Website

The Protestant Church in Switzerland (PCS), formerly named Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches until 31 December 2019, is a federation of 25 member churches – 24 cantonal churches and the Evangelical-Methodist Church of Switzerland. The PCS is not a church in a theological understanding, because every member is independent with their own theological and formal organisation. It serves as a legal umbrella before the federal government and represents the church in international relations. Except for the Evangelical-Methodist Church, which covers all of Switzerland, the member churches are restricted to a certain territory.

Wikipedia: Protestant Church of Switzerland (EN), Website, Twitter, Facebook

The Museum of Communication is an interactive museum dedicated to the subject of communication in Bern, Switzerland. In 2019 it was awarded the Council of Europe Museum Prize. It was founded in 1907 as the corporate museum of Swiss Post, the national postal service of Switzerland. The restructuring of the museum into a foundation of Swiss Post and Swisscom led to a broadening of the overall theme and a new name, the Museum of Communication. The latest incarnation of the museum, which opened its doors with a redesigned permanent exhibition in 2017, is focused completely on its visitors.

Wikipedia: Museum of Communication Bern (EN), Website, Facebook

St. Paul's Church is a Reformed Church in Bern, Switzerland built by Swiss architect Karl Moser from 1902 to 1905 in an Art Nouveau style. It a cultural property of national significance in Switzerland and one of the best examples of Art Nouveau in the country. The bell tower is 36 m high and contains 5 bells. The facade of the church features a relief sculpture with a representation of the Apostle Paul with a sword. The stained glass windows are by the artist Max Laeuger from Lörrach. The interior features blue and green hues, with rich gold decoration painting.

Wikipedia: St. Paul's Church, Bern (EN), Website

The Holy Trinity Church in Bern is a Roman Catholic basilica located at Taubenstrasse 6 in Bern, Germany. The Holy Trinity Church was built between 1896 and 1899 on the initiative of Jakob Stammler, a theologian and art historian who worked in Bern from 1876 to 1906 as a Catholic parish priest and then as a bishop in the diocese of Basel. It was declared a minor basilica on 6 April 1956 by order of Pope Pius XII because of its importance as an "outstanding place of worship and piety...", its architectural style and its furnishings.

Wikipedia: Dreifaltigkeitskirche (Bern) (DE)

The Synagogue of Bern was built in the so -called Moorish style from 1905 and on September 10, 1906 in the presence of delegations of the larger sister communities, the authorities, the city clerk, the burger council and the University of Bern by Rabbi Martin Littmann (1864–1945) ceremoniously inaugurated . It was created after plans by Eduard Rybi, who, together with Ernst Salchli, also designed St. Ursula’s Church.

Wikipedia: Synagoge (Bern) (DE)

Ka-We-De, short for Dählhölzli Artificial Ice Rink and Wave Pool, is an artificial ice rink and outdoor swimming pool in the Kirchenfeld-Schosshalde district of Bern, Switzerland. It is directly adjacent to the Dählhölzli Zoo and the former U.S. Embassy. From 1933 to 1967, the ice stadium was the home ground of SC Bern of the National League A, which won two Swiss championship titles.

Wikipedia: Ka-We-De (DE)

The Bern Historical Museum is the second largest historical museum in Switzerland. It was designed by the Neuchâtel architect André Lambert and built in 1894. Since it was initially conceived as the Swiss National Museum, the architect took as his model various historic castles from the 15th and 16th centuries. An extension to the original museum building was completed in 2009.

Wikipedia: Bern Historical Museum (EN), Website

The Swiss National Library is the national library of Switzerland. Part of the Federal Office of Culture, it is charged with collecting, cataloging and conserving information in all fields, disciplines, and media connected with Switzerland, as well as ensuring the widest possible accessibility and dissemination of such data.

Wikipedia: Swiss National Library (EN), Website

The Glasbrunnen is a tapped spring in the Bremgarten Forest, one of the local recreation areas on the territory of the municipality of Bern, and owned by the Burgergemeinde Bern. The fountain is also a field name, a crossroads of forest paths, a meeting place and a place of pilgrimage for esotericists.

Wikipedia: Glasbrunnen (DE)

The gibb Vocational School in Bern is the largest vocational school in Switzerland. It offers both basic vocational training and the vocational baccalaureate. In addition, various continuing education courses are offered, including colleges of higher education.

Wikipedia: Gewerblich Industrielle Berufsschule Bern (DE), Website

The Klingende Museum Bern is a music museum in the Swiss city of Bern, specializing in historical wind instruments. It was initially opened in 2017 as the "Sound Collection" and presents a permanent exhibition, a study collection and special exhibitions.

Wikipedia: Klingendes Museum Bern (DE), Website

The Church of the Holy Ghost is a Swiss Reformed Church in Bern, Switzerland. The Swiss heritage site of national significance building is located at Spitalgasse 44 in the Old City of Bern. It is one of largest Swiss Reformed churches in Switzerland.

Wikipedia: Church of the Holy Ghost, Bern (EN)

The Kornhausbrücke is a road bridge in Bern, Switzerland. It spans the river valley of the Aare and connects the old town in district I with the districts of Altenberg, Spitalacker and Breitenrain in district V to the north.

Wikipedia: Kornhausbrücke (Bern) (DE)

The Zentrum Paul Klee is a museum dedicated to the artist Paul Klee, located in Bern, Switzerland and designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano. It features about 40 percent of Paul Klee's entire pictorial oeuvre.

Wikipedia: Zentrum Paul Klee (EN)

The Anna-Seiler-Brunnen is a fountain on Marktgasse in the Old City of Bern, Switzerland. It is a Swiss Cultural Property of National Significance and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Old City of Bern.

Wikipedia: Anna-Seiler-Brunnen (EN)

The Swiss Federal Archives are the national archives of Switzerland. Additionally, the cantons have official archives of their own. The building and its collections are a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

Wikipedia: Swiss Federal Archives (EN), Website

The SAPA Foundation, Swiss Archive of the Performing Arts, preserves and communicates Swiss cultural heritage in the field of the performing arts. The SAPA Foundation has three offices in Bern, Lausanne and Zurich.

Wikipedia: Stiftung SAPA, Schweizer Archiv der Darstellenden Künste (DE), Website