Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Old Town
Bern's flag-festooned medieval centre is an attraction in its own right, with 6km of covered arcades, cellar shops
and bars descending from the streets. After a devastating fire in 1405, the wooden city was rebuilt in today's dis-
tinctive grey-green sandstone.
A focal point is Bern's
Zytglogge
Offline map
Google map
(clock tower), once part of the city's western gate
(1191-1256). It's reminiscent of the Astronomical Clock in Prague's old town square, in that crowds congregate to
watch its revolving figures twirl at four minutes before the hour, after which the actual chimes begin.
The clock tower supposedly helped Albert Einstein hone his theory of relativity, developed while working as a
patent clerk in Bern. The great scientist surmised, while travelling on a tram away from the tower, that if the tram
were going at the speed of light, the clock tower would remain on the same time, while his own watch would con-
tinue to tick - proving time was relative.
Other Bern landmarks are its 11 decorative
fountains
(1545), which depict historic and folkloric characters. Most
are along Marktgasse as it becomes Kramgasse and Gerechtigkeitsgasse, but the most famous lies in Kornhausplatz:
the
Kindlifresserbrunnen
Offline map
Google map
(Ogre Fountain) of a giant snacking on children!
KUNSTMUSEUM
| Art Museum
(
www.kunstmuseumbern.ch
;
Hodlerstrasse 8-12; adult/child permanent collection Sfr7/5, temporary exhib-
itions from Sfr18; 10am-9pm Tue, 10am-5pm Wed-Sun)
The thousands of works at the Museum
of Fine Arts represent Switzerland's oldest permanent collection and include examples by
Italian artists such as Fra Angelico, Swiss artists like Ferdinand Hodler and Giovanni Gi-
acometti, and heavy hitters like Picasso and Cézanne.
EINSTEIN HAUS
| Museum
(
www.einstein-bern.ch
;
Kramgasse 49; adult/child Sfr6/free; 10am-5pm daily Apr-Dec, closed Sun Feb
& Mar, closed Jan)
The world's most famous scientist developed his special theory of relativ-
ity in Bern in 1905. Find out more at the small museum inside the humble apartment
where Einstein lived with his young family between 1903 and 1905 while working in the
Bern patent office.
Sleeping
The tourist office makes hotel reservations (free) and has information on 'three nights for
the price of two' deals, in which many hotels in town participate.
Search WWH ::
Custom Search