Bern, Jura & Mittelland - Discover Switzerland: Experience the Best of Switzerland - page 227

This enchanting little town with a mellow cobblestone centre has one very big cathed-
ral: the imposing, 66m-tall facade of St Ursus. Fountains, churches and city gates bol-
ster Solothurn's claim to be Switzerland's most beautiful baroque town. There are two
trains per hour to Bern.
2 ST URSANNE
The Jura's most enchanting village is medieval St Ursanne with its 12th-century Église
Collégiale, a grand Gothic church. Ancient houses, the 16th-century town gates, a
lovely stone bridge and a bevy of eating options on miniature central square, Place Ro-
ger Schaffter, tumble down towards the Doubs River. The train station is 1km east of
the centre.
3 RHEINFELDEN
Rheinfelden, 24km east of Basel, has a pretty Old Town. Several medieval city gates,
defensive towers and parts of the old walls still stand. It's a short train ride from Basel.
Murten
POP 6100 / ELEV 450M
This German-speaking medieval village on the eastern shore of Murten See (Lac de Mor-
at) isn't called Murten (Morat) - derived from the Celtic word moriduno meaning 'fort-
ress on the lake' - for nothing. In May 1476 the Burgundy duke Charles the Bold set off
from Lausanne to besiege Murten - only to have 8000 of his men butchered or drowned in
the lake during the Battle of Murten. The fortifications that thwarted the duke (who es-
caped) create a quaint little lakeside town well worth a visit.
Sights
Murten is a cobblestone three-street town crammed with arcaded houses. A string of
hotel-restaurants culminating in a 13th-century castle (closed to visitors) line Rathaus-
gasse ; shops and eateries stud parallel Hauptgasse , capped by the medieval Berntor
city gate at its eastern end; while parallel Deutsche Kirchgasse and its western continu-
ation, Schulgasse, hug the city ramparts.