Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Bern

  • Bern – Bern Minster (Views from Tower)

    I was pleased with just how extensive the views of the city of Bern were from the top of the tower of Bern Minster. There’s a charge of €5 to climb the tower and the steps go inside a separate circular staircase which is on the exterior of the building, with two levels to visit. Fortunately there’s also a separate staircase down so there’s no need to worry about bumping into people on the way up.

    The lower platform level of the tower is 254 steps up, with another 90 steps for those who want to visit the upper platform. Being brave, I of course did both. There’s plenty of space on the platforms and it’s also possible to look at the Minster’s large bell on the way down.

    Below are some of the photos over the city and surrounding area:

  • Bern – Bärengraben

    The bear is the symbol of the Swiss city of Bern and there’s a depiction of it in the city’s coat of arms.

    The Bärengraben, or bear pit, was first opened here in 1857, although bears had been kept on public display in numerous other locations in the city before then. It was a rather basic way to keep bears and it meant that they were exposed to anyone who wanted to throw things at them, so it was taken out of use in 2009. Looking back, I’m surprised that it remained in use for as long as it did.

    The replacement for the bear pit is the new bear area which is a short distance away on the banks of the river, offering the bears much more terrain. They also have their own section of the river that they can swim in and there’s much more space and foliage for them.

    There are currently two bears at the site and they were kept separate for a while because they decided that they liked fighting. There’s the possibility that more space might be opened up for the bears in the future, but at the moment everything feels quite spacious.

  • Bern – Views from Bärengraben

    Views of the beautiful city of Bern and the Aare River from the Bärengraben, which is the bear pit area of the Swiss city.