Find out more about Bern’s Rathaus

For 600 years, the Bern Rathaus has been the political centre of the Canton of Bern. A wide range of events has been organised to celebrate the jubilee

In 2017 the main roof, facades and windows were renovated, the in-house facilities upgraded and the fire prevention and other safety measures improved. The conference rooms, the Parliament chamber and the Rathaus entrance hall were equipped with the latest conferencing and presentation technology.

In August 1947, Eva Péron, wife of the Argentinian president, visited Bern.

In the autumn of 1946, Winston Churchill visited the City of Bern and the outside staircase became a magnificent stage: the British prime minister spoke from there to a rapt Bern public, expressing his hopes for a «Europe united in peace».

On the ground floor, the mediaeval courtroom was restored and linked to the first floor by a flight of stairs.

The Government, Parliament and the local people were proud of their achievement. The re-opened, completely renovated Rathaus now became a popular venue for receptions, celebrations and other events.

In 1938, a newly elected member of the Cantonal Government, Robert Grimm, assumed office as Minister of Building Works and took charge of a project to renovate the Rathaus. He relocated the cantonal archives, then occupying the Entrance Hall, to new premises on Falkenplatz. The Cantonal Chancellery moved to the building on the Postgasse, thus readying the Rathaus for major renovations from 1940-1942.

The Rathaus’s external appearance changed in the 19th century: it was clad in neo-gothic facades. This did not entail any fundamental structural improvement, however.

It was decided that the spirit of the first democratic constitution of the Canton of Bern of 1831 should be reflected in the design of Bern’s parliament building. The former Citizens’ Chamber had to make way for a new chamber for the Cantonal Parliament, including a public gallery. At that time, the members of the Cantonal Parliament enjoyed a view towards the River Aare.

Around the end of the 18th century, Bern’s patricians began to think seriously about rebuilding their town hall in a contemporary style. Renowned architects from the city submitted their proposals, which ranged from subtle modifications of the existing building to a completely new structure in the baroque spirit.

A star architect from Paris, Jacques-Denis Antoine, wanted to replace the mediaeval building with a neo-classical capitol. The project, however, never got off the ground due to its cost.

A new building was built next to the Rathaus for the Cantonal Chancellery. But the Rathaus has not simply served as a meeting place for the city’s authorities over the centuries. The Rathaus has also been home to the city archives, and the city’s treasure vault, mint and printing workshop.

A splendid outside staircase was built on the main facade. It served as an outdoor stage from where political decisions could be announced to the public; every year following the Easter elections, the newly elected or confirmed city officials appeared there.

On the first floors, the two chambers for the Government and the Parliament were built, with their characteristic shallow barrel vaulting.

In 1406, the city-state of Bern began to build its new town hall or Rathaus; not because the old town hall had been damaged in a major city fire a year previously, but simply for reasons of prestige. The City of Bern had grown to become the dominant power in what is now the Swiss Plateau Region, and the old Rathaus was too small, cramped and uncomfortable as a place where the government could receive foreign guests.

The completed building was impressive. On the ground floor there was a grand hall, contemporary illustrations of which no longer exist. Yet its pillars and timber ceiling have survived, and the size of the current hall is much the same. This was where the city’s law court sat or where its citizens gathered: at the time the city had only five or six thousand inhabitants.