Bear Pit

Bern takes its name, according to legend, from a bear. The story says that the city's founder, Duke Berthold V of Zähringen, declared that the town would be named after the first animal he killed on a hunt, and that animal was a bear. Whether or not it happened, the bear has been the city's emblem for centuries. It appears on the coat of arms and on flags and souvenirs, and for generations the city kept live bears in a stone pit at the eastern end of the old town as a living symbol of itself.

That original Bear Pit, the Bärengraben, dates from 1857 and stands near the Nydegg Bridge over the Aare. It was a deep, enclosed pit with a viewing platform around the rim, and visitors leaned over the wall to watch the bears and throw them carrots. Animal welfare standards changed over time, and by the later twentieth century the small concrete enclosure no longer seemed an acceptable home for such large animals. The city decided to build a much larger, more natural enclosure and to keep the old pit as a historical monument.

That plan led to the BärenPark, which opened in 2009 on the sloping bank between the old pit and the river. It covers several thousand square metres of hillside, with trees, rocks, a stream and a pool that give the bears space to explore, dig, swim and rest. The old pit remains part of the complex, and the bears can use it as well. The park is open to the public without an entry fee, and a path leads down the slope for viewing from different angles.

Visiting is easy and informal. The enclosure is a short walk from the old town, over the Nydegg Bridge, and a viewing area at the top offers a good overview. Bears are sometimes visible and sometimes asleep or hidden among the rocks, so patience is needed. In winter the animals are less active. Feeding is not permitted, and visitors should keep dogs on a lead and children under supervision.

The area above the park, the Rose Garden, is a famous viewpoint over the old town, whose medieval centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A walk from the Rose Garden down to the bears and across the bridge makes a satisfying loop. The visit usually takes an hour or so, longer if you linger by the river.