Käfigturm

The Käfigturm, the Prison Tower, closes the upper end of Marktgasse in Bern’s Old Town, where the street opens toward Spitalgasse and Bundesplatz. A gate stood on this spot in the 13th century, when the city’s western edge ran near here, and it was later swallowed up as the town grew. The tower seen today dates mainly from the 17th century, when the earlier gate was rebuilt in the Baroque style and given the clock and decorative details that mark its facade. A clock decorates the street front.

For a long period the tower served as a prison. Its cells held petty criminals, debtors and people held for questioning, and the building continued in this role well into the 19th century. The prison function gave the tower its name, Käfig being the German for cage. It stands as one of several surviving gate towers in Bern, along with the Zytglogge Clock Tower, and it is easy to see as part of the former line of fortifications.

After its time as a prison, the tower was used for other purposes, and in recent decades it has been used as the Polit-Forum, a forum for political discussion and information. Inside, exhibitions and events explain how Swiss politics works, with attention to direct democracy, referendums and the role of citizens, and the ground floor is used for changing displays and debates. The format is unusual for a medieval prison tower: instead of cells, you find a modern venue where visitors are invited to take part in the discussion. Opening times and the current use of the tower can change, so check the latest information before you go.

The tower is a good point on a walk through the Old Town. It stands within sight of the Bundeshaus, the federal parliament building, and the arcaded shops of Marktgasse stretch down toward the Zytglogge Clock Tower. The passage under the tower, with the tram and pedestrians flowing past, shows the old gate still working as a gateway. If you are interested in Swiss civic life, a visit to the forum pairs naturally with a look at the Bundeshaus and its square, and for a more historic angle you can combine it with the Kindlifresserbrunnen nearby.

The Käfigturm suits history fans, politically curious travellers and architecture enthusiasts, and it takes little time to visit, which makes it easy to add to a walk through the centre.