Marktgasse

Marktgasse is one of the principal streets of Bern’s Old Town, running from the Zytglogge Clock Tower in the east to the Käfigturm in the west. It belongs to the first great expansion of the medieval town, in the 13th century, and the area it covers is sometimes called the Innere Neustadt, the Inner New Town, since it was added to the original settlement around Kramgasse and the cathedral. Together with Kramgasse and Gerechtigkeitsgasse, it forms the long axis of the peninsula, and it is the busiest of the three, because it has always been the street of trade, the Bernese place for buying and selling.

The look of the street is the look of Bern’s Old Town as a whole. Buildings in pale local sandstone line both sides, mostly with facades from the 18th century, and their ground floors open into covered arcades. Beneath the arcades are shops, banks, cafés and bakeries, with steps leading down into cellars used as bars, galleries and boutiques. The vaulted passages shelter walkers from rain and sun, which makes the street comfortable in any season, and they are part of the reason that Bern’s UNESCO-listed Old Town has been on the World Heritage list since 1983. Window displays in the shops range from fashion and watches to Swiss chocolate and souvenirs, and market stalls appear on some days in the neighbouring squares.

A series of fountains stands in the middle of the roadway, each with a painted figure on a column. Along Marktgasse you will find the Anna Seiler Fountain, commemorating a woman who founded one of Bern’s first hospitals in the 14th century, the Piper Fountain and the Marksman’s Fountain, whose figures are dressed in 16th-century costume. They are part of a tradition of public fountains that supplied the town with water and that are now among its most photographed features. Because Marktgasse is a main route for trams and buses that cross at the western end, the street is lively all day, though the central roadway is mostly limited to pedestrians and public transport.

The street runs into the Zytglogge at one end, where crowds gather for the hourly figure show, and toward the Käfigturm and Bundesplatz at the other, so it is the natural spine of a walking tour of the centre. Side lanes lead to Kornhausplatz with the Kindlifresserbrunnen and down toward the Aare. It is best explored on foot, early in the morning when shops are opening, or in the evening when the arcades are lit and the crowds ease.

Marktgasse suits shoppers, architecture lovers and anyone who wants to feel the daily life of the Swiss capital. Allow an hour for a walk along the arcades and longer if you stop in cafés or shops.