Zähringen Fountain

The Zähringen Fountain, the Zähringerbrunnen, is one of the well-known fountains along Kramgasse in Bern’s UNESCO-listed Old Town. It dates to the 16th century and is part of a series of figure fountains that were set up along the main streets in the Renaissance, each with a tall column and a carved figure on top. This one is dedicated to the legendary founder of the city, Duke Berchtold V of Zähringen, whose family ruled the area in the high Middle Ages and who is traditionally credited with founding Bern in 1191.

The figure on top of the column is a bear in armour, a reference to the animal that gave the city its name. According to the old legend, Berchtold decided to name the new town after the first animal he killed while hunting in the forest on the peninsula, and that animal was a bear. Whether or not that story is true, it made the bear the symbol of the city, and it appears throughout Bern, on coats of arms, in the Bear Pit and on public buildings. The bear on the fountain holds a banner and a shield decorated with the Zähringen lion, so that the monument ties the animal and the family together in one image. The columns of Bern’s fountains were often painted, and this one still shows colour.

The fountain is not a dramatic monument, but it is a good example of how Bern used public art to tell its story. Some of the figures on the other fountains show moral or biblical themes, while this one is closely tied to the city’s identity. Because it stands in the middle of a busy shopping street, with the arcades on both sides, it is easy to walk past without a second look. Slowing down for a few minutes and reading the details gives you a small piece of Bern’s foundation myth.

The fountain is always accessible and free to see. Early morning and late afternoon give the softest light for photographs and fewer people in the street. It is a natural stop on the walk between the Zytglogge Clock Tower and the Bern Cathedral, and it sits close to other fountains of the same period, including the Kindlifresserbrunnen near the Käfigturm for a comparison between the grim and the heroic. Many guided tours include it and tell the Berchtold story on the spot.

The Zähringen Fountain suits history lovers, families who enjoy legends, and photographers who like street details. It takes only a few minutes, so it is easy to combine with the cathedral, the Matte or the Bear Park on a longer walk through the capital.