The Bärengraben, or Bear Pit, is a tourist attraction in the
Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
*Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
*Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internation ...
capital city of
Bern
german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese
, neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen
, website ...
. It is a
bear pit, or enclosure housing
bear
Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...
s, situated at the eastern edge of the
old city of Bern, next to the
Nydeggbrücke
The Nydeggbrücke is a bridge in Bern, Switzerland which connects the eastern part of the old city to the new part. It crosses over the Aare and is located very close to the Bärengraben. It was built in parallel to the Untertorbrücke in 184 ...
and the
River Aar. Although still in use, the Bärengraben has been supplemented since 2009 by the adjacent BärenPark, a larger and more natural enclosure alongside the River Aar.
The Bärengraben and BärenPark are administered as a geographically discrete part of the city's
Dählhölzli Zoo. The Bärengraben is a
Swiss heritage site of national significance, and is of particular significance in Bern because the bear is a symbol of both the city and
surrounding canton, and is featured in
their coat of arms.
[
]
History
The bear has long served as symbol of Bern. Legend has it that, in 1191, Duke Berthold V of Zähringen vowed to choose as namesake the first animal his hunt met in the wood that was to be chopped down for his new city. As Konrad Justingers chronicle puts it:
:Then they caught a bear first, which is why the city was called Bern; and so the citizens had their coat and shield, which was a black bear in a white shield, going upright.[Quoted from Vinzenz Bartlome / Urs M. Zahnd, ''Gründung und Sage'', in: Schwinges, op.cit., p. 23.]
The first records of bears being kept in the city come from 1513, when the chronicler Valerius Anshelm
Valerius Anshelm (1475 – 1546/1547), born as Valerius Rüd (or Ryd), was a Swiss chronicler working in Bern.
Anshelm was born in Rottweil, a city in Swabia that was allied with the Old Swiss Confederacy. His grandfather „Boley der ...
described how the Bernese returned home victorious from the Battle of Novara Battle of Novara may refer to:
* Battle of Novara (1500), a battle between France and Milan during the Second Italian War
* Battle of Novara (1513), a battle between the Holy League and France, within the War of the League of Cambrai
* Battle of No ...
, carrying both the captured standards and a living bear as spoils of war.[
The first bear pit was at what is still called the ]Bärenplatz
The Bärenplatz (Bear Plaza) is a plaza in the Old City of Bern, the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. It is part of the Innere Neustadt which was built during the second expansion from 1255 to 1260. It is located north of Bundes ...
(Bear Plaza). The current pit is the fourth such enclosure, following on from pits at various locations around the city, and was first opened in 1857.[ In 1925, a smaller adjacent pit was added to raise the young bear cubs.
Between 1994 and 1996, the Bärengraben was completely renovated to improve conditions for the bears. Despite this, the keeping of bears in what still remained a bear pit led to many complaints. This, as well as new legal requirements, prompted a rethink of how the bears should be kept.][
As a result, the BärenPark was opened in 2009, on the steeply sloping land between the Bärengraben and the bank of the River Aar. The original bear pit and the BärenPark were linked by a tunnel, allowing the bears to make use of both spaces. The smaller pit was no longer used by the bears, but was used instead to give access to the Bärengraben's shop and to provide a performance space.][
]
In culture
The ''Mary Plain
''Mary Plain'' is a fictional bear character in British children's literature who figures in a series of novels based on her adventures. The character was created by the Welsh author Gwynedd Rae and first appeared in the book ''Mostly Mary'' in 1 ...
'' series of fourteen children's books are partly set at the Bärengraben, with the story's main character, Mary Plain (who is a young bear) and her family living in the pits.
The Bärengraben can be briefly seen in the James Bond
The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
film ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service On Her Majesty's Secret Service may refer to:
* ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service'' (novel), a 1963 novel by Ian Fleming
* ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service'' (film), a 1969 film adaptation of the novel
** ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service'' (sou ...
'', as Bond, Tracy Bond and Marc-Ange Draco
This is a list of allies of ''James Bond'' who appear throughout the film series and novels.
MI6
M
M is a Rear Admiral of the Royal Navy, and the head of the Secret Intelligence Service. Fleming based the character on a number of peop ...
drive through Bern.
Confederate prison commander Henry Wirz remembers a childhood visit to "that ancient pit in Switzerland" in Chapter XX of MacKinlay Kantor's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "Andersonville" (1955).
References
External links
VIDEO: Bern Bear Park / Bärengraben, April 2013
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Barengraben
Zoos in Switzerland
Tourist attractions in Bern
Cultural property of national significance in the canton of Bern
Buildings and structures in Bern