The Bahnhofplatz (Train Station Plaza) is a plaza just outside the

Old City of Bern The Old City (german: Altstadt) is the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. Built on a narrow hill bordered on three sides by the river Aare, its compact layout has remained essentially unchanged since its construction during the twelfth ...

, the medieval city center 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 ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. It was built following the destruction of the ''

Christoffelturm The Christoffelturm was a tower built between the years 1344 and 1346, which featured a prominently displayed statue of Saint Christopher. It was located in the old part of the Swiss city of Bern, in the upper section of Spitalgasse, near Holy ...

'' which had been part of the third city wall. It is located north of

Bubenbergplatz The Bubenbergplatz (Bubenberg Plaza, named after Adrian von Bubenberg) is a plaza in the Old City of Bern, the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. It is part of the area outside the third city walls. It is located south-west of Bahnh ...

and surrounds the '' Heiliggeistkirche'' and Bern's central train station. It is part of the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

Cultural

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

that encompasses the Old City.

History

Following the destruction of the third city wall and the ''Christoffelturm'' in 1830-32, a plaza was opened up between the ''Burgerspital'' and Neuengasse. Initially the plaza was known as ''Kasernenplatz'' (

Barracks Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are u ...

Plaza) due to the neighboring

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

barracks, though the name quickly changed to ''Spitalplatz'' (Hospital Plaza) due to the nearby ''Burgerspital''. The plaza was the site of the cabbage market in Bern. In June 1857, the SCB (german: Schweizerische Centralbahn, or Swiss Central Train Line) completed a line between

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

and Bern. Then, two years later the Bern-

Thun , neighboring_municipalities= Amsoldingen, Heiligenschwendi, Heimberg, Hilterfingen, Homberg, Schwendibach, Spiez, Steffisburg, Thierachern, Uetendorf, Zwieselberg , twintown = , website = www.thun.ch Thun (french: Thoune) ...

line opened and on 2 July 1860 another line reached Thörishaus, now part of Köniz.Weber - SCB
/ref> While the rail lines were being built, a central train station was built on the northern end of the plaza. During the construction of the new station, the plaza was renamed Bahnhofplatz. On 1 January 1901, the SCB was nationalized and the Bern station went over to the newly formed

Swiss Federal Railways Swiss Federal Railways (german: link=no, Schweizerische Bundesbahnen, ''SBB''; french: link=no, Chemins de fer fédéraux suisses, ''CFF''; it, Ferrovie federali svizzere, ''FFS'') is the national railway company of Switzerland. It is usuall ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bahnhofplatz Squares in Bern Old City (Bern)