The Felsenburg is a fortified

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

and tower in the city of Bern,

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 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 ...

of 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 ...

and, together with the adjacent

Untertorbrücke The Untertorbrücke (german: Lower Gate Bridge) is a stone arch bridge that spans the Aare at the easternmost point of the ''Enge'' peninsula in the city of Bern, Switzerland, connecting the ''Mattequartier'' in the Old City to the '' Schosshal ...

, it is a cultural property of national significance

History

The Felsenburg was built soon after the construction of the first Untertor Bridge connected the medieval city of Bern to the eastern bank of the

Aare The Aare () or Aar () is a tributary of the High Rhine and the longest river that both rises and ends entirely within Switzerland. Its total length from its source to its junction with the Rhine comprises about , during which distance it descend ...

river. It was built as part of the defenses of the city and served to secure the eastern end of the bridge. The Felsenburg was probably built in 1260-70, but it is first mentioned in 1335. The original tower was open in the back, toward the city. The entire tower was renovated in 1583 and the open side was closed. During the renovation, the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

of the Bernese city-state were painted on the exterior. Between 1625-30, the

gate A gate or gateway is a point of entry to or from a space enclosed by walls. The word derived from old Norse "gat" meaning road or path; But other terms include ''yett and port''. The concept originally referred to the gap or hole in the wall ...

was fortified, the end of the bridge was moved to the north, a new bridge was built over the

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

and a

bastion A bastion or bulwark is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fi ...

was added on the moat side. The next renovation took place in 1760-61. The gate arch was rebuilt and the tower's facade was completely redone. In 1783, a new, stone bridge was built over the moat and in 1820-21 the moat was filled in with stone. In 1862 the tower was sold to a private owner. Over the next two years, the new owner converted the tower into a rental house. Stairs were added to the north-east face and the gate arch from 1761 was demolished.

Tower appearance

The tower is rectangular in cross section. The longer sides are oriented to the north-west and south-east. The ground floor is . The north-east wall, that faced the moat, was originally part of the city wall. In the basement it is thick. The ground floor wall is while on the upper story it is only thick. The south-west wall, which faced the city, is between thick. The five residential floors were all given rectangular windows during the conversion in 1862-64.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Felsenburg, Bern Castles in the Canton of Bern Cultural property of national significance in the canton of Bern Old City (Bern)

History

Tower appearance

See also

References

External links