The Mattequartier is a historic section in the

Old City of Bern The Old City () 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 to the fifteenth ...

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. The first expansion of Bern occurred as the city was founded in 1191. The central and oldest neighbourhood was known as the '' Zähringerstadt'' ( Zähringer town) after the founder, Duke Berthold V of Zähringen. While the Zähringerstadt grew, the area below the Zähringerstadt along the banks of the

Aare The Aare () or Aar () is the main tributary of the High Rhine (its discharge even exceeds that of the latter at their confluence) and the longest river that both rises and ends entirely within Switzerland. Its total length from its source to i ...

river developed into the Mattequartier. Situated in the southeast of the Aare peninsula, the ''Mattequartier'', together with the '' Nydegg'', constitute medieval Bern's smallest neighbourhoods.

Workshop Beginning with the Industrial Revolution era, a workshop may be a room, rooms or building which provides both the area and tools (or machinery) that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods. Workshops were the only ...

s and

mercantile Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cred ...

activity prevailed in this area, and medieval sources tell of numerous complaints about the ceaseless and apparently nerve-wracking noise of machinery, carts and commerce. The Matte area at the riverside features three artificial channels, through which Aare water was diverted to power three city-owned

watermill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as mill (grinding), milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in ...

s built in 1360. In: In the early 20th century, a small hydroelectric plant was built in that location. Nearby, the busy ''Schiffländte'' (ship landing-place) allowed for the reloading of goods transported by boat up and down the river.Gerber, ''ibid.''

References

Old City (Bern) {{Switzerland-struct-stub