Stadtviertel und Quartiere der Altstadt von Bern

The Zähringerstadt 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. This central and oldest neighbourhood was known as the ''Zähringerstadt'' ( Zähringer town) after the founder, Duke Berthold V of Zähringen. Most likely the first city started at Nydegg Castle on 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 and reached west on the narrow peninsula to the

Zytglogge The Zytglogge (Bernese German: ; ) is a landmark medieval tower in Bern, Switzerland. Built in the early 13th century, it has served the city as a guard tower, prison, clock tower, centre of urban life and civic memorial. Despite the many red ...

(

Swiss German Swiss German (Standard German: , ,Because of the many different dialects, and because there is no #Conventions, defined orthography for any of them, many different spellings can be found. and others; ) is any of the Alemannic German, Alemannic ...

: clock tower). The city was divided by three longitudinal streets, which stretched from the Castle to the city wall. Both the position of the town church and the shape of the eaves were typical for a Zähringer city. During the first half of the 13th Century two additional streets (''Brunngasse'' and ''

Herrengasse The Herrengasse (meaning in German language: "Street of the Lords" or "Lords Lane") is a street in Vienna, located in the first district Innere Stadt. History The street existed during Ancient Rome, Roman times as part of the Limes (Roman Empire ...

'') were added. ''Brunngasse'' was a semi-circular street on the north edge of the city, while ''Herrengasse'' was on the south side of the city. A wood bridge was built over the

River which allowed increased trade and limited settlements on the east bank of the river. The Zähringerstadt contained the medieval city's principal political, economic and spiritual institutions. These were strictly separated: official buildings were situated around the ''Kreuzgasse'' (Cross Alley), ecclesiastical buildings were located at the '' Münstergasse'' (Cathedral Alley) and ''Herrengasse'' (Lords' Alley), while guilds and merchants' shops clustered around the central ''

Kramgasse The Kramgasse ("Grocers Alley") is one of the principal streets in the Old City of Bern, the medieval city centre of Bern, Switzerland. It was the center of urban life in Bern until the 19th century.de Capitani, 8. Today, it is a popular sho ...

'' (Grocers Alley) and ''

Gerechtigkeitsgasse The Gerechtigkeitsgasse ("Justice Alley") is one of the principal streets in the Old City of Bern, the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. Together with its extension, the ''Kramgasse'', it is the heart of the inner city.Hofer, 74 Hans ...

'' (Justice Alley). ''

Junkerngasse The Junkerngasse ("Nobility Lane") is a street in the Old City of Bern, the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. It connects the tip of the Aar peninsula (the '' Nydegg'' neighbourhood) to the Münster. The Junkerngasse is the Old City ...

'' (

Junker Junker (, , , , , , ka, იუნკერი, ) is a noble honorific, derived from Middle High German , meaning 'young nobleman'Duden; Meaning of Junker, in German/ref> or otherwise 'young lord' (derivation of and ). The term is traditionally ...

Lane), which is parallel to ''Gerechtigkeitsgasse'', was originally known as ''Kilchgasse'' (Church Lane) but was renamed because of number of patricians or untitled nobility which lived on the southern side of the peninsula. The original city wall between the ''Zähringerstadt'' and the ''Innere Neustadt'' was demolished during a later expansion and Kornhausplatz grew up in the area of the wall. The original city gate became the

References

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