Description of the attraction
The medieval tower of Bern, which was built at the beginning of the 17th century on the site of the entrance gate to the inner city, is located at the end of Spitalgasse street. Locals call it the "Checkered Tower", which can be easily explained: from 1405 to 1897, the tower was used as a prison. In official tourist literature, it is known as the Prison Tower. The passage in it has not been locked for a long time. Moreover, at the end of the 19th century, it was enlarged so that cars could pass freely under the tower.
The gate tower, erected in 1256, was part of the inner city walls. When in 1345 the city expanded so much that a third ring of defensive structures appeared around it, the tower lost its original function. In 1405, a large fire broke out in the city, destroying most of the residential buildings. The prison also suffered. The city authorities decided that there was no better room for keeping prisoners in the city than the tower on Spitalgasse. They also decided to use it to observe the surroundings. The task of the guard was to peer out the reflections of the fire on the city streets and promptly warn the townspeople about this with a trumpet signal.
The old Prison Tower was demolished in 1640 and rebuilt in a few years. The finishing work took two years. In 1690, on a tower 49 meters high, made of tuff and sandstone, her famous clock with the relief "The Majesty of Bern" appeared. Locals were delighted with such an expensive innovation, which not every city could boast in those days.
After the prison was closed, the city archive was placed here, then it was given for exhibitions and a library. Now it houses a museum where you can learn more about the cultural life of the city of Bern.
