Description of the attraction
The name of the city of Bern comes from the German word for "bear". The bears, which are the symbols of this Swiss city, can be seen on every corner. Cafes and shops are named in their honor, monuments are erected, toy bears are sold in any souvenir shop. But the Bernese did not stop there and decided to make a menagerie outside the Old City, the so-called Bear Pit, where live bears would be kept all the time. You can admire the daily life of bears in a deep stone pit or on a river bank enclosed with a strong netting, both from the Niedeggbrücke bridge and from the embankment.
The first mention of live bears in Bern dates back to 1441. In the old documents of Bern, there is a record that the city authorities allocated funds for the purchase of acorns for clubfoot pets. In those days, bears lived in cages installed on Bear Square - Berenplatz. The bears were then transported from place to place until their current habitat was chosen. This happened in 1857. In 1925, next to the existing pit, a smaller pit was dug for bear cubs.
In 1975, a local press campaign was launched against the dire conditions in Bear Pit. The city authorities had to spend money on the repair and improvement of the concrete pit. Many activists believed that this was not enough for the normal life of clubfoot. Therefore, in 2009, Bear Park was opened on the steep slopes between the Are River and the concrete Bear Pit. The pit and this open-air space are connected by an underground tunnel, which allows the bears to return to their house at any time, play and dine in the pit, and then go to the river bank to soak up the grass or swim in the fenced pool.
The smaller pit, where the cubs used to be kept, is no longer intended for animals. Now there is a gift shop in the premises with her, and in the pit itself there are wooden figurines of bear cubs.
