Nydeggbrücke - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

The Reformed Nydeggkirche is located on the eastern edge of the Old City of Bern, in the Nydegg section. It sits on the grounds where Duke Berchtold of Zahringen founded the city of Bern in 1191. Legend states that Berchtold would name the city after the first animal he killed during a hunting expedition, hence the name Bern, or Bear in German.

Since 1513 bears have been at home in Bern. The Bern bear pit is an attraction that is known far beyond the borders of Switzerland. Since 2009 the bears of Bern also have a modern 6,000 square meters park at their disposal - which they can reach via a tunnel.

The Zähringerbrunnen fountain is a Swiss Cultural Property of National Significance and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Old City of Bern. The statue is a bear in full armor, with another bear cub at his feet. The bear represents the bear, that according to legend, Berchtold shot on the Aare peninsula as he was searching for a site to build a city.

The Läuferbrunnen is a fountain on Läuferplatz in the Old City of Bern, Switzerland. It is a Swiss Cultural Property of National Significance and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Old City of Bern. It is located near the Nydegg Church on Nydeggstalden. The trough was built in 1824, but the figure dates from 1545.

The Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen is a 16th-century fountain in the Gerechtigkeitsgasse in the Old City of Bern, Switzerland. It is the only Bernese fountain to retain all original design elements and is listed as a cultural heritage of national significance.

The Vennerbrunnen is a fountain on Rathausplatz in the Old City of Bern, Switzerland. It is a Swiss Cultural Property of National Significance and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Old City of Bern. The fountain figure represents a Venner, an armored Bernese standard-bearer. It was created in 1542 by Hans Gieng for a stone fountain that replaced a wooden system from the 14th century on Schwendplatz above Nydeggstalden.