Bern Minster (Berner Munster) was built on the high bank of the river Aare in the 15th century. It is a beautiful example of late Gothic. The spire of the Cathedral rises 100 meters above the Old Town of Bern. On this tower you should ascend, to enjoy the beauty of Alterbern.
The first small Church on this site was built by the knights of the Teutonic order in the 12th century. By the 15th century, Bern had become the most important town among all the cantons north of the Alps, so there was a need to build a new large Cathedral.
The new Bern Cathedral was founded in 1421. Construction was supervised by a master from Strasbourg, Mateus Inzinger. The Bern Minster was decided to build in the neo-Gothic style. For a long time, he did not have a bell tower. It was decided to build it only in 1893. The height of the bell tower reaches 100 meters. This is the highest bell tower in Switzerland. It has a bell weighing 10 tons, cast in 1611. It is the largest bell in Switzerland.
When entering the Cathedral, you should pay attention to an interesting bas-relief with scenes of the Last Judgment. It was made in the 15th century by master Erhard Küng. The bas-relief consists of 47 large statues and 170 small ones. All of them are made with a very high degree of detail.
The interior of the Cathedral is in the Gothic style, however, as in all other Protestant temples in Switzerland, its decoration was minimized during the Reformation of the 16th century. In the altar part, stained glass Windows from the 15th century have been preserved. In other parts of the Cathedral, stained glass Windows were installed in the 19th century. In the side aisles, small flower patterns are preserved around the Gothic ribs on the ceiling.
On the left side of the Cathedral, on the high Bank of the Aare, there is a large stone platform with an observation place. Trees are planted here and residents of the Old Town are happy to come to this garden to spend time here and enjoy the beautiful views of the river and the houses of Old Bern.
