Kramgasse

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Map of the old town of Bern with the centrally located Kramgasse

The Kramgasse forms part of the main axis in the old town of Bern , the medieval city center of Bern , Switzerland . It was the center of urban life in Bern until the 19th century. Today the long and slightly curved alley is a popular shopping street and shapes the streets of Bern with its baroque facades .

Kramgasse and its buildings are considered a heritage of national importance and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site .

location

Looking east

Kramgasse is around 330 meters long and is located in the center of Bern's old town. It is the western half of the central axis of the oldest part of the city, the Zähringer town , and was built after the town was founded in 1191. In the west the street is bordered by the Zytglogge , and in the east the Kreuzgasse separates the other half of the old main street, the Gerechtigkeitsgasse . Several narrow streets and corridors connect Kramgasse with the parallel Rathausgasse in the north and Münstergasse in the south.

In the Kramgasse there is a driving ban for all motor vehicles without a special permit; It is freely accessible only to pedestrians and cyclists. It is also crossed by the Bernmobil bus line 12 . Both sides of the street are with arbors of stone arcade covered.

history

A market day on Kramgasse in the 19th century.
Postcard around 1900: The arbours of Kramgasse and the Zähringerbrunnen

The Kramgasse was called Märitgasse until the 15th century and was called Vordere Gasse during the 16th century . The well-known changes to the name show the various functions of the alley: In the Middle Ages it served the city as a marketplace , but after the Reformation the market stalls were replaced by shops on the lower floors of the buildings. The alley remained the commercial center of the city until the middle of the 19th century, which developed from the 1840s.

Over the centuries the alley was slowly gentrified . During the 19th century, residents complained about the litter, smell and noise caused by the open hall of the Schaal butcher's shop . The butcher's shop was demolished in 1938 and a conservatory was built on the site, which, however, interrupts the medieval street scene.

In the second half of the 19th century, the economic importance of Kramgasse waned when many shops moved to the newer, western part of the city and the authorities closed many taverns in the cellars of the alley. From the turn of the 20th century, Kramgasse became a tourist attraction. From the 1920s, buses and trams ran through the alley, and from the 1970s, the passage of motor vehicles was gradually banned in the entire lower old town. The number of apartments on Kramgasse has steadily decreased as they have been replaced by shops and offices. In 2005 the alley was completely renovated and the cobblestones replaced. The city ​​stream , which flowed in the middle of the alley in the Middle Ages, has since been visible again through a metal grille.

building

The guild hall in the guild house to merchants .

Apart from a few cellars, only fragments of the buildings on Kramgasse testify to the time before 1500. Many of the private townhouses still contain building elements from the late Gothic period . There are very few preserved facades from the 17th century. Between 1705 and 1745, the facades and parts of the interior of 72 of 85 buildings on the street were designed in the Baroque style, some by the architect Albrecht Stürler or his students.

In house no. 2, the guild house for carpenters at the eastern end of the street, has been the oldest pharmacy since 1527 , and inside it contains the earliest evidence of neo-Gothic architecture in Bern. The cellar of house no. 4 dates from the 13th century. The house no. 7 is completely preserved in its condition from 1559 and is one of the most impressive late Gothic ensembles in Bern. Its interior is kept in the Historical Museum in Bern . House no. 19 was together with house no. 21 built between 1735 and 1740 and represents the Bernese Régence style. It was used as a family townhouse until the 1970s. House no. 29, the guild house for merchants , is the most important late baroque town house in Bern and was built by Niklaus Schiltknecht between 1718 and 1720 and has a guild hall with paneling and furniture from the Baroque era . The house no. 17 to 21 form the headquarters of the Bern canton police . When it was set up in the 1950s, the historic interior was largely destroyed. House no. 41 has one of the few humanistic house mottos that survived the building boom in the 18th century.

The house no. 45, Zunfthaus zu Metzgern , was built in 1769 by Rudolf Augst , a student of Niklaus Sprüngli . House no. 61 shows the first features of the colossal order on a private building in Bern. No. 54 is considered to be one of the most beautiful works by the renowned Bernese townhouse architect Albrecht Stürler . House no. 81 is characterized as a low-key masterpiece, planned by Niklaus Sprüngli and significant due to its elegant, barely decorated facade.

In addition to the aforementioned guild houses for carpenters and butchers, there is the Zunfthaus zum Affen at Kramgasse 5, the Zunfthaus zu Pistern at Kramgasse 8, the Zunfthaus zum Mohren at Kramgasse 12 and the Zunfthaus zu Kaufleuten at Kramgasse 29; So 6 guild houses of the 13 guild societies in the civic community of Bern .

Fountain

The Kreuzgassbrunnen and the full length of the Kramgasse, seen from the Kreuzgasse .

Three fountains decorate the alley. At the eastern intersection is the Kreuzgassbrunnen , which was the model for all other obelisk fountains in Bern. It was built in 1778/79 by Christian Reist and Johann Conrad Wiser . In the middle is the Simsonbrunnen , built in 1527 , which was decorated with a figure by Hans Gieng in 1543 . The Zähringer fountain at the western end of the street is the first figure fountain to be built in Bern. The fountain was built by Hans Hiltprand in 1535 and shows an armored bear, which is the heraldic animal of Bern , and holds the coat of arms of the Zähringerhaus in his hand.

Famous residents

House no. 49, the Einsteinhaus , was the residence of Albert and Mileva Einstein from 1903 to 1905. Einstein's apartment was on the first floor, above the restaurant Zum unten Juker . It was in this apartment that Einstein wrote his work in the “ Annus Mirabilis ” in 1905. The building is now a small museum and memorial.

Albrecht von Haller , the Bernese naturalist, lived in house no. 25 during the 1750s. The Bundesrat Max Petitpierre lived during his tenure in the house no. 61. Other notable Bernese who lived in Kramgasse were two mayers , Niklaus Friedrich von Steiger and Karl Friedrich von Tscharner (in nos. 61 and 74, respectively), illustrator Albert Lindegger (in nos. 82 and 17) and art historian Wilhelm Stein (in No. 43).

literature

  • Mirjam Brunner et al .: Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Solothurn. Society for Swiss Art History, Bern 2007, ISBN 978-3-906131-97-9 (= art guide through Switzerland. 3).
  • François de Capitani: In the focal point of the old town: Kramgasse. Verbandsdruckerei-Betadruck publishing house, Bern 1983, ISBN 3-7280-5358-9 .
  • Paul Hofer : The art monuments of the canton of Bern. The city of Bern - social houses and residential buildings . Ed .: Society for Swiss Art History (=  Die Kunstdenkmäler der Schweiz . Volume 40 ). tape 2 . Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel 1959, The residential buildings II. Second Zähringerstadt Kramgasse, p. 242–280 (495 p., Biblio.unibe.ch [PDF; 65.0 MB ; accessed on February 15, 2018] History and development of Kramgasse.).
  • Fridolin Limbach: The beautiful city of Bern: the eventful history of the old "Märit-" or "Meritgasse", today's Justice and Kramgasse and the old Zähringer town of Bern. Benteli, Bern 1978, ISBN 3-7165-0273-1 .
  • Jörg Ried: The language of a «Grande Rue», Kramgasse. Kramgassleist, Bern 1983, ISBN 3-7280-5358-9 .

Web links

Commons : Kramgasse  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b François de Capitani: In the focal point of the old town: Kramgasse. P. 8.
  2. ↑ a b c d Zita Caviezel, Georges Herzog, Jürg A. Keller: Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Solothurn, Kunstführer durch die Schweiz, 3rd p. 188.
  3. ↑ Swiss inventory of cultural assets of national and regional importance. 1995, p. 103.
  4. ↑ a b c Paul Hofer : The art monuments of the canton of Bern. The city of Bern - social houses and residential buildings . Ed .: Society for Swiss Art History (=  Die Kunstdenkmäler der Schweiz . Volume 40 ). tape 2 . Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel 1959, The residential buildings II. Second Zähringerstadt Kramgasse, p. 242 (495 pp., Biblio.unibe.ch [PDF; 65.0 MB ; accessed on February 15, 2018]).
  5. ^ A b Paul Hofer: The art monuments of the canton of Bern. The city of Bern - social houses and residential buildings . Ed .: Society for Swiss Art History (=  Die Kunstdenkmäler der Schweiz . Volume 40 ). tape 2 . Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel 1959, The residential buildings II. Second Zähringerstadt Kramgasse, p. 243 (495 pp., Biblio.unibe.ch [PDF; 65.0 MB ; accessed on February 15, 2018]).
  6. ^ A b François de Capitani: In the focal point of the old town: Kramgasse. P. 11.
  7. ^ Zita Caviezel, Georges Herzog, Jürg A. Keller: Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Solothurn, art guide through Switzerland, 3rd p. 191.
  8. ^ François de Capitani: In the focal point of the old town: the Kramgasse. P. 23.
  9. ^ François de Capitani: In the focal point of the old town: the Kramgasse. P. 15.
  10. ^ François de Capitani: In the focal point of the old town: the Kramgasse. P. 18.
  11. ^ François de Capitani: In the focal point of the old town: the Kramgasse. P. 24.
  12. ^ François de Capitani: In the focal point of the old town: the Kramgasse. P. 26.
  13. ^ Paul Hofer: The art monuments of the canton of Bern. The city of Bern - social houses and residential buildings . Ed .: Society for Swiss Art History (=  Die Kunstdenkmäler der Schweiz . Volume 40 ). tape 2 . Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel 1959, The residential buildings II. Second Zähringerstadt Kramgasse, p. 246 (495 pp., Biblio.unibe.ch [PDF; 65.0 MB ; accessed on February 15, 2018]).
  14. ^ Paul Hofer: The art monuments of the canton of Bern. The city of Bern - social houses and residential buildings . Ed .: Society for Swiss Art History (=  Die Kunstdenkmäler der Schweiz . Volume 40 ). tape 2 . Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel 1959, The residential buildings II. Second Zähringerstadt Kramgasse, p. 250 (495 pp., Biblio.unibe.ch [PDF; 65.0 MB ; accessed on February 15, 2018]).
  15. ↑ a b Zita Caviezel, Georges Herzog, Jürg A. Keller: Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Solothurn, Art Guide through Switzerland, 3rd p. 189.
  16. ^ Paul Hofer: The art monuments of the canton of Bern. The city of Bern - social houses and residential buildings . Ed .: Society for Swiss Art History (=  Die Kunstdenkmäler der Schweiz . Volume 40 ). tape 2 . Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel 1959, The residential buildings II. Second Zähringerstadt Kramgasse, p. 253 (495 pp., Biblio.unibe.ch [PDF; 65.0 MB ; accessed on February 15, 2018]).
  17. ↑ Zita Caviezel, Georges Herzog, Jürg A. Keller: Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Solothurn, Art Guide through Switzerland, 3 , pages 189–190.
  18. ↑ a b Zita Caviezel, Georges Herzog, Jürg A. Keller: Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Solothurn, art guide through Switzerland, 3rd p. 190.
  19. ^ A b Zita Caviezel, Georges Herzog, Jürg A. Keller: Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Solothurn, Kunstführer durch die Schweiz, 3rd p. 191.
  20. ^ A b Zita Caviezel, Georges Herzog, Jürg A. Keller: Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Solothurn, Kunstführer durch die Schweiz, 3rd p. 192.
  21. ^ Zita Caviezel, Georges Herzog, Jürg A. Keller: Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Solothurn, Art Guide through Switzerland, 3rd p. 193.
  22. ↑ a b Jörg Ried: The language of a «Grande Rue», Kramgasse , pages 57/58.
  23. ↑ Walking in Einstein's footsteps. In: Swissinfo. Retrieved May 19, 2012 (English).

Coordinates: 46 ° 56 ′ 53 "  N , 7 ° 27 ′ 1"  E ; CH1903:  600887  /  one hundred and ninety-nine thousand six hundred fifty-four