Erlacherhof

The Erlacherhof is an elegant Baroque townhouse in Bern's old town that serves as the seat of the city government and the mayor. Built in the mid-eighteenth century for a patrician family, it is arranged around a cour d'honneur behind an ornate gateway, a rare French-influenced layout for the city. Its restrained yet refined facade lines the Junkerngasse near the cathedral. Though primarily an administrative building, its courtyard and exterior can be admired by those walking the arcaded streets of the World Heritage old town.