Bärengraben

The home of Bern's living emblem, the Bärengraben, or bear pit, sits across the river Aare from the old town and keeps the brown bears that have symbolised the city for centuries. The bear appears on Bern's coat of arms, and legend links it to the city's very name.

Bears have been kept in Bern since at least the sixteenth century, and the circular stone pit by the Nydegg bridge dates from 1857, long a fixture of the city and a somewhat old-fashioned attraction. Growing concern for animal welfare eventually made the cramped pit untenable, and in 2009 a far larger enclosure, the BearPark, was opened alongside it, running down the steep bank to the edge of the Aare so that the bears can roam, swim and forage in a more natural setting.

The historic pit remains as a monument to the tradition, while the modern park lets visitors watch the bears from paths and viewpoints along the riverside. The animals are a genuine civic mascot, their names and antics followed by locals, and the setting, with the medieval town rising on the far bank, is memorable in itself.

The site is freely accessible at all times and lies just across the Nydeggbrücke from the eastern end of Bern's arcaded old town, a UNESCO-listed centre of sandstone streets and fountains. Nearby, a funicular climbs to the Rosengarten, a rose garden with a classic panorama over the old town's rooftops and the loop of the Aare. Combining a walk through the historic core with a visit to the bears and the viewpoint above makes for an easy and rewarding half-day, and the Bärengraben remains the most characterful expression of Bern's identity.