Attraction: Zytglogge

The Clock Tower in Bern (Zytglogge) is as old as the city itself, having been constructed in 1191 as the western gate to the much smaller Bern at the time.

The tower’s copper spire rises high above the city center, and its astronomical clock mechanism was installed in 1530, during the Reformation. This was the official timepiece of Bern from the 16th to the 19th centuries, by which all other clocks in the city were measured. Spectators congregate at the clock five minutes before the hour to see the mechanism, which dates back approximately 500 years.