Käfigturm (Prison Tower)
Käfigturm (Prison Tower) features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Bern. Give it roughly ~20 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type historic
- Suggested visit ~20 min
- Bern Bern guide
About Käfigturm (Prison Tower)
Bern's 13th-century second city gate, later used as a prison and now a civic meeting place at the western edge of the old town, marking the expansion of medieval Bern in the 1300s.
The Käfigturm, the Prison Tower, is one of Bern's most important historical landmarks, marking a key moment in the medieval expansion of the city. When Bern was first founded in 1191, the Zytglogge served as the western gate. As the city grew and expanded westward in the early 14th century, a new western gate was needed, and the Käfigturm was built around 1256-1270. For centuries it served as a city gate, then as a prison (hence its name, Käfig means "cage" or "prison" in Swiss German), then as a market hall. Today the tower houses a small exhibition space used for civic and political displays. The Bärenplatz (Bear Square) and the Waisenhausplatz to its west are now two of the most important public squares in the centre of Bern.
Did you know? The Käfigturm was built around 1256-1270 as Bern's second western city gate, replacing the Zytglogge as the western boundary when the city expanded in the early 14th century.
How long is a visit to Käfigturm (Prison Tower)?
Set aside roughly ~20 min for Käfigturm (Prison Tower). That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Käfigturm (Prison Tower) worth your time?
Käfigturm (Prison Tower) is among the 22 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Bern, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Bern
Hear the story of Käfigturm (Prison Tower)
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