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The Zytglogge tower in Bern, a medieval gate tower with a large clock face, red-tiled spire, and gilded bell-striker figure against a blue sky.

The Zytglogge's east façade, with its astronomical clock and gilded Chronos figure.

Zytglogge

Bern · Bern · Switzerland

Built around 1218–1220, the Zytglogge served as the gate tower of Bern's western fortifications. It was a squat building of 16 metres in height. When the city expanded, the tower was heightened to 23 metres and later converted to a women's prison, notably housing women convicted of sexual relations with clerics. In the great fire of 1405, the tower burnt out completely.

After the fire, the prison cells were abandoned and a clock was installed above the gate. The great bell cast in 1405 gave the tower its name, which in Bernese German means 'time bell'. The astronomical clock was extended in the late 15th century. The gilded figure of Chronos, nicknamed Hans von Thann, has struck the hour since 1530.

The exterior was renovated in 1770, giving the tower its contemporary outline. The red-tiled late Gothic spire and the wooden pinnacle, copper-sheathed since 1930, rise 54.5 metres above the Old City. The west façade features Victor Surbek's 1929 fresco 'Beginning of Time', while the east façade carries a reconstruction of the 1770 design. From Advent and Easter until the end of October, the tower is illuminated after dusk.

The Zytglogge is a heritage site of national significance and part of the Old City of Bern, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It remains one of the city's most recognisable symbols, its clock and bell marking the passage of time as they have for centuries.

In the early 13th century, when Bern had just won its de facto independence from the Empire, the city built a gate tower for its western fortifications. That tower, the Zytglogge, stood only 16 metres tall. Within decades, the city expanded, and the tower was heightened to 23 metres to overlook the surrounding houses. By 1344–1346, after further westward expansion, the Zytglogge was converted to a women's prison, famously housing Pfaffendirnen – women convicted of sexual relations with clerics. A slanted roof was added.

The great fire of 1405 changed everything. The tower burnt out completely, suffering severe structural damage. The prison cells were abandoned. In their place, a clock was installed above the gate, probably including a simple astronomical clock and musical mechanism. A great bell was cast that same year by Johann Reber. The tower received its name, Zytglogge – 'time bell' in Bernese German – first recorded in 1413.

The late 15th century brought a new look. The tower was extended and decorated in the Burgundian Romantic fashion, gaining a lantern (with the metal bellman visible today), four decorative corner towerlets, heraldic decorations, and probably its stair tower. The astronomical clock was extended to its current state. In 1527–30, Kaspar Brunner rebuilt the clockwork completely, and the gateway was overarched to support the heavy machinery.

In 1607–1610, Gotthard Ringgli and Kaspar Haldenstein repainted the exterior and introduced the large clock faces that dominate the east and west façades. The corner towerlets were removed before 1603. In 1770–1771, Niklaus Hebler and Ludwig Emanuel Zehnder renovated the tower in the late Baroque style, giving it the outline still seen today. The façades were repainted in the Rococo style by Rudolf von Steiger in 1890, but that design fell out of favour. A 1929 competition produced the current frescoes: Victor Surbek's 'Beginning of Time' on the west façade, and a reconstruction of the 1770 design by Kurt Indermühle on the east.

The tower's body rises 24 metres to the roof-edge, with a rectangular floor plan of about 11.2 by 10.75 metres. The plinth is clad in alpine limestone, the shaft in sandstone. Decorative corner blocks are held in place by visible iron hooks. The sweeping, red-tiled late Gothic spire contains two spire lights. From the pinnacle, a copper-sheathed wooden spire rises another 15 metres, crowned with a gilded knob and a weather vane displaying Bern's coat of arms.

The great hour bell, cast in 1405, has a diameter of 127 centimetres and a weight of 1,400 kilograms. Its Latin inscription reads: 'In the October month of the year 1405 I was cast by Master John called Reber of Aarau. I am vessel and wax, and to all I tell the hours of the day.' Beneath it hangs the smaller quarter-hour bell, cast in 1887 to replace a cracked 1486 original.

Every full hour, a large clockwork-operated hammer strikes the great bell. Passers-by see a gilded, larger-than-life figure in full harness moving its arm to strike. This bearded Chronos, the Greek personification of time, is nicknamed Hans von Thann. The original wooden figure might have been created by Albrecht von Nürnberg; the current version is a 1930 reconstruction of a Baroque original. The bell-striker has been gilded since 1770, matching the bells.

The eastern clock face has an outer ring of large golden Roman numerals for the hour hand and an inner ring for the minutes. The golden Sun on the hour hand is pivot-mounted to always face up. The western clock face is part of Surbek's fresco, showing Chronos swooping down. The Zytglogge, a heritage site of national significance within the UNESCO-listed Old City of Bern, remains a vivid landmark – its time bell still measuring the city's days.

Do not miss

The Astronomical Clock

The 15th-century astronomical clock, with its intricate dials and moving figures, including the gilded Chronos that strikes the hour. The mechanism controls the bell-striker and was rebuilt by Kaspar Brunner in 1527–30.

Fresco 'Beginning of Time'

Victor Surbek's 1929 fresco on the west façade depicts Chronos swooping down, with Adam and Eve below. It replaced an earlier Rococo design and gives the clock face a dramatic backdrop.

The Great Hour Bell

Cast in 1405 by Johann Reber, this 1,400-kilogram bronze bell has rung the hours for over 600 years. Its Latin inscription tells its origin, and it is struck by a clockwork hammer at every full hour.

Good questions

What does 'Zytglogge' mean?

It translates to 'time bell' in Bernese German, referring to the clockwork mechanism that rang a small bell at the full hour. The name was first recorded in 1413.

Why was the tower used as a prison?

After 1344–1346, the Zytglogge was converted to a women's prison, notably housing Pfaffendirnen – women convicted of sexual relations with clerics. The prison cells were abandoned after the fire of 1405.

Who is Hans von Thann?

It is the Bernese nickname for the gilded Chronos figure that strikes the great hour bell. The original wooden figure may have been carved by Albrecht von Nürnberg; the current one is a 1930 reconstruction of a Baroque original.

Practical
Entry
The Zytglogge is a public landmark visible from the street. For interior tours (when available), inquire at the Bern tourism office.
Time needed
Allow 30 minutes for external viewing and to watch the hour strike.
Good to know
The clockwork animates the bell-striker at each full hour. The tower is illuminated from Advent through the end of October, and from Easter to end of October after dusk.
Where
Old City of Bern, Switzerland. The tower stands at the former western gate of the medieval fortifications.
Zytglogge in the Old City of Bern.

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

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