Bärenplatz

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title: "Bärenplatz" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["squares-in-bern", "old-city-(bern)"] description: "Square in Bern, Switzerland" topic_path: "general/squares-in-bern" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bärenplatz" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Square in Bern, Switzerland ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox street"]

Field	Value
name	Bärenplatz
image	Bern Baerenplatz.PNG
caption	Old City of Bern with Bärenplatz highlighted
postal_code	3011
location	Old City of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
coordinates
construction_start_date	1579
map_type	Switzerland Bern downtown#Canton of Bern#Switzerland
map_caption	Location of Bärenplatz
::

| name = Bärenplatz | native_name = | image = Bern Baerenplatz.PNG | caption = Old City of Bern with Bärenplatz highlighted | former_names = | postal_code = 3011 | addresses = | length = | width = | location = Old City of Bern, Bern, Switzerland | client = | owner = | current_tenants = | sector = | category = | coordinates = | commissioning_date = | construction_start_date = 1579 | completion_date = | inauguration_date = | demolition_date = | main_contractor = | cost = | map_type = Switzerland Bern downtown#Canton of Bern#Switzerland | map_caption = Location of Bärenplatz

The Bärenplatz (, "Bear Plaza") is a plaza in the Old City of Bern, the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. It is part of the Innere Neustadt which was built during the second expansion from 1255 to 1260. It is located north of Bundesplatz, west of Käfigturm and south of Waisenhausplatz. It is part of the UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site that encompasses the Old City.

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Der_Bärenplatz_um_1810.JPG" caption="Bärenplatz in 1810"] ::

In 1256, the area that became Bärenplatz was a ditch that was part of the second city wall. In 1513 the northern section was walled off to become the Bärengraben (Bear Pits). In 1578 the bridge into the Käfigturm was demolished and in the next year, the southern section was filled in. The southern part of the plaza was used for the hay and wood market, as well as for the Rossmarkt or horse market from 1668/69. When the Bärengraben were moved, the northern section was filled in and came to be known as Holzmarkt (Wood Market). The middle section was then known as Viehmarkt (Cattle Market). The plaza was first mentioned as Bärenplatz in the mid-19th century.

References

References

1. Weber, Berchtold. (1976). "Historisch-topographisches Lexikon der Stadt Bern".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::