Since its humble beginnings as a small chapel built during the founding of Bern (1191), the Bern Minster has expanded exponentially as Bern developed into a major city state of the northern Alps by the 15th-century. To befit the city’s new status of affluence and power, the master architect Ensinger began construction on a monumental, Gothic-style cathedral in 1421, but it wasn’t before the start of the new century that this beautiful architectural work of art was completed, with the addition of a bell tower in 1893.

Since antiquity, the cathedral has experienced a controversial and tumultuous past with its function of use – it was officially converted into a Protestant church following the tragic bubonic plague that befell much of Europe during the 15th-century. Today, the cathedral serves as the largest and most significant church from the Late Middle Ages, and rises elegantly above the cityscape of the Old Town of Bern with its impressive, 100-metre high cathedral spire. Visitors can enjoy unparalleled, magnificent views across the cityscape into the snow-capped mountains of the Bernese Oberland and Mitteland from the incredible vantage point atop Switzerland’s highest church tower.

Visitors should not miss the highlight that welcomes all at the entrance to Bern Minster – a stunning depiction of the Last Judgement, one of the core tenets of Christian belief. The more than 200 carved religious figurines paint a vivid picture of salvation and damnation that will move and appeal to devotees and non-devotees alike. The beautiful stained-glass windows that adorn the interior of the church, especially that of the remarkable “Dance of Death”, become stunningly illuminated on a sunny day, breathing life and inspiring wonder in all who visit this grand architectural masterpiece.