Battles, wars, attacks – discover Bern’s turbulent history

Not far from the Zentrum Paul Klee, where visitors now flock to admire the paintings and drawings of the famous Swiss painter and other art exhibitions, is the site of a groundbreaking battle that took place over 750 years ago. At the time, Bern had refused to pay the House of Habsburg their owed taxes and instead entered into an alliance with the House of Savoy. This was unacceptable to the Habsburgs – an attack was inevitable. The battle between the city of Bern and the House of Habsburg took place on 27 April 1289. According to contemporary witnesses, Habsburg soldiers hid in the east of the city and lured the Bernese men into an ambush, taking prisoners and killing those attempting to flee. In the peace negotiations following Bern’s defeat, the city was forced to accept higher taxes and reparation payments. It was, however, allowed to retain its independent status and was not forced to submit to the House of Habsburg.

Laupen in the year 2025: a quiet and idyllic town on the Central Plateau, less than 20 minutes by car from Bern. It’s hard to imagine that a major battle raged here almost 700 years ago. It began with the extinction of the Zähringen family, the founders of the city. As Berchtold V of Zähringen had no male descendants, the family’s power ended with his death in 1218. The city of Bern became a free imperial city, which meant that it was directly subordinate to the Holy Roman Emperor but was increasingly administered independently. Additionally, it was able to greatly expand its territory in the following years. This did not please everyone. An alliance of noble families and towns in particular took offense and attempted to invade Bernese territories in 1339. Consequently, Bern besieged the strategically important town of Laupen and its castle. The siege culminated in the Battle of Laupen, from which Bern and its allies (including the cantons Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden) emerged victorious. Peace did not immediately ensue, however, as tensions and power struggles continued and there were new raids as well as economic sanctions.

1353 was a historic year for Bern. After having been more or less self-determined and independent, it joined the Swiss Confederation and became the eighth canton. This accession significantly increased the Confederation’s military force overnight. And that was not the only advantage. Bern’s geographical position was also of great benefit to the Confederation. Bern, on the other hand, was able to avoid submission to Habsburg and retained its decision-making power. At the time, the city of Bern was one of the most powerful and prosperous cities in Central Europe, so this development was a clear political, economic and military statement.

Now housing a modern Youth Hostel, a restaurant, a museum and more, the walls of Burgdorf Castle used to serve a very different purpose. In the 14th century, the castle was the scene of a battle between the city of Bern and Rudolf II, the Count of Neu-Kyburg. He had attacked the city of Solothurn in 1383 in order to establish his dominance in the region that is now the Central Plateau. The city of Bern promptly reacted by besieging the city of Burgdorf and its castle. After several weeks of intensive attacks, which the defenders of Burgdorf all successfully defied, the city of Bern was forced to end the conflict due to the burdens of war and civil unrest at home. Bern subsequently acquired the towns and castles of Burgdorf and Thun for a total of 37,000 guilders. To imagine what that would be worth today!

In 1476, the town of Murten, just over 30 kilometres from Bern, was the scene of a historic battle: The cantons of the Swiss Confederation at the time (including Bern) fought against the troops of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. He reached the town of Murten on 9 June 1476 and immediately began a siege lasting a total of 13 days. Marks left by Burgundian cannonballs can still be found in Murten today. It is also assumed that Murten’s French Church was demolished its stones repurposed for military defences. But on 22 June, the Confederate troops surprised the enemy with a devastating attack. Charles the Bold hadn’t expected the Swiss to fight on that day, as it was a religious feast day at the time. The Duke never fully recovered from this defeat – hence the famous words: “Bei Grandson das Gut, bei Murten den Mut, bei Nancy das Blut” – “At Grandson his goods, at Murten his courage, at Nancy his blood”.

5 March 1798 changed the course of Bernese history. At Grauholz, where there is now a motorway cutting through the forest, Bern’s troops faced the French Revolutionary Army. At the same time, there were Bernese soldiers fighting for their city and fending off the enemy in Neuenegg, not far from Laupen. The Battle of Grauholz was quickly decided in favour of the French, who had far superior numbers. In Neuenegg, on the other hand, the attackers were defeated. However, as the town of Bern had already surrendered in the meantime, further attempts at defence were in vain. Bern was finally taken by the French under Napoleon Bonaparte. The colour-coded street signs in the city of Bern (for orientation purposes after a night of drinking) are one of the remnants of the events that took place in Bern over 200 years ago. Find out why the French also stole Bern’s famous bears on the “Dr Franzos” (“The Frenchman”) city tour. An absolute treat for history buffs!

Waging a war armed with nothing but “Stäckli” (sticks, wooden clubs) and one’s bare hands – unimaginable today. But from August to October 1802, that’s exactly what happened in Bern. Official forces of the Helvetic Republic and federalist insurgents faced each other at Aargauerstalden, located below the Rosengarten at what was then the gates of Bern’s old town. The federalists were concerned with preserving conservative values and upholding traditions and wanted to maintain the traditional cantonal independence. The Helvetic Republic, on the other hand, supported the ideas of the French Revolution and favoured central government. Despite their financial and numerical inferiority, the federalists prevailed and forced the Helvetic government to capitulate. The war went down in the history books as the “Stäcklikrieg” and marked the end of the Helvetic Republic. Only a few months later, the French troops were ordered by Napoleon to withdraw from Switzerland and the discussions about the country’s political structure began anew.

The events of 1847 were the last military conflict on Swiss soil. In November 1847, the highly conservative Swiss Sonderbund (consisting of the cantons Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Zug, Fribourg and Valais) fought against the liberal cantons of the Swiss Confederation. The reason for the war were the conflicting opinions regarding the path that Switzerland should take in the future. Bern, being an important part of the Confederation, participated in the civil war which took place in various locations in Switzerland. During these conflicts, Confederate commander Dufour strictly adhered to humanitarian principles in combat operations, uttering the words that would go down in Swiss history: “We must emerge from this battle not only victorious, but also without reproach.” Consequently, the defeated Sonderbund troops were treated with respect, which paved the way for debates and the subsequent transformation of Switzerland into a federal state in 1848. The enemy cantons became more unified despite their differing religious views, and the federal constitution was introduced together with a separation of powers (legislative, executive and judiciary).

It is often forgotten that Switzerland does not have a capital, but rather a so-called federal city, the political centre of the country. The denomination was chosen to emphasise the equality of the cantons. When it came to choosing the seat of the country’s government in 1848, the city of Bern was able to count on broad support from the French-speaking cantons. Its central location was – and still is – also an advantage. And the city provided the Confederation with the needed plot of land for the construction of the Bundeshaus (Parliament Building) for free – a decision that was met with some criticism from the locals. Bern ultimately prevailed against Zurich, Lucerne and Zofingen with the majority of votes from both parliamentary chambers (National Council and Council of States). If you want to learn more about this important moment in history, we recommend booking a spot on the “1848 – Bern, the federal city” guided tour.