Cultural venues in the city of Bern

The stages of Stadttheater Bern (Bern City Theatre) and Vidmarhallen offer everything the hearts of music, dance, and theatre fans desire: there are countless performances, concerts, and special events each season. The Casino Bern, where the Bernese Symphonic Orchestra plays its way through musical history, is also part of Bühnen Bern. The four-part house – consisting of Stadttheater, Casino and Vidmarhallen, which are located in an old factory in the Liebefeld neighbourhood – is the largest concert theatre of Switzerland’s Central Plateau and inspires visitors from near and far. The same goes for the restaurant “Vierte Wand”, which sits on the stage of the original Stadttheater from 1903 and attracts gourmets and culture aficionados alike.

This venue on the Aare river hosts contemporary performances, dance recitals and avant-garde pop concerts. In the 1980s, the former hydroelectric power station started establishing itself as a culture and performance centre. Today, Dampfzentrale is a meeting place for creative minds and their audience with room for experiments, debates, and discoveries. Every November, the music festival “Saint Ghetto” takes place here, bringing international stars and newcomers to Bern. And your physical wellbeing is taken care of, too: the Dampfzentrale’s elegant restaurant serves delicious treats.

Multifaceted entertainment in the heart of Bern’s Old City: that’s what the Theater am Käfigturm offers. As its name suggests, it is located near one of Bern’s landmarks – the Käfigturm (Prison Tower). Before becoming a theatre in 1967, the building served as a studio stage for the Stadttheater, but now it is open exclusively to guest companies and artists and is a popular anchor point in Bern’s theatre agenda. The programme includes theatre and magic as well as children’s theatre and dance performances. And if you’re a fan of comedy, you can go and see the latest shows of Swiss comedians such as Stefan Büsser and Helga Schneider.

Sie ist der älteste Musikclub Berns: Seit über 50 Jahren werden in der Mahogany Hall am Klösterlistutz Konzerte und Tanzveranstaltungen durchgeführt. Die Longstreet Jazzband eröffnete 1968 das Lokal, in welchem bis heute rund 5’000 Konzerte stattfanden. Darunter Musiker:innen wie Marc Sway, Ira May oder The Pedestrians. Das Erfolgsrezept der Mahogany Hall: In den denkmalgeschützten Räumen fühlen sich alle wohl, von Jung bis Alt. Und mit dem vielseitigen Konzertprogramm von Jazz über Mundartpop bis Hardrock ist für jeden Geschmack etwas dabei. Ein Geheimtipp sind die Open-Mic-Abende: Jeweils am zweiten Mittwoch im Monat wird noch unbekannten Künstler:innen eine Plattform geboten.

Above the rooftops of Köniz, a suburb of Bern, sits a castle. In the Middle Ages, it was home to the Teutonic Order and Bernese “Landvogt” bailiffs, and to different institutions and children’s homes in the 19th and 20th centuries. Nowadays, it’s a venue for all kinds of cultural events. Amenities include a room for civil wedding ceremonies, a restaurant, and the stages that are used and rented out by the association Kulturhof Schloss Köniz. The versatile rooms and the small courtyard are used for plays, concerts, book readings, exhibitions, and culture festivals. The large courtyard is dedicated to culture, too: in the summertime, there are concerts underneath the mighty linden tree.

Concerts, movie screenings, plays, festivals, and all sorts of events: at the Reitschule, creativity knows no boundaries. What this cultural centre has to offer is as diverse as its artists and audience. Nationally and internationally renowned musicians play in the Dachstock, there are parties in the Great Hall, the Tojo shows contemporary plays and at Sous le Pont, there’s tasty food from all over the world – and delicious “Schnipo”, schnitzel and fries – as well as cultural performances. The programme changes according to season and what the organizers feel like doing. If you like things to be a bit different, you should check it out!

Noch näher am Plätschern der vorbeiziehenden Aare gehts fast nicht: Das Restaurant Cinématte im Matte-Quartier, dem ältesten Stadtteil Berns, liegt direkt am Flussufer und bietet neben kulinarischen Köstlichkeiten Kinogenuss pur. Auf dem Menü stehen saisonale Gerichte aus regionalen Produkten, frisch und vor allem mit viel Liebe zum Detail zubereitet – das Auge isst schliesslich mit. Wer «nur» den kleinen Hunger mitbringt oder sich vor der Filmvorführung stärken möchte, findet auf der Barkarte kleinere Gerichte wie Käseplättchen, Salatteller oder Suppen. Dazu ein feiner Schweizer Tropfen zum Anstossen, danach (oder auch davor) eine Perle schweizerischen oder europäischen Filmschaffens – und der Abend ist perfekt.

It’s definitely cheerful here - because the name says it all. The inviting Heitere Fahne restaurant is located below the Gurten. After a walk up the local mountain, a colourful hodgepodge of sofas, garden chairs and who would have thought it – a flag, invites you to linger. The programme is, as the “Heitere” describes itself, wild. Pizza evening every Wednesday, an extensive Sunday brunch with still-warm “Züpfe” and concerts that melt hearts. A little bird also chirped to us about the “Räuber:innenrunde”, where they discuss a morning together. So unique, so loving and so creative. We’d say it's time to discover this fantastic place with the dedicated people behind the stage.

Like most medieval towers, the Käfigturm (Prison Tower) had many different functions over time. It was erected in the mid-13th century as part of the outer city wall and later served – as the name suggests – as a prison. Since 1999, the listed building has been housing the Polit-Forum, which informs visitors about politics. In panel discussions and lectures, the concept of democracy is questioned and rethought, upcoming votes are discussed, and politicians take on the critical questions of the audience. A forum as diverse and multifaceted as Swiss politics.

The grand sandstone building next to Bern’s main station is home to the Berner Generationenhaus (Bern House of Generations). The name says it all: the Generationenhaus includes a retirement home, a day-care centre, a public playground, and the parent counselling centre of the canton of Bern. Since its opening in 2014, it has also established itself as a cultural events location with participative theatre and musical projects, exhibitions, and other events. And the in-house chapel is regularly used as a rehearsal location for the Bernese “GenerationenChor” (Generations Choir), whose 80 participants are between 20 and 80 years old.

About 70 of Progr’s rooms serve as studios for some 150 artists of all kinds. Initially, the building was meant to be temporary, but the Progr (a former “Progymnasium”, high school) quickly made a name for itself in Bern’s cultural scene. The ground floor is open to the public and a popular meeting place for the locals, with its galleries and two café-bars Turnhalle (the former gym) and Lehrerzimmer (the former teacher’s lounge). The Lehrer:innenzimmer is a cozy place for coffee, the Turnhalle regularly hosts concerts and parties: the place that used to serve as a gym for schoolchildren has turned into one of the hot spots of Bernese cultural and nightlife.

Be it pop concerts, classical performances, or chanson and a cappella evenings: Bern is a city of music, and the intimate, familiar venue in a former chapel in Bern’s Breitenrain neighbourhood proves it. The audience comes to La Cappella to have a good laugh, too, as it is one of the best places in Bern for revues and poetry slams. After its inauguration in 1998, Bernese troubadours Irmgard Knef and Franz Hohler were among the first to perform on its stage. Uta Köbernick, Christoph Simon, Esther Hasler and Joachim Rittmeyer followed in their footsteps and fill the ranks today. Also a favourite: the iconic “Theatersport” evenings, which the audience can shape by shouting cues or voting on outcomes.

Which architectural style will define our cityscapes in the future? How integrated are immigrants in Bern? How much money is art allowed to cost? When the city discusses socio political and cultural questions, it often happens at Kornhausforum. The focal topic is the urban space – and Bern, of course. There are always different panel discussions going on at Kornhausforum, but it also hosts events like the Design Festival Bern. Furthermore, the forum is an important exhibition space for artistic, documentational and press photography. Today’s Kornhausforum was opened on two storeys in 1998 and is located right next to Kornhausbibliothek (Kornhaus library) and Kornhauscafé.

Theater

• Das Theater an der Effingerstrasse
  Dieses Theater ist ein Publikumsliebling und lockt mit Kammerspielen, Bühnenmonologen, Literaturadaptionen – und einem hochkarätigen Ensemble.

• Theater Matte
  Das Mundart-Theater an der Aare bringt Stücke von Anton Tschechow ebenso auf die Bühne wie Lieder von Mani Matter und verbindet Volksnähe mit Anspruch.

• Theater Remise
  Im kleinen Holzhaus an der Laupenstrasse bietet das charmante Theater Musicals, Tanz und Theater.

• Theater Madame Bissegger
  Das einstige Wandertheater hat mittlerweile eine fixe Spielstätte, ist aber noch genauso wild und kreativ wie vor zwanzig Jahren.

Konzertlokale

• Bierhübeli
  Das Kultlokal mit Galerie, Bar und Garten bietet internationalen und Schweizer Bands seit Jahrzehnten eine musikalische Heimat.

• Gaskessel
  Seit den frühen Siebzigerjahren ist der Gaskessel mit Konzerten, Partys und Filmvorführungen das lebendige Kreativlabor der Jugendkultur.

• ISC
  Auf mehreren Etagen können im ISC Club angesagte Konzerte besucht, Drinks geschlürft oder Tischfussballmatches ausgetragen werden.

• Musigbistrot
  Gemütliches Bistro und Sprungbrett: Manche Band, die heute auf grossen Bühnen spielt, feierte hier einst als unbekannter Act Bern-Premiere.

Indie Kinos

• Lichtspiel
  Die Kinemathek Lichtspiel macht Filmgeschichte sinnlich erlebbar – mit Filmvorführungen, Workshops und Kursen.

• Kino Rex
  Für einmal hat ein Arthouse- ein Mainstream-Kino abgelöst: In den zwei Sälen des Rex kommen Cineast:innen seit der Neueröffnung 2015 dank thematischer Filmreihen, Autor:innen- und Kunstfilmen ganz auf ihre Kosten.