Are you visiting Bern in Switzerland for business or a holiday? Want to know which museums in Bern to visit? Here we’ve provided a summary of the best museums in Bern.
The Natural History Museum of Bern
The Natural History Museum of Bern displays a vast array of fossils and, among other things, boasts a huge collection of stuffed animals both indigenous to Switzerland and from further away.
The Alpine museum of Bern
The Alpine Museum of Bern is located next door to the Natural History Museum and provides an interesting alternative for those who don’t have a particular interest in natural history. The Alpine Museum offers a fascinating insight into the mountain people of Switzerland and how mountains and mountaineering were an ingrained part of culture in traditional Switzerland
Bern History Museum
The Bern History Museum is one of Bern’s major museums. The Museum itself is situated in a seven storey castle and houses exhibits relating to all manner of Switzerland’s long and rich history. Among the highlights on display at the History Museum in Bern are the famous ‘dance of death’ paintings that depict a skeleton leading a series of different people to their deaths. The Bern History Museum also has an interesting display of hundreds of paintings depicting Switzerland’s rural peasantry and the lives they led in centuries past. The Bern history museum also plays host to quite a significant collection of Islamic arts and crafts, including ceramics and jewellery from Arabia and Persia.
The Federal Assembly of Bern
Bern is the Federal Capital of Switzerland which is comprised of 26 states or cantons which have a great deal of cultural and administrative autonomy. The Federal Assembly Building in Bern is not technically a museum, although it is a place of historical significance and well worth visiting anyway. When the assembly is in session, one is able to observe proceedings from the public gallery. When the Federal Assembly is in recess, official guided tours of certain parts of the building are offered to the public where one can see the rooms in which many historically important decisions were made for Bern and Switzerland.
The Kunst Museum in Bern
The Kunst Museum in Bern is located approximately 5 minutes walk away from the main train station in Bern. The primary attractions of this museum are the exhibits of the famous Swiss post modern expressionist artist, Paul Klee, who was born towards the end of the 19th century. Those interested in art will also enjoy the art history museum in Geneva.
