For the past 50 years, Silvia Müller’s life has revolved around the Swiss capital. This is where she has raised her children and set up her business. It’s also where she’d like to grow old. The initiator and organizer of Bern’s Night of the Museums currently lives just two minutes from the famous Zytglogge medieval tower in the heart of the old town – a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
01 An artistic space
The little known Abegg-Stiftung in Riggisberg is an internationally renowned center of excellence for textile art and the perfect place to immerse yourself in an otherwise hidden world. Featuring Egyptian wall tapestries, Central Asian and Mongolian caftans, silk robes from the Chinese Liao dynasty and luxury European fabrics from the 12th to 18th centuries, this is an unmissable trip. If the journey is too far, the Zentrum Paul Klee built by Renzo Piano is also worth visiting. The museum’s art repository houses around 4,000 works by the Swiss artist, with exhibitions focusing on different themes.
Werner Abegg-Strasse 67 in Riggisberg and Monument im Fruchtland 3 in Bern
02 Enjoying the water
Thirty-six fountains in the city center provide fresh clear drinking water, which can be freely enjoyed on a tour of Bern. The capital’s most popular water, however, flows along the Aare. Every summer, the whole of Bern flocks to the river for a dip. Experienced swimmers float through the city, diving beneath the surface to hear the extraordinary sound of the stones murmuring on the river bed. Bern and the Aare are part of an ongoing love story.
03 Skillfully orchestrated
The Gurten, the Dampfzentrale, the Altenberg, the summer pop-ups along the Aare: Bern is full of photogenic places. The rose garden in particular is the perfect spot for taking pictures, offering a wonderful view of the city. Sunsets are simply spectacular, with their warm light conjuring up a surreal, slightly ethereal atmosphere over the city. And of course, one photo opportunity that shouldn’t be missed on a tour of Bern – whether physically in its dedicated park, on the city’s coat-of-arms or in the form of a biscuit – is the city’s emblem: the bear.
04 An urban oasis for young and old
Elfenau Park is located outside the city but can be reached within ten minutes by public transport. On fleeing from the tsar’s court to Bern 200 years ago, the Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna of Russia named her estate Elfenau. This expresses the mystical effect of the English park landscape that she had designed at the time. Today, you’ll find walking trails, a wonderful playground for the little ones, streams to splash around in and meadows under the shade of old trees. A café provides refreshments for all those visiting the grounds.
Elfenau Park, Elfenauweg 94, 3006 Bern
05 A meeting point with a view
The place to be in summer is the terrace of the Bellevue Palace hotel. Although rooftop bars are springing up everywhere in Bern, nothing rivals the ambience and views offered by the vantage point over the world-famous Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountain backdrop, up to Bern’s local mountain, the Gurten and all the way down to the Aare with the famous Marzili river baths. Here, both local and international guests can enjoy an aperitif, a club sandwich or fine dining with friends in a wonderful location open to everyone.
Hotel Bellevue Palace, Kochergasse 3/5, 3011 Bern
Silvia Müller studied at the EHL Hospitality Business School in Lausanne. Since 2003, she has been dedicated to organizing and managing Bern’s Night of the Museums.
Text by Kristin Müller
This article is an excerpt from La Réserve Magazine N° 31 by Michel Reybier Hospitality, which you can consult online here.