The Prison Tower

You’re now standing in front of one of Berne’s most iconic landmarks, the Prison Tower. The version you see now is relatively recent, but the original dates back to between 1256 and 1344. Back then, it served as the city gate and a watchtower. But as Berne grew in the 14th century and new fortifications were built, this gate lost its strategic importance. Then came the great fire of 1404, which destroyed much of the city, including the Clock Tower, which at the time doubled as a prison. So the authorities decided to install a clock on the old watchtower and turn it into the new city prison. This is where suspects were interrogated and locked up. There are even written records from the time, known as the “tower books”, that document everything from confessions and crimes to court rulings. They’re an incredible source of information about daily life and social conditions in 15th-century Berne. Fast forward to 1641, and the tower, now four centuries old, was torn down and rebuilt here, on the same spot. The city decided to expand it, since it was still being used as a detention center and needed more room for prisoners. It stayed that way until 1897, when a new district prison was finally built and the inmates were transferred. After that, the tower was repurposed as the Berne State Archives. In 1999, it took on a new role as the home of the Confederation’s Political Forum, hosting exhibitions and events focused on Swiss politics and civic life. Here’s a fun fact about the painter Ferdinand Hodler, one of Switzerland’s most celebrated artists and a major figure of European modernity in the Belle Époque. In the 19th century, his mother worked here as a cook. She apparently met her future husband in this building, who was a carpenter, not an inmate, and it’s likely that Ferdinand Hodler was born here, in her small servant’s quarters inside the tower.