The Kramgasse is the main street of Bern's Old Town, running about 330 metres from the Zytglogge clock tower down to the Kreuzgasse crossroads. Stone arcades line both sides, three painted fountains stand in the middle of the street, and at no. 49 is the flat where Albert Einstein lived in the years before his 'miracle year' of 1905.
The Kramgasse at a glance
- Where: in Bern's Old Town, between the Zytglogge in the west and the Kreuzgasse in the east, where the same street continues as the Gerechtigkeitsgasse.
- Built: laid out soon after Bern was founded in 1191; most of today's façades were rebuilt in Baroque style between 1705 and 1745.
- By: many of the Baroque façades are the work of the architect Albrecht Stürler and his pupils.
- What it is today: a shopping street closed to private cars (buses still run through it) and part of the Old Town of Bern UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Time needed: 30 to 60 minutes for a slow walk, more if you visit the Einstein House.
From market alley to shopping street
Until the 15th century the street was called the Märitgasse, the market alley, and in the 16th century the Vordere Gasse. It formed the western half of the main axis of the original town, and market stalls stood here until the Reformation, when shops gradually took their place. The Kramgasse remained Bern's commercial centre until the middle of the 19th century, with its busiest years in the 1840s.
Between 1705 and 1745, 72 of the street's 85 houses received new Baroque façades, which is why it looks so even today, although many cellars and walls are much older. When business moved to the newer western part of the city in the late 19th century, the Kramgasse became more of a showpiece. Motor traffic was gradually banned from the lower Old Town from the 1970s, and a renovation in 2005 brought new cobbles and made the medieval town stream visible again.
What to look for
- The arcades: the Lauben run along both sides, so you can walk the whole street dry in the rain. Look down as well: many cellar doors open straight onto the pavement and lead to bars, shops and small cellar theatres.
- The Zähringerbrunnen: at the western end, an armoured bear holding a banner with the arms of the Zähringen dukes, the founders of Bern. Made in 1535, it was the first fountain in Bern topped with a figure.
- The Simsonbrunnen: in the middle of the street, Samson forcing open the jaws of a lion, a figure by Hans Gieng added in the 1540s.
- The Kreuzgassbrunnen: at the eastern crossroads, an obelisk fountain from 1778–79 that became the model for Bern's later obelisk fountains.
- The Einstein House at no. 49: Albert and Mileva Einstein rented a flat upstairs from 1903 to 1905. In 1905 he published the papers that included the special theory of relativity, and the flat is now a small museum.
- The town stream: metal gratings in the middle of the street let you see the Stadtbach, the stream that has run along the street since the Middle Ages.
Guild houses, a house motto and a ghost
Two guilds had their houses on the Kramgasse: the merchants' Zunfthaus zu Kaufleuten at no. 29, built in 1718–20 and regarded as the finest late Baroque town house in Bern, and the butchers' Zunfthaus zu Metzgern at no. 45, from 1769. At no. 41 a rare old house motto survived the Baroque rebuilding; it says, roughly, that the most beautiful thing is justice, the best is good health and the most joyful is getting what you wish for. A local legend adds a ghost: a calf said to have been skinned alive near the old butchers' hall still bleats here at night.
Tips for your visit
- Come early in the morning or in the evening, when the arcades are quiet and the long curve of façades is easiest to take in.
- For the classic view, stand near the Kreuzgasse and look west up the street towards the Zytglogge.
- Be at the Zytglogge a few minutes before the hour to watch its mechanical figures move before the bell strikes.
- People live and work above the shops, so keep cellar entrances clear and watch out for buses, which run through the middle of the street.
Nearby
- Zytglogge: the medieval gate tower at the top of the street, once the western gate of the town, with an astronomical clock from the 16th century.
- Bern Minster: the late Gothic cathedral with the tallest church tower in Switzerland, a few minutes' walk south through the side alleys.
- Federal Palace: the seat of the Swiss parliament and government, with a terrace overlooking the Aare.
- BärenPark: the bear park by the Nydegg Bridge, at the bottom of the Gerechtigkeitsgasse, which carries on downhill from the Kramgasse.
See Bern with World City Trail
Our Bern scavenger hunt turns the Old Town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 3 hours, with about 44 minutes of walking. Along the way you visit places such as the Heiliggeistkirche, the Käfigturm and the Federal Palace.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour of Bern and an outdoor escape game in the city.
Play the Bern scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Bern →
Play the outdoor escape game in Bern →
Facts checked in October 2026.