Bern Gate

Today’s Berntor dates from the second half of the 18th century, when it was built by Berne’s master architect, Niklaus Hebler, who also renovated the famous “Zytglogge” Tower in Berne.

The clock, high above on the Bern Gate, was made in 1712 by Ducommun Brothers in La Chaux-de-Fonds. It is still wound every day. Three heavily weighted stones, probably cannonballs from the Battle of Murten, are raised by hand cranking every 24 hours. The clock face on the outside wall has only a one hour hand. This symbolic “hand of oath” means that Murten was a free city.