A good way to get a quick workout in!
These covered steps lead from Bern’s city center down to the Matte district, which was an old working-class neighborhood filled with dockworkers and craftspeople. It was such a tight neighborhood that the citizens had their own dialect, descended from that of Swiss gypsies.
Streets lined with half-timbered houses
In the 1970’s, the neighborhood was, of course, gentrified. It was bound to happen at some point. The blue-collar population moved out and the middle-class moved in. Today, design firms and software companies occupy the old half-timbered buildings.
I’m glad I encountered this street-side canal during the day!
Here, the nearby river is channeled into an open canal that runs forcefully along the street. We heard it whooshing past us!
Rooftop seen from stairs
6 Responses to Burgtreppe and Matte District, Bern, Switzerland