The Spitalgasse is one of the streets in the Old City of Bern, the medieval city center of

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

, Switzerland. It is part of the Äussere Neustadt which was built during the third expansion from 1344 to 1346. The eastern end is at

Waisenhausplatz The Waisenhausplatz (Orphanage Plaza) is a plaza in the Old City of Bern, the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. It is on the edge of the Innere Neustadt which was built during the second expansion from 1255 to 1260, though the pla ...

and

Bärenplatz The Bärenplatz (Bear Plaza) is a plaza in the Old City of Bern, the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. It is part of the Innere Neustadt which was built during the second expansion from 1255 to 1260. It is located north of Bundes ...

while the western end is at

Bahnhofplatz The Bahnhofplatz (Train Station Plaza) is a plaza just outside the Old City of Bern, the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. It was built following the destruction of the ''Christoffelturm'' which had been part of the third city wall. ...

near the Church of the Holy Ghost. It is part of the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

Cultural

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

that encompasses the Old City.

History

Shortly before 1228, the Holy Ghost hospital and abbey were founded outside the city walls of Bern. While the hospital name changed to ''Oberer Spital'' (Upper Hospital) in 1307, when the ''Niedern Spital'' (Lower Hospital) was founded in what would later become

Gerechtigkeitsgasse The Gerechtigkeitsgasse ("Justice Alley") is one of the principal streets in the Old City of Bern, the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. Together with its extension, the ''Kramgasse'', it is the heart of the inner city.Hofer, 74 Hans ...

2–10, the abbey and chapel retained the original name. As the city expanded it began to surround the hospital and abbey. Then, in the third expansion of the city from 1344 to 1346, the old Bümpliz road, which ran by the abbey, became part of the main road through Bern. In 1344 it was known as ''nüwe stat zem heiligen Geist'' for the abbey's name. However, by 1359 it was known as Spitalgasse after the Oberer Spital. Spitalgasse was an extension of the old

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

road from the east gate of

Aventicum Aventicum was the largest town and capital of Roman Switzerland (Helvetia or Civitas Helvetiorum). Its remains are beside the modern town of Avenches. The city was probably created ''ex nihilo'' in the early 1st century AD, as the capital of t ...

to Bümpliz In 1715 the Oberer and Niedern Spital merged into the ''Grossen Spital'' (Grand Hospital). The buildings on Spitalgasse were demolished in 1726/31 after the new ''Burgerspital'' was built.

Sights

There are three Swiss heritage sites of national significance on Spitalgasse. They are; the houses at Spitalgasse 36 and 38 along with the passage, the

Pfeiferbrunnen The Pfeiferbrunnen is a fountain near Spitalgasse 21 in Bern, Switzerland. It is one of the Old City of Bern's 16th-century fountains and is part of the list of Swiss heritage sites of national significance. The Pfeiferbrunnen was built in 1 ...

and the

Reformed Reform is beneficial change Reform may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine *''Reforme'' ("Reforms"), initial name of the ...

Holy Ghost Church at Spitalgasse 44.

Pfeiferbrunnen

The Pfeiferbrunnen was built in 1545/46 by the Swiss

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

sculptor

Hans Gieng Hans Gieng (first mentioned 1525 – died 1562) was a Swiss Renaissance sculptor best known for his public fountain figures in the Old Town of Bern as well as Fribourg. Biography Gieng, who was probably of Swabian origin, is recorded to ...

, based on the 1514

Albrecht Dürer Albrecht Dürer (; ; hu, Ajtósi Adalbert; 21 May 1471 – 6 April 1528),Müller, Peter O. (1993) ''Substantiv-Derivation in Den Schriften Albrecht Dürers'', Walter de Gruyter. . sometimes spelled in English as Durer (without an umlaut) or Due ...

woodcut of the Bagpiper. Originally, it stood in front of the Gasthaus (hotel and restaurant) zum Kreuz, which was a hotel for traveling minstrels. In 1594 the building was renamed to Gasthof zum Storchen. Which led to the alternate name for the Pfeiferbrunnen, the Storchenbrunnen. This alternative name was popular until the end of the 19th century. During the renovation of 1874, an inscription was placed on the back of the statue, and the figures on the pillar were damaged. The current basin was built in 1889. Then, in 1919 the fountain was moved to the east from its original spot between Ryffli- and Storchengässchen, to its current location in front of Spitalgasse 21.Weber – Pfeiferbrunnen
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Church of the Holy Ghost

The first church on the site was a small church built shortly before the 1228 construction of the Holy Ghost hospital and abbey. This building was replaced by the second church in 1482–96. From 1528 to 1604 the church was secularized by the

reformers A reformer is someone who works for reform. Reformer may also refer to: *Catalytic reformer, in an oil refinery *Methane reformer, producing hydrogen * Steam reformer *Hydrogen reformer, extracting hydrogen *Methanol reformer, producing hydrogen f ...

. In 1604 it was again used for religious services, as the hospital church for the ''Oberer Spital''. The second church was demolished in 1726 to make way for a new church building. Following an 11-year planning phase, in 1726–29 the third church was built by Niklaus Schiltknecht. The first organ in the new church was installed in 1804, and was replaced in 1933 by the second organ. The church has six bells, one of the two largest was cast in 1596 and the other in 1728. The four other bells were all cast in 1860. With about 2000 seats, it is one of the largest

churches.Weber – Heiliggeistkirche
/ref> During the 1726 construction of the church, Roman religious objects were discovered under the foundation. From this find, it appears likely that the church sits on the site of an old Roman temple.

References

{{coord, 46, 56, 52.74, N, 7, 26, 32.45, E, region:CH, display=title Streets in Bern Odonyms referring to a building Old City (Bern) Cultural property of national significance in the canton of Bern