The Zeughausgasse (

Armory Armory or armoury may mean: * An arsenal, a military or civilian location for the storage of arms and ammunition Places *National Guard Armory, in the United States and Canada, a training place for National Guard or other part-time or regular mili ...

lane) is one of the streets in the

Old City of Bern The Old City (german: Altstadt) is the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. Built on a narrow hill bordered on three sides by the river Aare, its compact layout has remained essentially unchanged since its construction during the twelfth ...

, the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. It is part of the Innere Neustadt which was built during the second expansion in 1255 to 1260. The eastern end is at Kornhausplatz while the western end is at Waisenhausplatz. 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

Zeughausgasse was originally called ''vor den Predigern'' after the nearby Prediger Abbey. The Dominican abbey was built throughout the 13th and 14th centuries. In 1527 the abbey was

secularized In sociology, secularization (or secularisation) is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions. The ''secularization thesis'' expresses the ...

and the street changed names to ''Beim Totentanz'' after a Dance of Death painting cycle by Niklaus Manuels on the abbey wall. The long wall was painted with the fresco in 1520 which remained until the demolition of the wall in 1660. Even though the painting was destroyed in the 17th century, the street remained ''Beim Totentanz'' until the 18th century. In 1745 it was renamed Zeughausgasse and widened. The ''Zeughaus'' or armory, that the street was named after, had originally been a

workhouse In Britain, a workhouse () was an institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. (In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses.) The earliest known use of the term ''workhouse' ...

for the abbey and occupied what would become Zeughausgasse 18-28, Nägeligasse 4-6 and 7-13. In 1876 the old armory was demolished and in 1880 the street was widened.

Sights

The former city council hall for the outer city (german: Ehemaliges Rathaus des Äusseren Standes) at Zeughausgasse 17 is a Swiss heritage site of national significance. Two other sites, the former ''Kornhaus'' (a type of granary) which is now a museum and the city theatre (german: Stadttheater), are at the end of Zeughausgasse but with a Kornhausplatz address.Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance
21.11.2008 version, accessed 29-Jan-2010

References

{{coord, 46.94889, N, 7.44583, 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