Burgdorf: Castle, Old Town and experiences on the Emme

The castle, old town and museums give Burgdorf a distinctive historic character. At the same time, walks, audio guides and outdoor activities reveal many different sides of the town. This makes it possible to shape a stay around architectural history, art and activity.

Castle, museums and old town

Built around 1200 by Berchtold V, Duke of Zähringen, Burgdorf Castle is considered the best-preserved Zähringen complex and a monument of national importance. Its rooms house three museums with collections of national importance: the Castle Museum, the Museum of Ethnology and the Helvetic Gold Museum. Using multimedia, the Castle Museum presents the history of the castle, the region and connections around the world. The castle also offers tours and workshops for schools, adult groups and family events.

The layout of the old town also tells the story of Burgdorf’s development. It comprises the castle, Alten Märit and Oberstadt; the historic urban fabric also includes the Kornhaus quarter and Unterstadt at the foot of the castle rock. The built-up area stretches between the castle hill and the church hill. In the town church, built between 1471 and 1491 in the style of Gothic mendicant churches, notable details include a stone rood screen dating from 1511 to 1512 and colourful stained-glass windows.

The Siechen or Bartholomew Chapel stands on the eastern edge of Burgdorf. On the way to the chapel, you can see the wooden Wynigen Bridge, a work of Baroque carpentry dating from 1776. The old town also offers culture, culinary experiences, shopping, markets and opportunities to stroll.

There are direct train connections to the castle from Bern, Olten, Solothurn, Thun and Zurich. From the station, a walk through the old town leads to the castle. The Burgdorf Tourist Office advises visitors on excursion destinations, sights, guided town tours, hikes and museums.

Art, crafts and special collections

The Franz Gertsch Museum is devoted primarily to the artist’s work. More than half of its exhibition space is reserved for temporary exhibitions of contemporary art. The Bernhard Luginbühl Museum presents the artist’s sculptural and graphic works, brought together as a Gesamtkunstwerk. Luginbühl was associated with the artist group and the Nouveau Réalisme movement.

At the Alte Werkstatt of the Klötzli knife-making workshop, you are in the former rooms where five generations of the Klötzli family lived and worked. A very different collection is housed at AMP Burgdorf: the HAM Foundation’s vehicle collection is spread across four halls and comprises more than 400 objects. These include 19th-century horse-drawn carriages, trucks, ships and a modern battle tank. From historic crafts and fine art to large collection pieces, Burgdorf’s cultural offerings are diverse.

Town stories, explored in different ways

Visitors who want to explore Burgdorf on foot can choose from a range of themes. The smartphone-based Gewerbekanäle tour follows 13 stops to Burgdorf’s industrial canals and the power of water. The audio guide “Burgdorf gehört gehört” covers a different route: it leads through 30 stops from the station to Oberstadt, to the castle and through Unterstadt back to the station. Ten additional stops provide information about Burgdorf’s history, personalities and specialities.

Other activities invite you to explore independently. “Spiel dich durch Burgdorf” is open all year round and offers more than 20 game stations that can be freely combined. The approximately six-kilometre-long Planet Trail is an outdoor model of the solar system at a scale of 1:1 billion. A smartphone-based discovery tour leads to 20 special benches with a view; some are located on the Emme or have a fire pit. The routes and formats vary in theme and scope, from town history and the solar system to viewpoints.

Outdoor activities and landscapes along the Emme

The Schachen along the Emme is a local recreation area for walking, jogging, cycling and barbecuing. Oberburger Schachen is a cantonal nature reserve and part of the floodplain areas of national importance. The landscape around Burgdorf also extends beyond the old town: the municipality covers both sides of the Emme, with a larger section on the left bank and a smaller one on the right. In the southwest, part of the Krauchtalbach valley, set in wooded hills, lies within Burgdorf.

The Helsana Trails are available year-round, free of charge, for walking, Nordic walking and running; they are signposted circular routes of varying lengths. The outdoor Zurich vitaparcours is 2.3 kilometres long, has an elevation gain of 70 metres and starts in Pleerwald. Burgdorf outdoor swimming pool has a 50-metre pool with eight lanes. Its original construction and floor plan from 1929 have remained largely unchanged.

Seasonal and regional highlights

During the winter months, the Urania Observatory holds free public observing evenings on the roof of Burgdorf Gymnasium. Guided tours are available for school classes and groups. A regular fixture in the town calendar is the Solennität: this school and children’s festival is also a general folk festival and takes place every year on the last Monday in June.

For a view beyond Burgdorf, the Emmental begins just outside town, with its green hills. The wider region is particularly known for its typical Bernese farmhouses and cheese. A stay in Burgdorf thus combines exploring a historic town with insights into the landscape and character of the Emmental.

Discover more destinations: Krauchthal, Burgdorf, Kaltacker, Oberburg, Hasle bei Burgdorf, Lyssach, Courtelary, Aarwangen.

For the overview of the wider region: Bern.