description

OP A

VIEW OF BERN, AND THE

HIGH ALPS;

WITH THE SURROUNDING COUNTRY.

taken bv

HENRY ASTON BARKER;

And now exhibiting in the great Rotunda of his

PANORAMA, LEICESTER^SQUARE.

AN INTERESTING VIEW OF

LAUSANNE, and the LAKE of GENEVA,

IS ALSO OPEN.

Admittance to each Painting, One Shitting,

LONDON;

PRINTED BY J, AND C. ADLARD, 23, BARTUOLOAIBW CLQS5»

[ Price Sixpence.]

1821.

Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2019 with funding from Getty Research Institute

https://archive.org/details/descriptionofvieOObark

DESCRIPTION

OF A

VIEW OF BERNy

AND THE

HIGH AGFS,

Bern, the capital of the Canton of Bern, was founded in ll^i by Bertold the Fifth, last Duke of

Zeringuen, Rector of Petite Bourgogne. This town

was destined to become an asylum to the lesser no¬

bles, and the free part of the yeomen who resisted

the oppression of the great feudal lords, such as the

courts of Gruyers, and Neufchatel; the Barons of

Unspounnen, of Montenach, and others : and so ra¬

pid was the population of Bern, that, even so early as

the year 1346, it had attained nearly the same extent

which it possesses at the present day. The western

part of Switzerland, from the Lake of Geneva to the

course of the Reusse, which issues from the Lake of

Lucerne, and falls into the Aar at Brougg, bore the

name of Petite Bourgogne, at the period of the

foundation of Bern. This district belonged to the

German empire, and was governed by Rectors.

The city of Bern soon extended its territory and

dominion by the conquests it obtained over its ene-

the territorial lords. The first remarkable vic¬

tory was gained in 1298 at Donerbiihe, a height in

the neighbourhood of the town, over the Counts of

Gruyers, of Neufchatel, and of the town of Fri¬

bourg: the second was gained in 1339; at Laupen,

4

over the same enemies- It was after this second vic^ tory that Bern seized several castles (chateaux,) and manorial lands situated around its walls, parti¬ cularly those of Bremgarteii, Belp, Bouigistem, Guereiistein, &c. &c. In the year 1415 Bern made the conouest of Arg'ovic, and in 1536 that or t lo Pave de Vaiul From this period, down to the revo¬ lution of its government in 1798, it possessed tlie most extensive territory of all the Swiss cantons Its o-overnment extended from the western point of the Lake of Geneva, to the course of the Reusse, and to Brougg, a small town of Argovie, six leagues from Zurich; since that event it lost the Paye de Vaud and Arsovk, now forming cantons under their owf government ; but, to counterbalance those losses,^it obtained, in the year 1815, the ancient ter¬ ritory of the Bishopric of Basel, now forming an in- teo-ral part of the canton of Bern. This canton is o-o%erned, at present, by a great representative coun¬

cil of three hundred, elected from all the citizens whom the constitution points out to be eligible.

x\ small council of twenty-seven members sits almost constantly, and takes cognizance of all the ordinary affairs of the state. The great council as¬ sembles on the first Monday of every month, besides the sittings of summer and winter, which last about fifteen days successively in June and December.

The point from whence this Panorama was taken, is situated on the right side of the River Aai, nearly opposite to the terrace of the cathedral, and near a little eminence v/hich rises out of a large plain, called the Kirchenfeld, (field of the church,) celebrated in the history of tliis canton, as being the spot where Rodolphe, of liabsbourg, Emperor of Germany,'!' established his camp in 1288, and twice laid siege to

+ Tlie Castle of Habsbourg, where Rodolphe resided, is situated near Brougg, a small town on the Aar in the canton of Argoine, This castle, now in ruins, was the cradle of the House of Austria.

5

Beni with an army of thirty thousand men, but both times without success. According to tradition, and wdth great probability, the emperor caused his own tent to be pitched upon the very eminence above mentioned ; as, from that situation, he could not only command a view of his whole camp, but also of the entire range of the town he was besieging. This point, therefore, independently of the advantage of its beautiful situation, commanding towards the south-east the magnificent chain of the high Alps, and on the opposite side a long line of the Jura, with the city of Bern in front, seen on its most fa¬ vourable side, is still more interesting from its histo¬ rical celebrity, having been occupied, more than five centuries back, as a military station for several weeks by the greatest Emperor of Germany since Charlemagne. The rising ground so celebrated is now inclosed in the domain of Mr. Wild de Roche, a private gentleman of Bern, and forms part of a garden soi-disant Anglais. A small lime is planted on its summit, and a bench for repose is placed near its stem. Here, particularly in a beau¬ tiful summer evening, when the retiring sun colours with gold and purple the splendid chain of moun¬ tains the most elevated of the Swiss Alps, covered with eternal snow and ice, this point of view exhibits a spectacle at once sublime and unique to the ama¬ teur of belle nature.'' The stranger, more especially, is then struck with admiration when contemplating this grand and majestic picture, combining all that the highest cultivation, or the wildest scenery of Nature, can present to the eye of man.

The city of Bern, situated in Ion. 7° 20' E. lat. 46® 52' N. is built upon an elevated tongue of land nearly insulated by the river Aar, whose pale green waters run with great rapidity through a deep valley which partly surrounds the town. The houses are

6

well constructed of free-stone, and frequently co¬ vered with plaster washed with white. The streets are formed with great regularity, and have generally the advantage of arcades on each side, by which means foot passengers are prevented from being in¬ convenienced by rain. One long street runs through the whole centre of the city, having three gates, built, at dhferent periods, as the place became more extended. The first of these, on entering Bern, is called the Gate of Goliah; the second, that of the Prison ; and the third, the Gate of the Great Clock Tower.

A stream of clear water runs through the gntire length of the main street in a narrow canal, which is here and there ornamented with small foun¬ tains whimsically surmounted by figures, most com¬ monly bears in armour, 8^c. supporting a banner which turns with the wind. The streets of Bern are remarkable for cleanliness, being swept and cleared of any accidental dirt, frequently in the same day, by convicts both male and female : the women sweep, and the men remove the rubbish in a cart, to which several are chained, and the whole are attended by a guard to keep them in order. The population of Bern is computed at present to be about eleven thousand. The people among the working classes appear strong and healthy, particularly the women, who are generally upon a very large scale. Their language is German, but Trench is also spoken by the superior ranks of society. The climate is consi¬ dered to be very salubrious at Bern, from its elevated situation, being 1708 feet above the level of the sea, and 522 feet higher than the lake of Geneva. Vines were formerly cultivated in this canton, but the coldness of the air prevented their coming to perfec¬ tion, and consequently their growth has been discon¬ tinued, but the surrounding country produces good crops of corn, and excellent pasture for cattle.

5

7

EXPLANATION.

No. 1.—Promenade of the little Ramparts. This is a de¬ lightful walk planted with rows of trees; from it there is an ex¬ tensive view of the high Alps, the river Aar, and a part of the town, with a picturesque highly-cultivated landscape inter¬ spersed with country seats, farms, and villages. The fortifications of this city run across its western entrance; the principal ram¬ parts are intercepted in this view, except the very summits of them seen behind, and over the academy of drawing. These works were commenced in 1022, and completed in I7OO, under the im¬ mediate inspection of Theodore Agrype d’Aubigne, who was a long time the favourite of Henry the Fourth of France, and grand¬ father of the celebrated Madame de Maintenon: by him the Bernese were advised to fortify their city, and he furnished the plan of the works himself.

1^0. 4.—Tower of St. Christopher, or Goliah. This tower is very ancient, and built over the first gate entering to the town. It takes its names from having a monstrous ill-formed figure in wood, of gigantic proportion, placed in a niche fronting the prin¬ cipal street, and made formerly to represent St. Christopher ; but since the reformation it has been called Goliah, and to support that name, a fountain has been erected opposite to it with a stone statue placed on the top, representing David holding the sling pre¬ pared to destroy the giant.

No. 5.—Church of St. Esprit, rebuilt in 1714. The archi¬ tecture is modern, and this church is one of the handsomest public buildings in Bern.

No. 0.—Hospital for the Sick, called VIsle, rebuilt in 17I8 by Diinz, an architect of Bern, from the plan of the architect Bar, of Constance.

No. 7*—The Mint, a regular stone building, begun in 1790, and finished in 1793, from the plan of Monsieur Antoine, of Paris; the same who, a few years before, built the Mint in that city, which is considered one of its greatest ornaments. In front of the Mint of Bern is a circular terrace, resorted to by all strangers on account of the beautiful view obtained from that point.

8

No. 8.—Prison Tower. In 1346 this tower was at the western extremity of the town. It is a strong plain building, and is used at present as a prison for malefactors.

No. ().—The Academy of Drawing, and Piidlic Library^ ad¬ joining buildings, are both well arranged and kept in excellent order. The former has a good collection of plaster casts from the antique, which are seen to great advantage from the size of the room, and the great light thrown upon them. In the library are many valuable books, and manuscripts; among the books are several in the English language, presented by Mr. Hollis to the city of Bern in 1765. There is also a cabinet of natural history, and a collection of all the birds indigenous to Switzerland; besides many Greek, Roman, and Gothic coins; nearly a complete series of all the Swiss coins and medals, collected by Haller. This Mu¬ seum is likewise enriched with curiosities from the South Seas, col¬ lected by Weber, the artist, a citizen of Bern, who accompanied Captain Cook in his voyage round the world. A Botanical Gar¬ den is attached to the Academy, containing a collection of Alpine plants, which, under the care of the Pasteur AVittenbach, flourish in great perfection, he having ingeniously removed a part of their original soil, and even rock, to which they were attached, and placed them in the garden to receive the plants.

No. 11.— The Great Clock Tcncer, so named from having an immense astronomical clock over the gate, accompanied with what was considered a miracle in former times, namely, a wooden cock, which flaps its wings, and crows every hour. There arc also wooden bears and figures, which move at the same time, to the great amusement of the peasants who frequent the town oFi market days.

No. 13.—La Stijt, or Mansion of the two Chiefs of State^ called Avoyers. This house, entirely rebuilt in 1745, was formerly the habitation of the Canons, who officiated in the Cathedral bo- fore the reformation in 1528.

No. 15.—The Cathedral of St. Vincent, was first founded about the year 1220, and completely rebuilt in 1420 by Mathius Oenfinguer, a German architect, xvho also erected the superb Cathedralat Ulm, inSuabia, about the same period. St. Vincent’s is a Gothic structure; and, though many parts of the architecture are in a rich style of ornament, particularly the grand entrance, yet the whole is not equal to many similar structures on the Con¬ tinent. The tower was originally intended to have terminated

9

^vith an open-work Gothic spire, but was never cornpktoi] owing to the fear of the foundation not being sufficiently sood to bear the Lreased weight of such a n.ass, its height at present .s^ 17^ French feet, if completed it would have been nearly 300 feet high. The terrace, or platform, of the Cathedral, forms a beautiful pro¬ menade, planted with horse.chesnut trees, under whose shade aic four gravel walks, with ranges of seats, kept in the neatest order The terrace is elevated 108 feet above the river, and is supported by an enormous mass of masonry, added to at different periods. The view of the Alps, from the front walk, contrasted with (he hanging wood on the sloping banks of the Aar; the rapid course of that river, wheeling in curling eddies at the foot of the spec tator • and the white foam, where its waters flow over a length¬ ened wear, form a landscape of the most pleasing description, thouo-h not calculated for a Panorama. On the parapet of the terrace is a tablet of white marble containing an account, in German, of a young student named Weinzeepili; who in the year 1654 was thrown from a horse over the parapet, and, though he fell from such an immense height, was not killed; hiS arms and

legs were broken, but he recovered#

No IQ.—Die Hoofslaat, (ihe Senate House,^ was the residence

of Conrad, of Boubenberg, the first Avoyer of person who began to build this city by of the Duke of Zeringuen in the year II9I. The small gate at the side of tins housef and narrow passage leading to the Matte, strll goes by the

name of Boubenberg’s passage.

No 23.—Church of Nideck, stands upon the site of an ancient rhate’au bearing the same name, which existed before the foun- “o’f Bern, Ld belonged, in’lioi, to the Duke Bertold, the fifth of Zeiingucn, who occupied ,t occasmna ly as a ' sidence. During the interregnum from 1250 to 12/o, t.ic btrne destroyed this Chateau; and, in 1494, erected upon its foundation

the present church.

^0.24—Bridge upon the Jar, leading' to the SoJeure and

Piorvo d S vTye "called fe Petit CkarUmagnc, uncle

rbefnor. Queen to lien^y the Second of ‘ 'n Protector of the city of Bern, placeu the first tree, ^ bridi^c which he defended against the Counts eiiemff’s of Bernese. The present bridge was built of stone about

The lower part of the town, running along the

banL of the Aar, is called the Matte, and is considerably inoi^ ancient than Bern, being a small town, where the spot now occ -

10

pfed by the city was a forest.* The Matte is entirely inhabited by the lower orders. In it are several baths upon the river, and some corn-mills.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HIGH ALPS, &c.

(N.B. AU the elevations are given from the level qf the sea.)

No. 32.—Wetterhorn (calcarious rock, reposing upon gneis,) IS 11,453 feet high. This mountain is situated upon the confines of the valleys of Hasli and Grindelwald.

No. SS.—Schreckhorn (Granite and Gneis) is 12,566 feet. 1 his mountain rises from the vallies of ice which contain the Glaciers of Grindelwald.

^ No. 34.—Finsteraarhorn, (Primitive Mountain,) 13,234 feet, is situated to the west of the Grimsel, upon the frontier of the canton of Bern, and the Haut.Valais. At the foot of this colossus extends the Glacier of Finsteraar, about fifteen miles in length. The Aar takes its source from the enormous glaciers near the Schreckhorn and the Finsteraarhorn.

No. 35.—Eigher, and Gros Monch. These two mountains are called the exterior and interior Eighers. The first is 12,268 feet the second 12,666 feet. They rise from the valle/of Grindelwald' and are composed of calcarious rock resting upon gneis. *

^ 'No.SG.—Joungfrau, 12,872 feet, composed situated to the east of the valley of Lauterbrunn.

as the former, is

bnildin.; his new town, a n f ? designated. He at length nro-

Lnbn-decide the point, and went into this fores^t with a that stonld £ ftv first wild beast Ihifno nleaW ‘‘f"owever. that a fox was the first caught. The town ?liprpf ^ they pursued the chase, and met with a bear, ori the ^a^P ’ 'r*called Bern. To commemorate the slX^sm^toTaVp^"^^^ city-arms, and it has been a con¬ stant custom to have some of those animals kept alive in the town.

11

No, 37 and 38.—These peaks are also calcarious rock resting upon gneis, and extend to the east and south of the valley of Lauterbrunn, upon the confines of the Valais.

No. 41.—Biumlis Alp, or Wilde Frau, (calcarious,) is 11,393 feet. It rises at the bottom of the Kienthal, between the valleys of Lauterbrunn and Froutighen, and is flanked with immense glaciers.

No. 42.—Niese7i, 7,340 feet. The Bettfluh and Stockhorn form the same chain, and are without snow in the summer months.

No. 43.—Doldenho7'n, (calcarious,) 11,187 feet, is between the valleys of Gastern and Oeschenen.

No. 44.—Alt-Els, (calcarious,) 11,432 feet; is in the valley of Gastern, upon the frontier of the Haut Valais, and near the Ghemmi. All the High Alps are from thirty to forty miles distant from Bern.

No. 45.—Belpherg, lies between Bern and the Lakeof Thoun, which is bounded on the south by the Niesen and the chain of mountains running to the Stockhorn.

No . 48.—The Gurten, situated about a mile from Bern. From this mountain, at the point where the number is placed, there is a beautiful and most extensive view. On this spot stands a house of entertainment, much frequented on Sundays and holidays by the labouring classes of Bern, who go there in great numbers, to amuse themselves with dancing and other pastimes. Here the Bernese females are seen in full costume, and it is highly interesting to witness the noisy mirth of the parties on these occasions, who join in singing their wild national airs at the end of every dance, forming a pleasing and romantic accompaniment to the magnificent view of the Alps from this point.

The dress of the men in the canton of Bern has no peculiarly distinguishing feature; but the costume of the Bernese females is very striking from their extraordinary head-dress, composed most frequently of coarse lace made of horse-hair, standing upright in form like a butterfly’s wing: they also wear, at other times, a very small hat made of straw, and covered with sulphur so as to be quite hard; this hat has an extremely low crown, and is orna¬ mented with a chaplet of roses, which altogether has a very pleasing effect when combined with their neatly divided hair thrown back behind their ears, and terminating in two long plats, ending with black ribbons flowing to the ground. A black velvet bodice decorated with silver chains, white linen sleeves,

4

12

1 dress The most singular costume, and a blue skirt, ‘complete the d . . Gouggisberg, a however, seen m Bern, is that oi lue head-dress

mountainous lightly bound, so as to entirely

confine the hair, in a curiously-^ apron bodice is black velvet, termmatj^_^^^^ apparently

brought round, and fastene show, not only

to keep down the bare knees, the stockings being their legs, but also a part of th®^^ jare k frequently add gartered Wow. They are .am ot

three pair of stocking ^ black embroidery, and Their bodice behind Bernoise. The whimsica their sleeves are longer th articularly attractive at first, and

:rE“- " " “ ■•■" women.

finis.

.I^IIT^ADLAHD. Pnuter., as, BavtlioloiiK-w Clone.

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