- Address: Gryphenhübeli, 3006 Bern, Switzerland
- Phone: +41 31 357 15 25
- Website: baerenpark-bern.ch
- Working time: 24 hours
In the local places were built legends, according to one of them the founder of the city Berthold V fought in a deadly battle with a bear on the bank of the river Aare and won. In this place, the city of Bern was soon laid, the symbol of which today is the bear. According to another legend, the son of the Duke Tsaringen long thought about how to name the city and decided to call the city in honor of the first beast killed on the hunt, which became a bear. The main attraction for many years was an aviary with live bears, called the Bear pit. Now the bears are resettled in a large specially equipped for their residence Bear Park.
What do the historical documents tell us?
These are legends, but according to archival documents, bears were kept in Bern cages, beginning in 1441. Until the middle of the XIX century, the clubfoot lived in pens in different parts of the city, later the Bear pit was set up on the bank of the Aare river in the Old Town . But defenders of environmental protection and animals have repeatedly protested that brown bears were kept in inappropriate conditions. The authorities of the Swiss capital decided to modernize the main symbol of the city. Thus, in 2009, the Bear Park started its work, where to this day live bears.
Bear pit today
The bear park is very convenient for visits, after all it is a fenced open aviary, so it's quite easy to see the bear family. The inhabitants of the park these days are mother - Bjork, father - Finn and their cub - Ursina. Another baby of this bear couple was transferred to the zoo in the Bulgarian city of Dobrich because of his bad character and constant conflicts with his relatives. Visitors to the park can spend hours watching the life of Toptygin, how they spend their days.
To maintain the activity of the main living symbols of Bern in Switzerland, the park is equipped with adaptations that are familiar to animals living in natural conditions: lairs, fallen trees and much more. Since the Bear Park is on the bank of the river, its inhabitants have the opportunity to swim, though not in Aare, but in the pool.
Helpful information
Visit the Bear pit is better to plan in the period from spring to autumn, because in winter you will not see bears, they fall into a hibernation. The park is open from 8:00 to 17:00. At this time, visitors have the opportunity to observe the clubfoot. But walks around the park are allowed around the clock. Free admission.
You can reach the Medvezhy Park by bus number 12, which stops at the bus station of Bern, two minutes from the place. In addition, you can rent a car and drive to the park yourself.
| | | |
