Matte, Bern

Orientation

Matte lies at river level beneath Bern’s Old City, on the inside of the Aare’s bend. It is a compact quarter: the river sets one edge, while the slope and the towering retaining wall of the Münsterplattform define the other. The difference in height is substantial—around 40 metres between the riverside and the old upper town.

This is not a separate old town attraction but part of Bern’s UNESCO-listed historic core. Come here to understand its practical geography: goods, water power and crossings shaped this low strip of the city.

A working quarter on the Aare

For centuries, the Aare was Matte’s transport route and power source. A landing place received food and trade goods brought by river. Three artificial mill channels supplied workshops and city mills from the 14th century onwards.

The old layout remains legible in the narrow streets:

• Badgasse and Schifflaube follow the river in the western part of Matte, near the former landing place.
• Gerberngasse, Mühleplatz and Wasserwerkgasse mark the longer eastern side, where water-powered trades clustered.
• Look for the small watercourse known locally as the Tych, a reminder that the river was engineered as well as navigated.

Today the former working quarter is residential and accommodates studios, design and architecture offices, and small businesses.

Bridges and the best short walk

Walk the riverside lanes, then use the two nearby crossings to read the valley from different heights. The Untertorbrücke is Bern’s oldest surviving Aare bridge: a 52-metre stone structure built between 1461 and 1467. Its low deck gives a close view of the current, the riverbank and Matte’s roofs.

The Nydeggbrücke, completed in 1844, is the contrasting high crossing. Its three natural-stone arches span the Aare at the eastern end of the Old City; the main arch was, at its completion, Europe’s widest stone arch. From its pavement, look down to the compact quarter and across to the older Untertorbrücke.

For a direct descent from the upper town, use the historic stairs from the Münster area or the Mattelift, which links the Münsterplattform with Badgasse.

Access and ground conditions

Matte is best explored on foot. Expect steep approaches, steps and uneven historic surfaces; the riverside itself is comparatively level. The Mattelift is useful when avoiding the climb, but it does not provide step-free access to every part of the quarter.

The low setting also brings a serious constraint: Matte has a history of flooding. During high-water conditions, respect barriers and local instructions along the Aare; flood-protection works can also affect routes through the quarter.