Maison · Our story

A historic hotel on Gerechtigkeitsgasse.

Here are the people you will meet at reception, in the salon and on the phone, and some of the antiques that give our house its character.

◆ In brief

What is Belle Époque Bern?

Boutique Hotel Belle Époque is a 3-star superior boutique hotel at Gerechtigkeitsgasse 18, in the heart of Bern's UNESCO World Heritage old town. Seventeen rooms in four categories — double rooms, attic room, a small suite and the large Klimt Suite (47 m²) with Gustav Klimt etchings on the walls and a pull-out bed for families. Restaurant / Bar with a Mucha mosaic, a counter imported from a Parisian restaurant (date being researched) and a terrace under the sandstone arcades. Booking location score: 9.6/10. Five minutes on foot from the Zytglogge, the Minster and the Bear Park. The team speaks German, English, Italian, French, Turkish and Spanish.

Antiques · Pieces of the house

Six pieces, one house.

Some of the pieces we deliberately keep and use every day.

Mucha mosaic

In the Belle Époque style, acquired some thirty years ago and reassembled on the back wall of the bar. Auction house and original location are being documented.

Parisian counter

Imported from a Parisian restaurant and reassembled at today's bar. Date and maker are currently being researched.

Klimt etchings

Etchings by Gustav Klimt, gathered over the years and presented in the 47 m² Klimt Suite (room 41).

Baroque lamps

Above the reception desk and in the bar: originals that shape the warm evening light many guests remember.

Antique coatstand

A piece that has long belonged to the house, fixed in the entrance area, part of our everyday image.

Wallpaper & wall finishes

We care about fabric, colour and pattern. Renewed about 15 years ago, kept up without losing the character.

Stair railing, reception bell and hydrangeas

Framed historical newspaper article in the corridor

History

Eight centuries of Gerechtigkeitsgasse.

Sources and references: Burgerbibliothek Bern, Historical Dictionary of Switzerland, in-house archives.

Burgerbibliothek Hist. Lexikon CH

1191
First documented mention of Gerechtigkeitsgasse as the main axis of Bern's old town.
1543
The Justice Fountain is built outside the present hotel entrance. Has flowed without interruption ever since.
Vor 1980
The foundations of the building are old — some houses on Gerechtigkeitsgasse go back several centuries. We are working to document the exact sources.
1988/89
Conversion of the house into today's Boutique Hotel Belle Époque at Gerechtigkeitsgasse 18. Before that the building was already an inn / hotel; earlier uses are undocumented.
1983
Bern's old town is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site — the hotel sits at its centre.
Vor rund 30 Jahren
Acquisition of the Mucha mosaic: a composition in the Belle Époque style, reassembled on the back wall of the bar. Still one of the centrepieces of the house; provenance being documented.
Heute
Seventeen rooms in four categories, restaurant / bar with a counter imported from Paris, Mucha mosaic and terrace under the sandstone arcades.

Archives · Historical photographs

The street, a century ago.

Three photographs of Bern's old town held by the Burgerbibliothek Bern. The Gerechtigkeitsgasse and the Nydegg church, right outside our house.

around 1905
Nydegg church & tram
View from Gerechtigkeitsgasse towards the Nydegg church, with the old tram line. Postcard, before 1914.
© Burgerbibliothek Bern · AK.1145

around 1910
Gerechtigkeitsgasse with tram
Looking up Gerechtigkeitsgasse — sandstone arcades, tram and delivery carts, about three houses from our front door.
© Burgerbibliothek Bern · Sammlung Kurt Jungi 81

1950s
Gerechtigkeitsgasse 14–36
The row of houses opposite the hotel — arcades, flying buttresses, overhanging roofs and the characteristic Bernese sandstone.
© Burgerbibliothek Bern · N Walter Neeser 160 (10)

Reproductions of originals held by Burgerbibliothek Bern · editorial use.

Quick facts

At a glance.

Rooms
17
Categories
4
Stars
3 Superior
Staff languages
DE · EN · IT · FR · TR · ES
Location score · Booking
9.6 / 10
UNESCO since
1983

Memberships & recognition

Where we're listed.

Have a question? Write to us.

Contact +41 31 311 71 71

◆ Belle Époque

What is Belle Époque Bern?

A historic hotel on Gerechtigkeitsgasse.

What is Belle Époque Bern?