Äussere Neustadt (Bern)

The Äussere Neustadt is a historic section in the Old City of Bern in Bern, Switzerland.

The Viertel and Quartiere of the old city. (click to enlarge)

For almost a century the Käfigturm remained the western boundary of Bern. However, as the city grew, people began settling outside the city walls. In 1344 the city started to build a third wall to protect the growing population. By 1346 the project was finished and six new streets were protected by a wall and the Christoffelturm (German: St. Christopher Tower). The Christoffelturm remained the western border of Bern until the 19th century. From 1622 to 1634 a series of defensive walls and strong points were added outside the Christoffelturm. These defensive walls, known as the Grosse Schanze and Kleine Schanze (large and small redoubts respectively) as well as the Schanzegraben (redoubt ditch or moat), were never used as living space for the city, though the Schanzengraben was used for a while to house the Bärengraben.

Only the four central streets (Schauplatzgasse, Spitalgasse, Neuengasse and Aarbergergasse) were lined with residential houses in late medieval times, while the rest of the area was devoted to agriculture and animal husbandry.[1]