The Cellars of Bern

One of the more intriguing aspects of central Bern is that the streets are laid out for walking in the street as well as on the sidewalks. The sidewalks are covered, with one or more steps down to the street. The streets are cobblestone, and have wide areas where merchants used to sell their wares. Now these areas merely provide a safe place for tourists to wander around and take pictures without getting run over.

Along the edges of the sidewalks, facing the street, there are cellar doors. In centuries past, these were used as wine cellars or general storage, but now they house restaurants, bars, and all manner of stores. For example…

There’s a theater.

img_2272

And a tango studio.

img_2219

And a wat phoo.

img_2252

And a bar that serves absinthe.

img_2271

And the Einstein Kaffee und Rauchsalon, below the aforementioned Einstein Cafe.

img_2276

This Flammen-Bar is beneath the Paraguayan embassy.

img_2277

The Hardware Store, mentioned in the previous post, is the perfect fit for a cellar environment.

img_20161014_135053

As you approach the river, the street drops off faster than the sidewalk, the cellar doors become regular doors, and the cellars become the ground floor.

img_2221