Two or three hundred years ago, the artisans used to live here; but worked up in the City on the hill.
They lived in another World here; small doors, low ceilings, little windows and very old houses; and a River that sometimes bursts its banks. It is a remarkably quiet and peaceful place to walk through. True, it is a little shabby and somehow lacking in colour; and yet I can hear the sounds of the past going by. I used to live there 40 years ago and the atmosphere is still the same.
It's also fascinating to realise how close the river Aare is, that even nowadays floodings are catching up with this particularly part of town and still people love to live there and enjoy being so close to both the river Aare as well as the city centre. Charming and very old part of the city.
Matte is set below the level of the central medieval city of Bern, and was isolated enough to have its own dialect. Charming shops on winding streets along the river, under the great wall of the city. I work about 2min form this place. From the 15th to the middle of the 20th century the "Matte" was a typical lower class neighbourhood, filled with tanners and brothels. They spoke their own lingo, the so called "Matteenglisch".
The population today is around and the lower class has reallocated. Some good restaurants can be found here or you might want to stroll along the Aare river. Why not take a look to avoid all other tourists? The map shows the wrong place Profile JOIN. Log in to get trip updates and message other travelers.
