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Bern’s minster through the years

The Bern Minster is the main work of the Swiss late Gothic period.

As a landmark of what was once the largest city-state north of the Alps, it still towers over Bern’s old town. Its foundation stone was laid in 1421. Illness, lack of money, military campaigns and other problems delayed the construction and so the tower ended at a height of about 55m around 1588. It was not until the 19th century that the helmet in the neo-Gothic style was completed at a height of 101m.

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR