Bern relives its medieval past

Jousting knights will be leading the charge swissinfo.ch

Bern is celebrating 650 years in the Swiss Confederation with a week-long medieval festival.

The grounds around the city’s history museum have been turned into a 15th century village, complete with jousting knights and tumbling fools.

The project is the brainchild of the museum’s director, Peter Jezler, who has dreamt for years of bringing history to life in this way.

“We wanted to reorganise our permanent medieval exhibition,” Jezler told swissinfo.

“But we also wanted to have some fun, and do something for families, and perhaps attract people who don’t normally go to museums.”

As well as a wealth of medieval artefacts inside the museum, visitors can take a trip back in time by simply strolling through the museum’s grounds.

There are animals typical to the Middle Ages such as a woolly pig and her eight piglets. There is a medieval bakery, a blacksmith, and many activities to try out, including crossbow shooting and swordsmanship.

Authentic

Jezler and his staff at the museum have taken great care to ensure that everything in the village is historically accurate.

“The fences around the animals were made by the museum’s carpenters,” Jezler explained. “And because metal was very expensive in the Middle Ages they made everything without nails.”

“It was a lot of work for them but they really enjoyed it.”

The village is also home for the week to a troupe of medieval enthusiasts, the Company of St George.

Everything they do, eat, and even wear – right down to their woollen underpants – is authentic to the 15th century.

Siege machine

Paul Denney from Britain, a keen member of the troupe whose speciality is medieval artillery, brought his siege machine with him. He and his two sons are only too happy to demonstrate it to visitors.

“My boys are following in the family footsteps,” Denney explained. “I’m training my eldest son to be an apprentice siege engine operator, and at the moment he’s the only one in the United Kingdom.”


Other young visitors will be able to share in the fun: Denney is happy to allow children to have a go at firing the trebuchet, or swinging the battering ram.

Gerry Embleton, the founder of the Company of St George and artistic director of the village, believes that history presented in this way, so that you can see, hear, feel and even smell it, will make a lasting impression.

“I’m all for making kids aware that there is a past,” he told swissinfo, “and for getting them involved in it. A white page covered in dates simply doesn’t do this.”

Child friendly

Peter Jezler agrees. He thinks children in particular will learn a great deal from the festival.

“I think someone who visits our grounds now will learn much more about the Middle Ages in an afternoon than they would do looking at a big thick book,” he said.

Jezler’s secret weapon was his 11-year-old daughter Agnes. She was involved in organising the festival from the start, and it was she who insisted on the animals and the jousting.

“I couldn’t have done it without her,” confessed Jezler.

A highlight of the festival is undoubtedly the evening jousting performances. Six knights on horseback re-enact a medieval tournament and include some history of the founding of Bern along the way.

Tickets for the performances are almost completely sold out, but determined visitors might be lucky. The festival organisers plan to sell off a few extra tickets every evening, half an hour before the performance starts.

swissinfo, Imogen Foulkes

In brief

Bern’s history museum is holding a week-long medieval festival to celebrate 650 years as part of the Swiss Confederation.

Highlights of the festival include medieval jousting tournaments, 15th century food, and a medieval village.

Visitors will be able to try out crossbow shooting, swordsmanship, and siege machines.