Nydegg church, Reformed church in Nydegg, Bern, Switzerland
Nydegg Church is a Gothic structure at the eastern edge of Bern's Old City, with a 41-meter stone tower as its most striking feature. Bronze relief portals frame the entrances and add detail to the building's exterior.
The church was built between 1341 and 1346, replacing an earlier fortress that Duke Berchtold V of Zähringen had established in 1190. This construction marked an important shift in how the city's eastern border was used and defined.
The name Nydegg comes from Bernese German for "lower corner", after the castle that once stood here. The church is Reformed and belongs to the Bern-Jura-Solothurn church association. Kurt Marti was pastor from 1961 to 1983.
The church stands at Nydegghof 2, with a second entrance at Nydeggasse 6 by the Nydegg Bridge; the main portal faces the small Nydegghöfli courtyard. The 1951–1953 renovation gave both entrances their bronze relief portals, so visitors can enter from either the courtyard or the bridge side.
On 8 July 1995, pastor Klaus Bäumlin (born 1938) held a blessing service at the Nydeggkirche for the couple Stephan Diggelmann and Bareld Storm. The event drew heavy media coverage. Bäumlin had already become known as an outspoken pastor before this service.
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