Thun City Church, Protestant church in Thun, Switzerland
The Stadtkirche Thun is a Reformed church on a hill above the old town, close to the castle. Its most visible feature is the octagonal front tower with two lookout oriels, while the nave built in 1738 has a large hipped roof and a bright preaching hall with a flat plaster ceiling.
A church dedicated to Saint Maurice stood here in the Middle Ages, and the current octagonal tower dates from around 1330. After the Reformation made the building Protestant in 1528, the old nave was replaced by the present one in 1738 under Paulus Nader.
The interior works as a hall for preaching, but concerts are also common here, so the baptismal font was moved into the nave and the choir area was fitted with retractable stage elements. The organ is used regularly for performances, letting music fill the same room where the congregation gathers.
The main part of the church is open to visitors every day, though services and events can limit tourist access. Walking up the narrow tower staircase is worth it for the view over the rooftops, the lake, and the peaks of Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau.
The tower is even older than the nave, and its two small lookout oriels near the roof ridge came from the early 1300s. From that height, the narrow stairs lead to a view that reaches beyond the city toward the three peaks known locally as the Three Virgins.
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