Käfigturm
| Käfigturm | |
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| Native name Käfigturm | |
West side of the Käfigturm from Waisenhausplatz.
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| Location | Old City of Bern |
| Coordinates | 46°56′54″N 7°26′38″E / 46.94833°N 7.44389°ECoordinates: 46°56′54″N 7°26′38″E / 46.94833°N 7.44389°E |
| Height | 49 m (161 ft) |
| Built | 1256 |
| Demolished | 1640 |
| Rebuilt | 1641-44 |
| Architectural style(s) | Early Baroque |
| Governing body | City of Bern |
| Part of | Old City of Bern world heritage site |
 Location of Käfigturm in Bern
Location of Käfigturm in Bern
Location of Käfigturm in Bern
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The Käfigturm is a medieval tower in Bern, Switzerland. It is part of the UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site of the Old City of Bern and the tower is a Cultural Property of National Significance The original tower was built as a gate house during the second expansion of Bern in 1256. The tower was demolished in 1640 and completely rebuilt immediately thereafter.
The first tower, which stood on the site of the present Käfigturm, was built in 1256 during the second expansion of Bern. Over the nearly seventy years since the construction of the Zytglogge tower and the first city walls, Bern had expanded westward along the Aare peninsula. In 1255, construction began on a second set of walls, which required a new gatehouse. The new tower was very similar to the original Zytglogge. It was built as a hollow square and most of the back of the tower was open to the city. It had a small, flat platform at the top and a gate that opened onto the bridge over the moat.
Following the third city expansion in 1345, the tower became a second line of defense. In 1405, a fire destroyed most of the city of Bern. After the fire, the town's prison was moved from the Zytglogge tower west to the Käfigturm, which was then known as the nüwe kefyen. The name was quickly shortened to kebie, from which the name Käfigturm (literally cage or jail tower) came. After the armory tower was converted into a women's prison, the Käfigturm was known as Mannenkefi. By 1433, the tower was also serving as a watch and signal tower in addition to a prison. By 1470, it had been modified with niches on the city side and merlons around the top platform. At some point between 1470 and 1549, a hip roof was added to the top of the tower. According to a drawing by Gregorius Sickinger, the original tower stood about 3.8 meters (12 ft) east of its current location.
On 19 May 1638, a commission was appointed by the city council to replace the dilapidated Mannerkefi tower. The old tower was demolished in 1640 and on 29 May 1641, the town council approved plans to build a new tower which would stand slightly to the west of the old tower. In April 1642, one of the chief builders, Joseph Plepp, died. The other chief builder, Antoni Graber, took full control of the project. On 20 January 1643, the exterior work was complete and Graber handed the project over to master carpenter Hans Stähli to finish the roof and the interior woodwork. By the spring of 1644, most of the interior work was finished.
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