Largely undiscovered by foreign visitors even in the internet age, medieval Murten may just be the most photogenic yet underrated destination on our 16-day circle route of Switzerland. And for a nation with more annual visitors than citizens, one would think that such hidden gems -- a UNESCO World Heritage Site, no less -- would have gone extinct by now.
This anonymity is even more inexplicable given Murten's accessibility, just 30 minutes from Bern by train in the direction of Lausanne and Geneva. Curious visitors would stumble into an enchanting townscape, settled continuously since the 1100s, of cobblestone streets lined with historic arcades, florid fountains and a clock tower echoing the Baroque elegance of Bern.
Within Switzerland Murten is renowned for the best-preserved medieval town walls, a complete ring of ramparts surviving its most famous battle in 1476 -- a key date in high school history books -- in which the Swiss Confederates routed the invading Burgundians to further consolidate its sovereignty. These legendary ramparts remain mostly navigable for today’s visitors, and for free.
Rising above Switzerland’s lake country atop a small hill on the southeast shore of Murtensee, the compact walled town features a mesmerizing 17th century skyline with dozens of roofed chimneys blooming out of a sea of orange clay tiles, a miniature San Gimignano in unmistakably north-of-the-Alps fashion.
Arriving would be effortless for train travelers from Bern or Lausanne, and took just one more transfer for us from our previous homebase on Lake Geneva's shore. Perhaps more importantly for wandering backpackers like ourselves, a cluster of weather-beaten lockers were available for stashing our heavy luggage before our short walk into town.
For first time visitors like ourselves, an invaluable introduction to the town’s landmarks is presented in the form of a panorama from the spartanly furnished Schlossturm, immediately to the left of the town gate upon entry, which had anchored the town's northwestern defenses for centuries.
360-degree views from the top windows illustrate the tower's strategic importance within the rectangular castle that once served as residence to the town's aristocratic governors, and now offices for the prefectural government in its bid to attract visitors.
A distinguishing feature of Murten's historic quarter is its series of charming arcades beneath its 17th century buildings, now occupied by pharmacies, confectioneries and not-so-latest fashions catering mostly to the locals. During Advent season these arcades on Hauptgasse would be linked together with the main square into a decent-sized Christmas market.
The influence of Bern is evident in the compact Baroque town, arcades on both sides of its cobblestoned main square culminating at its eastern end at a handsome clock tower aptly named Berntor. If its giant clock face looks familiar, it originated from the same Bernese architect who worked on the famous Zytglogge of Bern.
The historic town walls can be accessed from one of several entrances, including one on the southeastern edge of town next to the German church whose choir tower still forms part of the fortification. It was just to the east of the tower where Charles the Bold started his bombardment of Murten in the fateful battle ending in a humiliating defeat that preluded his own death.
A fully intact wall of 12th century sandstone and timber delineates the southern border of town complete with crenelated towers -- some still bearing pockmarks from Charles the Bold’s cannonballs -- awaiting the curious traveler.
12 towers amazingly survived that epic battle, their crenellations now serving as perfect support for camera tripods overlooking the sea of chimneys in the direction of the town’s 15th century French Church, easily distinguishable by its Gothic steeple.
From top of the Grosser Schimmel tower we gained a panoramic view of the surrounding lake country, right at western Switzerland’s language border and mutually governed by the Cantons of Fribourg and Bern for much of the town's 900-year-old history. The town now carries the officially bilingual name of Murten/Morat, a reminder to the rest of its French-speaking canton that it remains a predominantly German-speaking town.
A few dozen metres below the town walls exists the town's proud UNESCO World Heritage Site, a Bronze Age settlement of prehistoric stilt houses established at the edge of the Murtensee marshes 5000 years old. Nowadays the ancient site is identifiable only by the UNESCO plaque, its excavated artefacts having been relocated to the town's museum.
We would miss the museum unfortunately as it would be open for only three hours in the afternoon, even in high season. With a couple hours to spend before our onward train to Bern, we opted for a coffee and snack at arguably the old town's most famous bakery and confectionery.
Sheltered underneath the old arcade on the main square alongside traditional liquor stores and tailors, Bäckerei Aebersold is a 90-year-old institution famous for its old-fashioned rendition of a local specialty known as Nidelkuchen. And with an official website branded nidelkuchen.ch, you know that this place esteems itself as the national authority on this regional confection.
The Nidelkuchen turned out to be a melt-in-the-mouth soft sponge cake topped with multiple layers of a rich caramelized cream, somewhat reminiscent of the Latin American Dulce de Leche but a little less sweet. Combined with a slice of almond cream cake these made for a light yet sinful lunch for two.
Meal for Two Persons
| Nidelkuchen (by weight) | CHF 5 |
| Mandeltorte | CHF 3 |
| Iced Coffee | CHF 2.3 |
| TOTAL | CHF 10.3 (CAD$14.4) |
My wife shopped for some fashion accessories after lunch before we picked up our backpacks from the locker and took an early afternoon train to Bern. In retrospect this fascinating little town probably ranked first among the thirteen destinations on our grand circle of Switzerland in its lack of tourists -- we came across less than 5 visitors as we navigated the town walls, arguably the town's biggest tourist attraction next to its town square. For independent travelers in need of a break from the tourist bus hordes of Luzern or Zermatt, this is an authentic corner of Switzerland that I highly recommend.
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