Thun

Built by the Dukes of Zähringen at the beginning of the 12th century, the medieval castle above the town of Thun is a prominent eye catcher at the entrance to the Bernese Highland Region. It contains one of the best conserved representation halls of the Middle Ages in Europe, the castle tower (the Knight's Hall), located in the almost unaltered dungeon. The corner towers allow for a beautiful view of the Alps, Lake Thun, and the city. The castle also houses the historic museum, which features a regional history and special exhibits on different cultural-historical and current topics.

The Kunstmuseum Thun in the former Grand Hotel Thunerhof housed the collection of the city of Thun since 1949. In five to six large exhibitions per year important international and national trends of contemporary art are shown. Solo exhibition by famous artists like Christian Marclay or Mark Grotjahn, the first large-scale retrospective exhibition of works by the artist sisters Claudia & Julia Müller or the daring project "Cadeaux diplomatiques" of Gianni Motti and Christoph Büchel made the Kunstmuseum Thun an important place. Next to theme-related exhibitions as "Gesellschaftsbilder / Images of Society" or "Choosing my Religion" the museum focuses on the dialogue between the art of the past and of the present in an annual exhibition of the collection.
The collection embraces important minor masters, classical modern Swiss art, a large number of Swiss pop art works, and works by all the renowned artists of the region. It is being constantly extended by works of contemporary Swiss art. Among the artists represented in the collection are: Cuno Amiet, Ferdinand Hodler, Paul Klee, Franz Gertsch, Balthasar Burkhard, Claudia & Julia Müller, Chantal Michel and Shirana Shabhazi.
The project room "enter" is a special platform for young innovative art. The small exhibitions held there offer scope for artistic experimentation and exciting insight into current, not yet fully formulated positions in art.
The team of the art education offers workshops for children and young people, projects involving artist and on the Family Sunday a summer festival that includes different generations.
The Kunstmuseum has a shop and café Thunerhof, The terrace of the former Grand Hotel is a great attraction where one can enjoy coffee and cake against the impressive backdrop of the Bernese Oberland.

Built between 1847 and 1854, Schadau Castle is one of the most architecturally important and beautiful castles in Switzerland. Both its interior and exterior are listed with the heritage association. Visit the Schadau Park nearby and enjoy the Wocher Panorama and the views of the Alps and the lake while lounging in the grass.

The Wocher Panorama in Schadaupark is a part of the Kunstmuseum Thun. This depiction of a small town around 1810 was painted by the artist Marquard Wocher on a roof in the centre of the old town of Thun. The unusual perspective still allows the viewer an intimate view into living-rooms, classrooms and narrow streets. The Thun Panorama is not only the first of its kind in Switzerland and the oldest preserved large-scale panorama in the world, it is also a valuable example of an early nineteenth century mass medium which enjoyed considerable popularity.
The artist always had a particular preference for the Bernese Oberland, whose marvellous mountains, mirrored in the blue of its lakes, have been a revelation for many. Wocher painted his panorama between 1809 and 1814. It was first shown in Basel and after the artist's death it was presented to Thun as a gift. The painting was forgotten until it has been possible to restore the work thanks to the efforts of the Eidgenössische Gottfried-Keller-Stiftung. It has been accessible to the public since 1961 in a specially constructed round building in Schadaupark. The panorama is an important artistic an historical document of the city of Thun, showing a view from the quays along the river Aare to Niesen, Blüemslialp, and Jungfrau peaks and back to the caste.

Swiss steam train museum.