Wiedlisbach: Old Town, Museum and Legends Trail

The medieval small town, the Kornhaus Museum and St. Catherine’s Chapel represent different aspects of Wiedlisbach’s local history. Also on offer are a historic town tour, the Legends Trail and the annual Räbeliechtli lantern procession.

Townscape and history

Wiedlisbach has a well-preserved medieval town centre. The historic town plan forms a closed rectangle with a main street and a parallel side street. A ring wall surrounds the site; it is about 9 metres high and 1.7 metres thick. Wiedlisbach was probably founded and granted town rights around 1240, presumably because of its strategically important location on the north–south trade routes.

In recognition of exemplary town preservation, the municipality received the Henri-Louis-Wakker Prize in 1974 and an award from the Council of Europe in 1975. Wiedlisbach is a small town in the canton of Bern without a church. St. Catherine’s Chapel is integrated into a row of houses and forms part of the town wall on the eastern side. Its 15th-century paintings depict the Passion of Christ and legends of Saints Catherine, Dorothy and Magdalene.

A former home of Wiedlisbach’s smallholder farmers is now a spacious, traffic-free residential lane with trees and small, well-kept front gardens. Two farmhouses divide it into two squares of different sizes, each with a fountain featuring an elongated trough.

Museum and town tour

At the Kornhaus Museum in Wiedlisbach, the permanent exhibition spans four floors and draws on a collection that is more than 120 years old. Its ceramics display is one of the largest and most diverse in Switzerland. The collection includes some of the oldest surviving pieces from Swiss manufactories.

The “Echoes from Wiedlisbach” town tour takes visitors on a journey of historical discovery through the town. At 13 buildings, visitors can learn about the past; at six of them, you can scan a QR code and listen to the stories.

November tradition and trails

The Räbeliechtli lantern procession takes place every year on the first or second Wednesday in November. The children walk to Hinterstädtli, singing and carrying their Räbeliechtli lanterns. Tea and Züpfe bread are served to participants there. If you plan your trip around the procession, check the exact date: it may fall on either of two Wednesdays.

Most of the Legends Trail signs feature stories from Elisabeth Pfluger’s collection. Originally compiled in the Solothurn dialect, the stories were adapted into standard German for the signs. A free map of the Legends Trail is available from municipal administrations, restaurants and information boxes in parking lots, and on request. Wiedlisbach railway station is one of the starting points for the various Legends Trail routes; the trails climb from the southern foot of the Jura Mountains to the ridge of the first Jura range. Check local conditions before setting out.

The barefoot trail is in Wiedlisbach at the edge of the forest near Stierenweid, above the ASM railway station; it is signposted from Wiedlisbach railway station. It is currently damaged and impassable due to logging work. Once the work is complete, it is expected to reopen in the second half of 2026. Check its current status before your trip.

Discover more destinations: Wangen An Der Aare, Wangenried, Oberbipp, Niederbipp, Seeberg, Wolfisberg, Attiswil

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