Bundesterrasse

The Bundesterrasse is a wide, raised stone terrace held up by massive, ivy-covered retaining walls that drop sharply toward the Aare River. It was built in the eighteen nineties to provide a grand, level platform for the Federal Palace. Before this terrace existed, the hillside was a jumble of uneven gardens and steep slopes. Construction crews hauled away thousands of cubic meters of earth to create this flat promenade, creating a public balcony that offers a view of the Bernese Alps.