Thun

Thun (French: Thoune) is a municipality in the district of Thun in the canton of Berne in Switzerland with about 42,136 inhabitants (1 January 2006). It is located where the River Aare flows out of Lake Thun (Thunersee), 19 km south of Bern. Besides tourism, machine and apparatus engineering, the largest garrison of the country, the food industry and publishing are of economic importance to Thun. The area of what is now Thun was inhabited since the Neolithic age (mid-3rd millennium BC). The name of the city derives from the Celtic term Dunum, meaning "fortified city". It fell to Rome in 58 BC, when Roman legions conquered almost all Switzerland, and soon became one of the main centres of Roman administration in the region. The Romans were driven off from Thun, along with the whole of Switzerland, by the Burgundians around 400 AD. The Aare became the frontier between the Christian Burgundians and the Pagan, German-speaking Alemanni, who lived north. Thun was mentioned for the first time during the 7th century, in the chronicle of Frankish monk Fredgar. The region of Thun became a part of the Holy Roman Empire in 1033, when Conrad II gained the title of King of Burgundy.

The emperors entrusted the Zähringen family, centred in Bern, to subdue the unruly nobles of central Switzerland. Around 1190 Duke Bertold V of Zähringen, built a castle in Thun and expanded the city. After Bertold's death in 1218, his territories went to Ulrich III von Kyburg. In 1264 Thun received state rights and in 1384 the town was bought by the canton of Bern. Thun was the capital of the Oberland canton of the Helvetic Republic. In 1819 a Military School was founded in the city, which later developed in the main military school in Switzerland. Thun was connected to the railway network of Switzerland in 1859 and telephone access made available in 1888.

0 °C


Clouds, broken clouds


Wind2.4 m/s
Cloudiness77 %
Temperature (min/max)-0/1 °C
Pressure1026 hpa
Humidity94 %
Last update: 19 Apr 2024 @ 05:10

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  • Hotel Holiday

    Located in Thun, Thun, Berne, Switzerland

    Hotel HolidayVisit Hotel Holiday in ThunREAD MORE

  • Schadau Castle2009-11-24

    Located in Thun, Thun, Berne, Switzerland

    Schadau CastleSchadau Castle offers 78 rooms with many different facilities for birthdays, anniversaries, engagements, confirmations and other family events as well as business meeting and conference halls and wedding venue and services in Thun. In addition to our gourmet restaurant, we also have our Bistro with unforgettable view over Lake Thun and the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountains around Thun. READ MORE

  • Hotel Restaurant Alpha2009-11-24

    Located in Thun, Thun, Berne, Switzerland

    Hotel Restaurant AlphaThe homey 3 star Hotel Restaurant Alpha in the chalet-style accommodation has a capacity of 34 regular rooms with 60 beds as well as 5 rooms with showers at their location in Thun. Enjoy meals in our comfortable à la carte restaurant, make use of the hotel possibilities for seminars and meetings and relax in a sauna / steam bath or have a massage at Hotel Restaurant Alpha in Thun. READ MORE

  • Freienhof Hotel

    Located in Thun, Thun, Berne, Switzerland

    Freienhof HotelVisit Freienhof Hotel in ThunREAD MORE

  • Elite Hotel Thun 2009-11-24

    Located in Thun, Thun, Berne, Switzerland

    Elite Hotel Thun The Elite Hotel Thun located in Thun, Berne in Switzerland offers various accommodation options to guests and dogs are welcome at the hotel. The Elite Hotel have facilities that include Bar Lounge Club Anthra and the DeluxPizza La buono and Ristornate Kurier for guests convenience on site and nearby in Thun.READ MORE