Swiss artist Marquard Wocher sketched out this panoramic painting – the world's oldest cyclorama of its kind – between 1809 and 1814, seizing inspiration from the view as seen from a rooftop in Thun's historic centre. Measuring 7.5m high and 38m long, the picture depicts the buzz of the town in the early morning, set against the backdrop of lake and mountains.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Jungfraujoch
21.46 MILES
This is the big one. At 3454m above sea level, Jungfraujoch is Europe’s highest train station: a once-in-a-lifetime trip, with views of the deeply…
Aletsch Glacier
29.93 MILES
If ever a view in Switzerland is going to leave you dumbstruck (and there are a few great ones to choose from!), it will surely be the infinite swoop of…
Zentrum Paul Klee
15.99 MILES
Bern’s answer to the Guggenheim, Renzo Piano’s architecturally bold, 150m-long wave-like edifice houses an exhibition space that showcases rotating works…
Berner Altstadt
16.65 MILES
Bern’s flag-bedecked medieval centre has 6km of covered arcades and cellar shops and bars descending from the streets. After a devastating fire in 1405,…
Reichenbachfälle
26.07 MILES
Gazing over the mighty Reichenbach Falls, where the cataract plunges 250m to the ground with a deafening roar, you can see how Arthur Conan Doyle thought…
Cathédrale St Nicolas de Fribourg
22.81 MILES
Before entering this brooding 13th-century Gothic cathedral, contemplate the main portal with its 15th-century sculptured portrayal of the Last Judgment…
Zytglogge
16.57 MILES
Bern’s most famous Old Town sight, this ornate clock tower once formed part of the city’s western gate (1191–1256). Crowds congregate to watch its…
Staubbachfall
16.84 MILES
Especially in the early morning light, you can see how the vaporous, 297m-high Staubbach Falls captivated prominent writers with its threads of spray…
Nearby Bernese Oberland attractions
1. Schadau Park
0.07 MILES
These beautiful botanical gardens spread along the shores of Lake Thun, with sublime views to the snowcapped Jungfrau range on clear days. The grounds…
2. Kirche Scherzlingen
0.11 MILES
First mentioned in 762, this wonderfully atmospheric church on the banks of the Aare has a sensitively restored Carolingian tower and Romanesque nave. The…
3. Thun Altstadt
1.04 MILES
It’s a pleasure to wander Thun’s attractive riverfront Old Town, where plazas and lanes are punctuated by 15th- and 16th-century townhouses. A stroll…
4. Schloss Thun
1.04 MILES
Sitting on a hilltop and looking proudly back on 900 years of history, Schloss Thun is the castle of your wildest fairy-tale dreams, crowned by a riot of…
5. Schloss Hünegg
1.41 MILES
The plaything of a wealthy Prussian baron and modelled on the chateaux in the Loire region of France, silver-turreted Schloss Hünegg is a feast of art…
6. Schloss Oberhofen
1.9 MILES
Scenically perched on the lake, turreted Schloss Oberhofen was wrested from Habsburg control after the Battle of Sempach (1386) and now traces Bernese…
7. Heimat und Rebbaumuseum
4.43 MILES
This attractive 18th-century wooden chalet showcases exhibits on wine cultivation. The best time to actually taste local tipples is at the Läset-Sunntig…
8. Schloss Spiez
4.61 MILES
This turreted medieval castle is smothered in oil paintings of its former masters, the influential von Bubenburg and von Erlach families. But it’s the…