The City of Erlach

24 March 2021

Erlach (Cerlier in French) is mentioned for the first time in the 11th century. Burkhard von Fenis (bishop of Basel 1072-1105) built the castle, and his brother Kuno von Fenis (bishop of Lausanne 1093-1103) founded the abbey St. Johannsen.

Count Rudolf von Neuenburg-Nidau (Lake Biel was called Nidauersee) granted city rights in 1266.

The castle is one of the oldest in the canton of Bern. The Counts of Neuenburg lived there as well. The castle became the property of the Dukes of Savoy in the 13th century. They used the castle as the residence of the bailiff. Bern conquered the town in 1474. The castle houses an educational institute and the Museum of Erlach nowadays.

(More information: www.museumerlach.ch).