About this place
Standing in the middle of the Gerechtigkeitsgasse, the Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen is widely regarded as the artistic pinnacle of Bern's remarkable series of Renaissance fountains. Carved in 1543 by the sculptor Hans Gieng, its life-sized figure of Iustitia introduced a startling innovation, a blindfold, to signal that the law must be applied without regard to a person's rank or riches. Beneath her stand four small busts representing the four earthly powers of the age, a pope, an emperor, a sultan, and a local Bernese magistrate, all humbled before her authority. The original statue was destroyed by vandals in 1986 and now rests in the Bern Historical Museum, while the vivid copy that has presided here since 1988 continues to watch over one of the old town's most beautiful arcaded streets, its water splashing endlessly into an octagonal limestone basin.
Key facts
- 1543 year — Sculptor Hans Gieng carved the Lady Justice figure that crowns the fountain
- 4 figures — Miniature busts of a pope, emperor, sultan and magistrate sit at Justice's feet
- 1986 year — Vandals tore down the original statue, which was replaced by a copy in 1988
📍 Gerechtigkeitsgasse, 3000, Bern