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Hidden gem1st c. BC – 3rd c. ADFree

Engehalbinsel

Brenodurum, Brenodor

amphitheatre · Bern-Mittelland District, Bern, Switzerland

What it is
The Engehalbinsel, a peninsula in a loop of the Aare 3 km north of Bern's old town, was the site of the Celtic town of the Helvetii and then of the Roman small town of Brenodurum; a small arena and a set of Roman baths are on view, free and open all year.
What you’ll see
The canton's archaeology service maintains a signposted trail whose Roman highlights are "the so-called arena" and the Roman baths (the operator).
Worth the trip?
For anyone staying in Bern, yes: it is a free, unhurried walk on a green peninsula with two clear Roman monuments, and the canton's archaeology service has put information boards along the way (OpenStreetMap).
Getting there & cost
The Engehalbinsel is 3 km north of Bern's old town (the operator). Bern Tiefenau station is mapped about 290 m from the arena, and a public car park, with a fee, about 130 m (OpenStreetMap).Free · Free (no charge is published · checked 7 October 2026Hours, tickets and parking
An aerial view of a round grassy arena outlined by a low stone wall, with straight walls marking an entrance at the bottom and the shadow of a tree across it.
The arena from above. · Photo: Ginkgo · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
A small oval arena of mown grass enclosed by a low curved stone wall with an entrance gap, set in parkland with autumn trees and hills on the horizon.
The amphitheatre, one of the smallest known. · Photo: Victrixt · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
A painted sign under a timber roof above stone walls, reading in German that the building is under federal protection and was excavated in 1936-38 by the voluntary labour service with contributions from the Confederation, the canton and the city of Bern.
The sign over the baths. · Photo: Joe byrne · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

What is there today

The canton’s archaeology service maintains a signposted trail whose Roman highlights are “the so-called arena” and the Roman baths (the operator). The arena is a small oval of grass inside a low stone wall; Pleiades gives it about 27.5 by 25.3 m. The baths, about 850 m to the north-west, stand under a timber roof and have been partly reconstructed: Commons photographs and their descriptions show the portico and changing room, the hot room with its underfloor heating, the cold pool and the furnace room. A sign over them records that the building is under federal protection and was excavated in 1936-38 by the voluntary labour service, paid for by the Confederation, the canton and the city of Bern.

A display case of finds from the settlements stands beside the Matthäuskirche, near the arena; the operator lists it as closed for renovation until summer 2026.

Is it worth the trip?

For anyone staying in Bern, yes: it is a free, unhurried walk on a green peninsula with two clear Roman monuments, and the canton’s archaeology service has put information boards along the way (OpenStreetMap). Neither monument is large, and they are some distance apart, so treat it as a walk with stops rather than a single sight.

Getting there

The Engehalbinsel is 3 km north of Bern’s old town (the operator). Bern Tiefenau station is mapped about 290 m from the arena, and a public car park, with a fee, about 130 m (OpenStreetMap). The monuments are accessible all year, and the canton’s archaeology service offers a map and a flyer; guided tours can be arranged through the Pro Brenodor association (the operator, read 7 October 2026).

Visiting details

Opening hours
The arena and the Roman baths are accessible all year (the operator).
Tickets
Free (no charge is published; OpenStreetMap tags the display case fee=no).
Parking
A public car park (fee) about 130 m from the arena (OpenStreetMap, way/72402225).

Before you go

  • The display case of finds beside the Matthäuskirche is listed by the operator as closed for renovation until summer 2026; check that it has reopened.
  • The arena and the baths are about 850 m apart.

Hours and prices checked 7 October 2026 on the operator's own site. Confirm before travelling.

History

In the late Iron Age, from the 3rd to the 1st century BC, the peninsula held an important town of the Helvetii, an oppidum of up to 140 hectares that probably bore the name Brenodor. Shortly before the turn of the era the Roman small town of Brenodurum grew up in the same place; it was used into the 3rd century and then abandoned (the operator).

More photographs

Low walls of rough stone under an open timber roof, with a raised wooden floor laid over part of the room and steps leading up behind.
The baths, partly reconstructed under a protective roof. · Photo: Joe byrne · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Nearby

  • Ruined walls of rough stone standing in a mown meadow, a square block of masonry beside lower wall stubs, with trees and houses behind under a grey sky.

    Photo: André Corboz · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons

    19 km · temple · Seeland District, Bern

    Petinesca

    The site is in two parts.

  • A gravel lane curving through a broad natural arch in a grey rock cliff, with a rectangular panel cut into the rock face above the opening and spring woodland beyond.

    Photo: Oblic · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons

    33 km · road · Bernese Jura, Bern

    Pierre Pertuis

    The passage is a short tunnel through the rock with a well-preserved Latin inscription (fr.wikipedia).

  • A sanded oval arena ringed by a low stone wall, with tiers of seating rising on the left and a square stone tower with a red tile roof standing over an arched entrance on the far side.

    Photo: Nursangaion · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons

    33 km · city · Broye-Vully District, Vaud

    Aventicum

    The ruins are not one enclosure but a set of monuments spread through the town and the fields beyond it.

Straight-line distances.

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from the records below, each used under the licence noted.

SourceLicence
Wikidata Q1341754CC0
OpenStreetMap relation/13646572ODbL
Pleiades — Roman amphitheater at Bernlicence not recorded
Wikidata — Roman amphitheatre of Bern (Q29001163)licence not recorded
Wikidata — Roman baths on the Engehalbinsel (Q29651691)licence not recorded
Wikipedia (de) — EngehalbinselCC BY-SA 4.0
KGS inventory 620 — Engehalbinsel, keltisches Oppidum / BRENODURUM (?), römischer Vicus (BABS)licence not recorded
Archäologischer Dienst des Kantons Bern — Bern, Engehalbinsel (the operator)licence not recorded