Child Eater Fountain (Kindlifresserbrunnen)
Child Eater Fountain (Kindlifresserbrunnen)
Child Eater Fountain (Kindlifresserbrunnen)
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The area
Address
How to get there
- Bern Station • 7 min walk
Best nearby
Restaurants
753 within 3 miles
Attractions
153 within 6 miles
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
318 reviews
Excellent
106
Very good
142
Average
62
Poor
5
Terrible
3
Snowball's adventure
Barnet, UK7,264 contributions
Jun 2023 • Couples
At the east end of Marktgasse, you'd find a painted fountain sculpture that was created in the 15th century, displaying an ogre eating a child whilst his other hand holding a bag of children that were going to be his food. There have been many theories of what this sculpture represents but no one could confirm. It's a scary sculpture that will easily catch your attention when you're there.
Written May 28, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeff K
Pittsburgh, PA2,476 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
This was my favorite attraction in Bern. It’s a weird, 500 year old statute that shows an ogre eating young children. I had seen pictures of the statute prior to my visit but didn’t realize that the ogre was holding a lot of extra children to eat later.
The statue is about 10 yards from the Zytglogge clock tower. I met a few other tourists who had visited Bern but not seen the statue. Apparently it’s not on all of the Bern tour itineraries which is real shame. If you go to Bern you should have it at the top of your list IMO.
The statue is about 10 yards from the Zytglogge clock tower. I met a few other tourists who had visited Bern but not seen the statue. Apparently it’s not on all of the Bern tour itineraries which is real shame. If you go to Bern you should have it at the top of your list IMO.
Written September 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gene P
San Fernando, Philippines618 contributions
Jul 2022
After the bridge leading to the tower, there are a series of fountains and statues on pedestal that has its own meaning and story. The child eater is one of the last you will see on the tram tracks. the details and history of each one is entertaining and amazing.
Written July 15, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hugo W
London, UK452 contributions
Nov 2022
This beautiful fountain stands in the middle of the road, so it is often overlooked and people simply pass by on either side of the pavement. The fountain has been there fore a very long time, I remember being scared of it as a child, and that is now more than 60 years ago. Scared because, as the name suggests, it depicts children being eaten.....
Written November 24, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
permia
Ireland67,095 contributions
Oct 2022
Many and numerous interpretations of its content range from the innocent to the more disquieting. Amongst the former is that it’s simply a carnival scene intended to frighten misbehaving children.
All pertaining to the ogre atop who’s happily munching away, with more material in his bag.
It’s a colourfully ornate piece of art and dates from the mid 1500s.
All pertaining to the ogre atop who’s happily munching away, with more material in his bag.
It’s a colourfully ornate piece of art and dates from the mid 1500s.
Written November 20, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Akshaya S
Noida, India545 contributions
Jun 2023 • Family
Quite a unique fountain with the figure on top. While planning for Bern trip, this was something which we wanted to see more as a curiosity. There are several theories behind this but no one know the actual fact behind making such a figure.
Written July 14, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I visited this place🇺🇸🇫🇷🇳🇱🇬🇧🇨🇭
Israel37,531 contributions
Jul 2022 • Family
PROS
• Location in Central Bern
• Representative of something
CONS
•. Ridiculous
• Disgusting
• Ugly- “ichsa”
• Gross
• Scary
“I VISITED THIS PLACE”…
… during my walk in the Old Town/Old City of Bern. Suffice it to say that I am most certainly NOT a better person after the experience
TIP
For fun, you could check it out
• Location in Central Bern
• Representative of something
CONS
•. Ridiculous
• Disgusting
• Ugly- “ichsa”
• Gross
• Scary
“I VISITED THIS PLACE”…
… during my walk in the Old Town/Old City of Bern. Suffice it to say that I am most certainly NOT a better person after the experience
TIP
For fun, you could check it out
Written August 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dr. Udgeeth Thaker
Mirissa, Sri Lanka193 contributions
Jun 2016 • Couples
A literal translation of the name Kindlifresserbrunnen therefore would be "Fountain of the Eater of Little Children".
in the middle of swiss capital bern and just beside the famous clock tower [ just at the clock tower tram and bus station!] there is this 500 years old water fountain with a statue of a person carrying children in the bag and eating them!
it is a puzzle!
why it was created?
swiss people are known for their negative artictic value, contructing prisons in the center of the city and carving dying and crying lion etc in their Cities.
but this is too much like eating young children!
there are multiple theories for the same...
let is be a Jewish person [from the pointed hat of the statue] of the fact that it may resemble greek god cronos who ate his own children or the statue was only a warning to the children not to go towards the near by bear pit.
TODAY AFTER 500 YEAR S NO ONE ACTUALLY KNOWS WHY IT WAS CREATED.
but it remains one of the most visited place of bern, no ticket required. its on a public road.
if you see it once in your life, you wont forget that moment. it is so WEIRD but interesting to know the theories why it was made.
go there and have a look...
in the middle of swiss capital bern and just beside the famous clock tower [ just at the clock tower tram and bus station!] there is this 500 years old water fountain with a statue of a person carrying children in the bag and eating them!
it is a puzzle!
why it was created?
swiss people are known for their negative artictic value, contructing prisons in the center of the city and carving dying and crying lion etc in their Cities.
but this is too much like eating young children!
there are multiple theories for the same...
let is be a Jewish person [from the pointed hat of the statue] of the fact that it may resemble greek god cronos who ate his own children or the statue was only a warning to the children not to go towards the near by bear pit.
TODAY AFTER 500 YEAR S NO ONE ACTUALLY KNOWS WHY IT WAS CREATED.
but it remains one of the most visited place of bern, no ticket required. its on a public road.
if you see it once in your life, you wont forget that moment. it is so WEIRD but interesting to know the theories why it was made.
go there and have a look...
Written May 11, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Aaretal
Bern, Switzerland306 contributions
Apr 2015 • Couples
The child eater fountain is - after a story going on - placed on a old Underground corridor which connected a mens and a womens cloister. The fountains signifies that the fruits of sins had to be eliminated............
Written April 15, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
teba951022
Baghdad, Iraq42 contributions
Jul 2019 • Solo
I wouldn’t actually consider this a monument, or a tourists attraction, it was -along side with many other statues in the same street- adding a lot of beauty and culture to the street but there wasn’t something special about this fountain the calls for a particular visit!
Written August 10, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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