Leuzigen combines village history with a hike that leads from Lohn-Ammannsegg over hills and through Leuzigen Forest into the Aare Valley. When choosing a destination, it is worth weighing up your options: should your stay focus mainly on the exhibitions and the history of the church’s construction, or are hiking, the Aare landscape and a ferry crossing more important? The museum and church offer insights into local history; the hiking route and ferry provide different ways to experience the landscape.
Village Museum and Local History
The village museum is housed in the “Turm”, a distinctive building inaugurated in 1662 as one of the first rural schoolhouses in the canton of Bern. There is no permanent exhibition: the themes change each year, and the exhibition is completely redesigned each time. The sixteen exhibitions held so far have covered subjects including agriculture, washing and baking, the Second World War, club life, painting and village theatre. Emigration and immigration, collections and the manufacture of turned parts have also featured.
Tours can be tailored to the desired topics and the time available. Both the choice of topic and the time frame can therefore play a role when planning a museum visit. The village’s history also includes two major fires in 1832: on 7/8 April, a fire destroyed 13 houses and barns; on 11 September, another major fire reduced four houses and a smithy to ashes. After a village fire destroyed the small tower and the old bell, the Turmschulhaus was given a new, larger tower in 1833.
Church: Architectural History and Stained Glass
The Reformed Church, formerly St. John the Baptist, was originally a priory church of the Cluniac order dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. The Romanesque Church of St. John received a new chancel in 1521, with a three-sided polygonal apse that is not set back. Here, “not set back” means that the chancel is not narrower than the nave. The church houses six stained-glass windows dating from 1519 to 1539, probably by Jakob Wyss. Its dedication, architectural form and stained glass illustrate different aspects of the church’s history, which visitors can distinguish from one another as they explore.
Aare Landscape and Hiking Trails
A 1985 cantonal riverbank plan classifies the Aare stretch between Arch and Leuzigen as a particularly valuable remnant of the old river landscape. The Hole area offers beautiful views of Leuzigen village and the Aare plain. At Dürner/Hofmatt, the focus is on conserving land and aquatic wildlife as well as open water areas. Target species include the midwife toad, sand martin and large blue emperor dragonfly. A dry habitat along the railway embankment and on the former station grounds is to be preserved and enhanced as a habitat for plants and animals, and protected against overgrowth.
The half-day hike from Lohn-Ammannsegg to Leuzigen leads over hills and through Leuzigen Forest into the Aare Valley. It is a pleasant, easy tour. At first, the views extend into the Emmental; as you leave Leuzigen Forest, the vista opens up over the Aare Valley and towards the Jura. In the village, the route leads directly out of the forest, crosses the main road by the church and then follows the path north towards the railway station. The hike combines a clear time frame with several scenic viewpoints.
The Aare ferry between Leuzigen and Altreu offers a crossing that saves a long detour and carries bicycles and pushchairs. It also offers short cruises, as well as fondue and apéro trips. Unlike the half-day hike, the focus here is on crossing the river or taking a trip on the Aare. Check the timetable before planning to take the ferry.
Discover more destinations: Pieterlen, Büren an der Aare, Oberwil bei Büren.
Return to the higher-level travel overview: Büren.
