Thun-Panorama

What makes it special

The canvas is 38 metres long and makes a full circle, over the roofs and out to the Alps of the Bernese Oberland. Wocher painted it between 1809 and 1814, and it was the first panorama made in Switzerland.

Look into the windows first. Wocher filled the town with everyday life: rooms inside the townhouses, the market, traffic on the roads, people at their daily work. Some of the buildings he recorded have since gone, so parts of this Thun now exist only here.

The scene is peaceful, a small town on an ordinary day under the mountains. The picture is full of small scenes to find, so children and adults both end up searching it for details.

The building is part of the design. Its red brick facing nods to Schadau Castle, and a round skylight lights the canvas from the centre. A viewing gallery lets you see the whole circle from above and then go close to the detail.

Visiting

Picking up at reception gets you an audio guide, included with every ticket in English, German, French or Bernese German. Take the information sheet too: it sets a modern photograph of the same view beside the painting and points out what to look for.

From reception, a short stair leads down into the round room, where the canvas surrounds you at eye level. Walk one slow circle at the lowest level for the detail, then climb the gallery for the whole view.

Touch screens in the rotunda let you explore the painting section by section. The audio guide picks out stories such as the legend of the Blüemlisalp, the town's schools of the day and Thun's oldest hotel, and children get a questionnaire to work through.

Finish at the small bistro beside the rotunda, which serves drinks, light snacks and ice cream. The shop sells reproductions of the painting.

Guided or on your own

The audio guide is included, so going on your own suits most visitors. For a guide, the one-hour themed tour "Anna Maria Wocher and the Thun-Panorama" has Wocher's wife tell his story on a walk through Schadau Park, then visits the painting. It runs only in German and partly outdoors, and reservation is required because places are limited.

Group tours with a Thun city guide or a research assistant are also offered, and the museum runs free public tours with sign-language translation.

Tips

Bring a warm layer in spring and autumn, because the viewing room is unheated. The rotunda is not visible as you enter the park, so look for a round building faced in red brick.

There is little to do inside beyond the painting and the temporary exhibition. Pair it with a walk in Schadau Park, or buy the combined ticket that adds Thun Castle and the Kunstmuseum Thun.

A Swiss Travel Pass covers entry, and the desk takes cards as well as cash. Wheelchair users can see the painting from the entrance level, though the view there is slightly distorted. An induction loop works with the audio guides.