Heitere Fahne Bern
Old tavern brought back to life
Imagine a very old wooden house in a quiet neighbourhood, families eating pizza on a large terrace, children playing in a former bowling alley, old people playing cards inside, hipsters drinking at the bar while a young man with a mental disability announces a gipsy swing concert in the built-in theater hall. That place actually exists! It’s called “Heitere Fahne” (Happy Flag) and lies at the foot of Gurten hill a little outside of the city center.
The place used to be a tavern once, attached to the close-by beer brewery. The brewery was closed down years ago, and so was the tavern. Then, a few years ago, the building was brought back to more life than ever before. The opening hours are variable, since (almost) everybody is working for free. But the chances are not too bad that there will be a concert, a roller-skate disco, a performance, free yoga lessons or anything else going on.
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