And it was while riding on a city tram on his way home from work at th the Bern patent office that Albert Einstein looked back at the receding clock and imagined what would happen if he were traveling at the speed of light. This is where he developed the special theory of rela. Every hour, on the hour, something unique happens in Bern: medieval figurines appear from the Zytglogge (Clock Tower). If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Photo credits: Jon Arnold Images Ltd/Alamy, Douglas Pearson/Getty, Blaine Harrington III/Getty, Douglas Pearson/Getty, Prisma Bildagentur AG/Alamy). Six weeks later, he finished a paper outlining a “special theory of relativity”. Einstein heard the toll one evening in May 1905. The exhibition upstairs detailing Einstein's life and career was very interesting. Your tourguide will lead you to your train back to Zurich. The 13th-century tower, a remnant of the first city wall, greets you in all its majesty. 'Why does it move sometimes slowly, sometimes fast?”. just like a stationary person will observe a passing car going 60 miles per hour north, while a driver going 50 mph north will only see the passing car as going so fast relative to them if their watch is running really really slow. Do you need to book in advance to visit Einstein House (Einsteinhaus)? The Clock Tower (Zeitglockenturm) was Bern’s first western city gate (1191 – 1256) and formed the boundary of the first city extension. Later he would show how space-time, as he called it, affected mass, energy and gravity, foreshadowing the nuclear age, space travel, and our understanding of how stars and celestial bodies interact. Deep inside a medieval watchtower, Markus Marti presides over the passage of time. Initially, the tower clock is (instantaneously) co-located with the first of Einstein's clocks and it records the current time … A few minutes later, I returned to Bern’s cobbled streets, blinking in the sun as if awakening from a dream. Speaking with a quiet German accent, Marti patiently decoded the elaborate clockwork, which is about the size of a walk-in closet. What, he wondered, would happen if a streetcar raced away from the tower at the speed of light? )” It also powers an hourly performance incorporating a dancing jester, parading bears and a gilded figure named Chronos who flips an hourglass and opens his mouth with each strike of the bell. Today it is one of Bern’s most important sights. 10860. It perhaps more correct way to look at this is to remember all observers see light traveling past at the same rate. The Einstein House is a tiny museum in the center of the Bern Old Town. more, Bernisches Historisches Museum - Einstein Museum. Might take a little work to find an entrance. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. That morning, it clicked with authority – a hypnotising sound like a heartbeat – inside a thick-walled stone room far removed from the city below. For unsuspecting visitors to Bern, the clock might appear as just another of Europe’s beautiful towered timepieces, but the Zytglogge triggered an idea inside the mind of a very young burgeoning physicist named Albert Einstein. The tower inspired a young patent clerk named Albert Einstein, and changed the way we think about the universe. The Clock Tower Zytglogge is a landmark medieval tower in Bern, Switzerland. Available space was fully utilised with a good level of information, just a bit cramped if you happen to arrive at a busy time. The video was also most enjoyable! When is Einstein House (Einsteinhaus) open? If you are flying along a lightbeam, the only way you can see it traveling at the same rate that a stationary person sees it traveling is if your watch ticks slow (i.e. “Marti has a delightful job title, which roughly translates as the Governor of Time, although his responsibilities are quite serious. 3 Top-Rated Attractions and Activities in New Zealand, The 4 Brain Circuits Governing Maximum Well-Being & How To Tune Them Like An Instrument, Foods From Your Favorite Movies That You Can Recreate At Home, 7 Ways Music Keeps Your Brain Forever Young, 6 Golfing Destinations You May Not Have Thought Of, The Ultimate French Fry Hack: Here’s How You Can Make McDonald’s Iconic French Fries At Home, Watch Nobel Prize-Winning Theoretical Physicist Richard Feynman’s Ideas On Beauty, Science & Belief, Advertise & Promote Your Hotel Or Brand On FEELguide, The Swiss Clocktower That Inspired Einstein’s Revolutionary Experiment & Changed History Forever, Inside The Australian Rooftop Hotel Where All The Rooms Are Airstream Trailers, This Stunning Art Film & Drone Footage Of Santorini Made Me See The Island With Fresh New Eyes. The clock tower or Zyglocke is in the centre of the old city and is perhaps the equivalent in Bern of the Kapellbrücke in Lucerne – one of those things that you have to see and visit ! It was a break-through moment. View image of Bern's clock tower inspired Albert Einstein (Credit: Credit: Jon Arnold Images Ltd/Alamy), View image of Zytglogge powers an hourly performance with each strike of its bell (Credit: Credit: Douglas Pearson/Getty), View image of The elaborate clockwork is about the size of a walk-in closet (Credit: Credit: Blaine Harrington III/Getty), View image of Einstein wondered what would happen if a streetcar raced away at the speed of light (Credit: Credit: Prisma Bildagentur AG/Alamy), View image of Bern residents pace their lives to the sound of the Zytglogge (Credit: Credit: Etcheverry Images/Alamy). As the load slowly descends, it powers the timepiece, which rings every 15 minutes. Our local tour guide is happy to answer all your questions during the day. Sit in traffic and it may drag on for days. 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There are a lot of explanatory boards, but in general it is not very interesting and can be missed. Early Screening of Terrence Malick’s “TREE of LIFE” Compares Film... CNN, Washington Post, and The Daily Telegraph Report 120 US... Latest Research Proves Vast Majority Of Animals Have Consciousness, Emotions,... Philip Glass Staging 2013 London Opera About The “Dark, Frightening”... Victoria Beckham Ranks As Britain’s #1 Entrepreneur Of 2014, Personal... Rare Video Shows A Modern Dinosaur Hatching From Its Shell. “At 300,000 kilometers per second, the streetcar would be moving away as fast as the light wave that showed the time as 6pm, for example — time would be frozen! The cartoon starred a jovial Einstein, but the presentation soon filled my head with a fog that took me back to high school physics. If you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter, called “If You Only Read 6 Things This Week”. Hotels near Einstein House (Einsteinhaus): What restaurants are near Einstein House (Einsteinhaus)? It would have been better to see the apartment as it was with bedroom, kitchen, etc as I was under the impression that's what I was going to see. We recommend booking Einstein House (Einsteinhaus) tours ahead of time to secure your spot. Together you travel typically Swiss-style by train to Visp (2 hours) and from there by the coghwheel train to Zermatt. But looking back at the tower, the clock – and time – would seem to have stopped. The ticking resumed, and I began to relax. by Brent Lambert • If you like history and have time for Einstein, It is located on one of the main touristy street anyway, so why not visit it. but also a good representation of the struggles of his time. It was an experiment that would set Einstein on a path towards the discovery of his General Theory of Relativity that changed human history forever. For over 600 years, the bell has been faithfully ringing in the hours. I had spent a previous afternoon at a museum devoted to the physicist, gamely sitting through a video explanation of his theories that, the curators promised, even moderately attentive school children could grasp. Physics, Space, Travel • FacebookTwitterPinterestStumbleUponemailRedditLinkedinDiggTumblrFlattrBufferVKYummlyPrintYes, hair loss is genetic in... FacebookTwitterPinterestStumbleUponemailRedditLinkedinDiggTumblrFlattrBufferVKYummlyPrintNew Zealand has been in the... FacebookTwitterPinterestStumbleUponemailRedditLinkedinDiggTumblrFlattrBufferVKYummlyPrintDr. Marti has a delightful job title, which roughly translates as the Governor of Time, although his responsibilities are quite serious. The house is small and was quite crowded during my visit. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. Several times a week in the heart of Bern, Switzerland, the retired engineer leads a small group of visitors up a twisting narrow staircase. September 8, 2016 • Many times each week, deep inside an iconic medieval clocktower in the heart of Bern, Switzerland, a man by the name of Markus Marti watches over the clock that inspired Albert Einstein‘s first thought experiment. The essential nature of time dilation due to uniform relative motion is that, relative to Einstein, the clock is moving (with speed $v \lt c$) and so, Einstein must use two, spatially separated and synchronized clocks, at rest with respect to him, to observe the elapsed time according to the tower clock. I thoroughly enjoyed learning all about him. Popped in here to broaden our knowledge on Einstein. But whether you’re hiking the Alps, contemplating physics or answering emails, the gears inside Bern’s tower slowly turn. It was Einstein's apartment, preserved much as it was when he lived there. I particularly like to see the interior of buildings in old styles so was looking forward to seeing the apartment from his time. Today, the landmark anchors a capital city recognised by Unesco for its intact medieval core. The clockwork halted and tension rose in the suddenly silent room. Enjoy your time at your disposal (approx. What hotels are near Einstein House (Einsteinhaus)? He saw the clock tower passing behind him and wondered how the clock would appear as the streetcar moved faster and faster,” writes Chris Impey of Teach Astronomy. You will travel back together with the tour guide to Zermatt, where the return travel via Visp to Bern will take place. The dancing bears, the cheeky fool and the crowing rooster have been a joy for the public every day for centuries. If was an informative session, and those that are interested in the many challenges and ideology he had then I would recommend a visit. The ornate astronomical calendar clock was created in 1530. Our family decided to stop by not knowing what to expect. “[Einstein’s] first thought experiment has to do with time and stems from a thought Einstein had while riding home in a streetcar in Bern.