Survey of Historic Landmarks in the Old Town | Rathausgasse, Murten, FR

Do you know why Rathausgasse in Murten is also called “Elefantengasse”?

In the summer of 1866, an American circus was performing in Murten. An elephant act thrilled the large crowd. The next morning, the townspeople were awakened by a cry of panic: the male elephant had killed his keeper and was now rampaging through the city.

The elephant was eventually herded back into a stable. In a great hurry, two cannons with ammunition were requested from the Freiburg Armory, and they arrived at 11 a.m. The elephant was ultimately killed with this 6-pounder cannon.

The cannonball is on display at the Murten Museum, and the elephant’s skeleton is at the Natural History Museum in Bern.

Many buildings and alleys hold stories within them. Thanks to building surveys, we can play our part in the restoration and preservation of these structures and help preserve historical anecdotes such as that of Elefantengasse.