Thun-Panorama
Rotunda in the Schadaupark housing the 38-meter-long circular painting by Marquard Wocher (1814), the oldest surviving panorama in the world.
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About the museum
Basel artist Marquard Wocher painted a circular panorama of the small town of Thun and its surroundings between 1809 and 1814. The work is about 38 meters long and almost 7.5 meters high, and is considered the first panorama in Switzerland and the oldest surviving circular painting in the world. It shows the daily life of the town more than 200 years ago in fine detail, along with the Schlossberg, the lake and the Alpine range of the Bernese Oberland. The painting is on deposit from the Gottfried Keller-Stiftung in Thun.
It is housed in a rotunda in the middle of the Schadaupark. Architect Karl Keller built it in 1960/61 after the model of the earlier exhibition building in Basel: a slender round building with a reinforced concrete frame, whose red brick facade refers to nearby Schloss Schadau. Inside, a circular skylight provides even lighting; from a four-story viewing gallery the painting can be seen both as a whole and in detail.
In 2014 the rotunda was renovated and extended with an annex by the architects Graber & Steiger. The Thun-Panorama is run by the Kunstmuseum Thun. Historical documents on Wocher's life, an audio guide and touchscreens, on which picture details can be explored in strong magnification, complement the visit. For children, the huge painting is also a "Wimmelbild" (crowded picture full of small scenes).
Highlights
- Circular painting by Marquard Wocher (1814): 38 meters long, oldest surviving panorama painting in the world
- Rotunda by Karl Keller (1960/61) with a 2014 annex
- Free audio guide in German, English, French and Bernese dialect
- Touchscreens for exploring picture details
- Activity booklet "Panoramania" for children and young people
Permanent exhibition
- Thun-Panorama von Marquard Wocher – The circular painting, completed in 1814, shows Thun and its surroundings more than 200 years ago; it is complemented by historical documents on Wocher's life and an audio guide.
- Operated by
- Kunstmuseum Thun (Depositum der Gottfried Keller-Stiftung)
Admission & discounts
| Adults | CHF 9 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | CHF 8Students, apprentices, AHV (Swiss old-age pension), IV (Swiss disability insurance), Berner Oberland Pass |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 16 · Children and young people up to 16 years, as well as school classes and teachers, enter free. |
| Seniors | CHF 8AHV (Swiss old-age pension) |
| Visitors with disabilities | CHF 8IV (Swiss disability insurance) |
| Students & apprentices | CHF 8Students and apprentices |
| Groups (10+ people) | –Groups of 10 or more receive a 10% discount with advance registration. |
| Combi ticket with Kunstmuseum Thun | CHF 15Reduced price CHF 13. |
| #visitthun card (Kunstmuseum, Thun-Panorama, Schloss Thun) | CHF 22Reduced price CHF 20; valid for one year. |
The audio guide is included in the admission price. With KulturLegi, Panorama Card and Seepass, 50% discount; the discounts cannot be combined. Free admission for refugees (with ID), with Museums-PASS-Musées, the Swiss Museum Pass, the Raiffeisen card with museum pass, ICOM, VISARTE, VMS and other memberships, and for members of the Förderverein (friends' association). Reduced admission is also available with same-day tickets to certain other museums in the region.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: not available
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours
- Easy-to-read materials
- Audio description: no information
Due to heritage protection there is no wheelchair lift. The permanent and temporary exhibitions are wheelchair-accessible, but the circular painting is only partly visible, and distorted, from the ground floor. An induction loop is available for the audio guides. Free tours with sign language interpretation are offered together with IGGH; room texts are available in Easy Language (Leichte Sprache). The circular painting can also be viewed online in a 360° view.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 16 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Hands-on stations
For children the painting works as a huge crowded picture. The free activity booklet "Panoramania" is available at the ticket desk; in summer, children and accompanying adults with the Thun holiday pass enter free and receive a puzzle booklet. School classes can use the "Wocher-Koffer" with exploration tasks.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Scherzligen/Schadau
Train to Thun SBB station, then 20 minutes on foot or 5 minutes by bus line 1 (towards Gwatt) to the stop "Scherzligen/Schadau".
By car
Paid parking
Paid parking spaces at the Scherzligen/Schadau bus stop.
By car, take the Thun Süd exit (Weststrasse), then Talackerstrasse and Frutigenstrasse; at the roundabout take the second exit (Seestrasse).
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Museum shop
Small bistro in the Schadaupark with snacks, ice cream and drinks (outside in front of the panorama in good weather); museum shop with publications, art postcards, notebooks, magnets and a reproduction of the circular painting.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (DE, EN, FR) |
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | The free audio guide (German, English, French) is available at the ticket desk, or can be accessed on your smartphone via a QR code at reception; there is also a dialect tour with the former Thun city archivist. A creative station, the "Wocher-Koffer", is available for school classes. Visits without accompaniment by the art education staff must be registered 14 days in advance (panorama@thun.ch). |
