The beautiful Swiss city of Bern, rich in history and culture, will host the annual Bern Music Festival from Sept. 6–10. This year’s theme, irrlicht (or “ghost light”), spans a wide range of musical styles from early music to contemporary works, and features performances of improvised, experimental and electronic music. The festival offers a varied program that highlights both established artists and emerging talents across diverse genres.
Also reopened with fresh exhibits is the Museum of Communication, presenting a thoughtful exploration of the ways people have conveyed meaning across time. Exhibits trace the arc of human communication from body language and early signaling systems to modern telecommunications. Visitors can experience virtual scenes, interactive installations and games that illustrate how technologies and social practices have shaped connection and exchange.
At the Zentrum Paul Klee, a new exhibition titled “10 Americans: After Paul Klee” explores the influence of Paul Klee’s art on mid-20th-century American painters. This first exhibition to focus specifically on that relationship examines Klee’s impact on artists such as Jackson Pollock, Robert Motherwell, Mark Tobey, Adolph Gottlieb, William Baziotes, Gene Davis, Theodoros Stamos, Norman Lewis, Kenneth Noland and Bradley Walker Tomlin. The show presents works that reveal how Klee’s ideas about color, form and abstraction resonated across the Atlantic. Scheduled to run Feb. 3–May 6, 2018, the exhibition will later travel to the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C.
While you explore Bern’s festivals and museums, consider staying in a distinctive local property. Reopening Sept. 1 after renovation, the historic Hotel Kreuz in Herzogenbuchsee offers a cozy retreat with 12 well-appointed rooms that blend traditional charm and modern comforts. Located just outside Bern, the guesthouse provides a quiet base for city visits and can host modestly sized meetings, making it suitable for both leisure and small business stays.