St Ursen-Kathedrale

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Architect Gaetano Matteo Pisoni restrained himself with the classical Italianate facade of Solothurn’s monolithic 18th-century cathedral, but went wild inside with a white-and-gilt trip of wedding-cake baroque.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Baseltor

0.04 MILES

Just east of the cathedral, this is Solothurn's most attractive city gate. Nearby, the city’s former bastion makes a decent picnic spot.

2. Museum Altes Zeughaus

0.06 MILES

Fresh from extensive renovations completed in late 2016, the early 17th-century rust-coloured facade of this vast, multi-windowed arsenal museum is a…

3. Jesuitenkirche

0.07 MILES

The unprepossessing facade of this church (1680–89) disguises an interior of baroque embellishments and stucco work. All the ‘marble’ in here is fake –…

4. Zeitglockenturm

0.1 MILES

A knight, a king and a Grim Reaper jig on the hour atop this 12th-century astronomical clock with its hands reversed so the smaller one shows the minutes…

5. Gerechtigkeits-Brunnen

0.12 MILES

West of the clock tower, this fountain (1561) portrays a blindfolded Justice, holding aloft a sword, while the four most important contemporary figures in…

6. Kunstmuseum

0.17 MILES

The centrepiece of Solothurn's Fine Arts Museum is Ferdinand Hodler’s famous portrait of William Tell (looking a bit like a red-haired, bearded Goliath in…

7. Burgdorf Unterstadt

11.07 MILES

In the new Lower Town, the works of Switzerland’s foremost photo-realist painter steal the show at the Franz Gertsch Museum.

8. Franz Gertsch Museum

11.14 MILES

The works of Switzerland’s foremost photo-realist painter steal the show at the Franz Gertsch Museum.