The Historical Museum of Bern is the second largest historical museum in Switzerland. It was built in 1894 by the Neuchâtel architect André Lambert. As it was first conceived as the Swiss National Museum (the city of Zurich was chosen to host it later) the architect took as model various historic castles from the fifteenth and sixteenth century.
The museum contains collections related to the history of Berne from prehistory to the present and other permanent exhibitions from Asia and Egypt. It is a heritage site of national significance.
First conceived as a temporary exhibition in 2005 the Einstein Museum became a museum dedicated to the life of Albert Einstein and his work as he discovered the Relativity Theory while living in Bern. The house where he lived (Einsteinhaus) in this period is also open to the public, but is located elsewhere in the city and charges separate entry fees.
