In the autumn semester of 2021, a multi-religious and plural room of silence will open at the University of Bern. The Room of Silence facilitates the compatibility of studies and faith and/or worldview. In addition, the Room of Silence is a place where students and staff of different faiths and worldviews come together.
The opening hours of the Room of Silence correspond to the opening hours of the Unitobler buildings:
Monday to Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
During the lecture-free period, the opening hours might differ.
The Room of Silence is located in the Unitobler building at Länggassstrasse 49.
The room number is B-105. See the video below for directions.
Barrier-free accessibility: The room is barrier-free accessible via the elevator to the left after the entrance in the building at Länggassstrasse 49 or via the elevator in the building at Lerchenweg 36.
The Room of Silence is open to individuals and groups for meditation, prayer, and silence. All religiously and secularly oriented students and employees of the University of Bern, the Bern Universities of Applied Sciences (FH), the Bern University of Teacher Education (PH), and other Swiss universities can use the room. The following principles apply in order to achieve a peaceful experience:
1. The room of silence is mainly for the use of individuals. Silence should be maintained during the opening hours.
2. During defined time windows, members of the sponsoring body and other groups are permitted to hold events - such as meditations - in the room. Only members of the sponsoring body are allowed to hold regular events. Groups that are not members of the sponsoring body can apply for the use of the room for individual events.
3. The use of the room must be compatible in content with the purpose of the room - namely, to be available to individuals and groups for meditation, prayer, and silence.
The general administrative and house rules for the Unitobler buildings where the room is located apply in the Room of Silence.
The sponsoring body also defines the following rules of conduct:
The Room of Silence is intended to provide an occasion for members of different faiths and world views to meet. The room is intended to promote intercultural, interdenominational, and interreligious exchange as well as mutual understanding and tolerance in everyday university life. The starting point of the dialogue project is the active (further) development of the design and the use of the Room of Silence in cooperation with the users. For this purpose, a public event is held at least once a year. This serves to give the responsible body impulses for the further use and design of the room.
The responsibility for the Room of Silence lies with the sponsoring body "Room of Silence". Currently, the sponsoring body consists of the following members:
The sponsoring body is open to other religious and secular university groups. Please contact us if you are interested in joining.