It was the southernmost street of the old Zähringerstadt (Zähringer town) of Bern and ended at the first city wall.

However due to the increasing width of the Aare peninsula the street only runs a short distance from the Münsterplatz (the plaza in front of the Münster of Bern) to the Casinoplatz.

Along both sides of the street there are two separate rows of buildings, with a small passageway between them which runs north and south.

Herrengasse 23 was occupied by Allen Dulles who was the Chief of Station for OSS in Switzerland during World War II.

From his house on Herrengasse he ran an intelligence organization that produced information on Nazi aircraft, V-1 and V-2 missiles, the 20 July 1944 attempt to kill Hitler, and even the surrender of German troops in Italy.