Solothurn is said to be the most beautiful baroque city in Switzerland. The imposing buildings were constructed in various epochs: ranging from the first half of the 12th century, when the clock tower was built, to 1773, when St. Ursus Cathedral was constructed in baroque and neo-classical style.

The Solothurn Old Town is full of historic buildings, most of which have some sort of relationship to the number eleven. This number has been celebrated in Solothurn since the Middle Ages. Thus the mighty St. Ursus Cathedral has 11 altars and 11 clocks and its outer staircase is divided into sections with 11 steps.

Also well worth seeing are the remains of the old city fortifications (a part of the fortifications dates back to the Roman era), the town hall - whose core was built in the 13th century and upgraded up until the 19th century), the Franciscan Church (which was built between the years of 1426 and 1436), the 11 historic fountains and wells and the 11 towers. By the way: there even is a clock in Solothurn that only displays eleven hours!