 Situated in the northeast and southeast of the Aare peninsula, the "Nydeggstalden" and the "Mattequartier" together constitute medieval Bern's smallest neighbourhood.Workshops and mercantile activity prevailed in this area, and medieval sources tell of numerous complaints about the ceaseless and apparently nerve-wracking noise of machinery, carts and commerce.The Matte area at the riverside features three artificial channels, through which Aare water was diverted to power three city-owned watermills built in 1360.