Everything about Berne totally explained
The city of
Berne or
Bern ([b̥ɛrn], [bɛʀn], [ˈbɛrna],
Romansh:
Berna [ˈbɛrnə],
Bernese German:
Bärn [b̥æːrn]), is the
Bundesstadt (
federal city,
de facto capital) of
Switzerland and, with 128,041 people (agglomeration: 344,000), is the fourth most populous city in Switzerland (after
Zürich,
Geneva and
Basel).
Most of Berne's residents speak
German, or more specifically,
Bernese German, which is a
high-Alemannic dialect. The
Canton of Berne has a
French-speaking part. Very few people still speak the
Mattenenglisch, a
language game used in the former workers' quarter of
Matte, but several words have found their way into Bernese German.
Berne also functions as the capital of the
Canton of Berne, the second most populous of Switzerland's cantons.
Illustrious Bernese include the
reformer Albrecht von Haller, the poet
Albert Bitzius and the painters
Hans Fries,
Ferdinand Hodler and
Paul Klee. The German-born physicist
Albert Einstein worked out his
theory of relativity while employed as a
clerk at the Berne patent office.
A culturally important person was
Mani Matter, a songwriter performing in
Bernese German.
History
Duke Berchtold V of Zähringen founded the city on the River
Aare in 1191 and allegedly named it after a
bear (
Bär in German) he'd killed. It was made an
Imperial Free City by the
Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in 1218 after Berthold died without an heir. In 1353 Berne joined the young
Swiss Confederation, becoming a leading member of the new state. It invaded and conquered
Aargau in 1415 and
Vaud in 1536, as well as other smaller territories, thereby becoming the largest
city-state north of the
Alps. It was occupied by
French troops in 1798 during the
French Revolutionary Wars, when it was stripped of most of its territories. In 1831 the city became the capital of the Canton of Berne and in 1848 it additionally became the Swiss capital.
The city grew out towards the west of the boundaries of the peninsula formed by the river
Aar. Initially, the
Zytglogge tower marked the western boundary of the city from 1191 until 1256, when the
Käfigturm took over this role until 1345, which, in turn, was then succeeded by the
Christoffelturm (located close to today's train station) until 1622. During the time of the
Thirty Years' War two new fortifications, the so-called big and small
Schanze (entrenchment), were built to protect the whole area of the peninsula. The protection by these edifices was sufficient for the prosperous growth of the city of Berne up to the 19th century.
A number of congresses of the
socialist First and
Second Internationals were held in Berne, particularly during
World War I when Switzerland was neutral. (See
Berne International.)
Geography
Berne lies in the
Swiss plateau part of the
Canton of Berne, somewhat west of the center of Switzerland and 20 km north of the
Alps. The landscape around Berne was formed by glaciers in the last
ice age. The two mountains closest to Berne are the Gurten with a height of 858 meters and the Bantiger with a height of 947 meters. The site of the old observatory in Berne is the origin (600 000/200 000) of the
CH1903 coordinate system, its international coordinates are .
The city was originally built on a mountain engulfed by the river
Aar but outgrew the natural boundaries of the river in the 19th century. The following bridges were built to allow the city to grow outside of the boundaries imposed by the river:
The city is built on very uneven ground. There are several dozens of meters in height difference from the quarters down at the Aar (for example Matte, Marzili) to the higher ones (for example Kirchenfeld, Länggasse).
Politics
Berne is governed by an 80-member legislative council (
Stadtrat) and a 5-member executive council (
Gemeinderat).
As of 2005, the representatives of the
Social Democratic Party and of the three
Green parties hold a majority in both councils (3 to 2 and 43 to 37, respectively). For this reason, it's they, collectively referred to as "Red-Green-Center" (
Rot-Grün-Mitte), who mostly determine City policy, although no formal coalition agreement exists and, under the system of
direct democracy that prevails in Switzerland, most important issues are settled by general
referendum. The other major
political parties of Berne are the
Free Democratic Party (
FDP, free-market liberal) and the
Swiss People's Party (
SVP, nationalist, conservative).
The office of mayor (
Stadtpräsident), as a
primus inter pares (First among equals) in the executive council, is mostly representative. As of 2005, the
mayor of Berne is
Alexander Tschäppät of the
Social Democrats.
Main sights
Berne's
city center is largely
medieval and has been recognised by
UNESCO as a Cultural
World Heritage Site. Perhaps its most famous sight is the
Zytglogge, an elaborate medieval clock tower with moving puppets. It also has an impressive 15th century
Gothic cathedral, the
Münster, and a 15th century town hall. Thanks to 6 kilometers of arcades, the old town boasts one of the longest covered shopping promenades in Europe.
Since the 16th century, the city has had a
bear pit (the
Bärengraben), which can be visited off the far end of the Nydeggbrücke. The Federal Palace (
Bundeshaus), dating from 1902, which houses the
national parliament and part of the federal administration, can also be visited.
Einstein lived in an apartment at the Kramgasse 49, the site of the
Einsteinhaus
, from 1903 to 1905, the year in which the
Annus Mirabilis Papers were published.
The Garden of
Roses (
Rosengarten), from where a scenic panorama view of the medieval city core can be enjoyed, is a well-kept Rosary on a hill, converted into a
park from a former cemetery in 1913.
Berne's most recent sight is the set of fountains in front of the Federal Palace. It was inaugurated on
August 1,
2004.
Berne features many
heritage sites of national significance. Apart from the entire
Old Town and many sites within it, these include the
Bärengraben, the
Gewerbeschule Bern (1937), the
Eidgenössisches Archiv für Denkmalpflege, the
Kirchenfeld mansion district (after 1881), the
Thunplatzbrunnen, the
Federal Mint building, the
Federal Archives, the
Swiss National Library, the
Historical Museum (1894),
Alpine Museum,
Museum of Communication and
Natural History Museum.
Berne features numerous museums including:
Museum of Arts
Art-Hall
Psychiatry Museum
Historic Museum
Natural History Museum
Alpine Museum
Einstein House
Marksmen Museum
Culture
Berne is rich of cultural offerings for every taste.
Theaters
Berne Theatre(External Link)
Schlachthaus-theater (External Link)
Tojo Theater (External Link)
The Theater on the Effinger-Street (External Link)
Narrenpack Theater Bern (External Link)
Movie theaters
Berne has several dozens of movie theaters. As is customary in Switzerland, movies are generally shown in their original language (for example, English) with subtitling in German and French. Only a small number of screenings are dubbed in German. Program information is available through for example the Cineman website.
Queersicht - Queer Filmfestival, annually held second week of November.
Festivals
Gurtenfestival (External Link)
BeJazz Summer and Winter Festival
Berner Tanztage
Internationales Jazzfestival Bern
Taktlos-Festival
Queersicht - Queer Filmfestival, annually held second week of November.
Buskers festival
Fairs
Zibelemärit - The Zibelemärit (onion market) is an annual fair held on the fourth Monday in November.
Sport
The football team BSC Young Boys is based in Berne at the Wankdorf.
SC Bern is the major ice hockey team of Berne who plays at the PostFinance Arena.
Education
Berne has a University, a University of Applied Science and several vocational schools.
The University of Berne is spread over several buildings which are mainly located in the Länggasse quarter.
The University of Applied Science (Fachhochschule) is also located in Berne.
Transport
Berne is well connected to other cities by several highways (A1, A12, A6).
The public transport works well in Bern, with tram and bus lines which connect the different parts of the City. Bern Rail Station connects the City to the national and international train network. Notable is a funicular which leads from the Marzili quarter to the Bundeshaus. This funicular is, with a length of 106 m, the shortest public railway in Europe . Several bridges connect the old parts of the city with the newer quarters outside of the peninsula.
Berne is served by Berne Airport, located outside the city near the village of Belp. The regional airport, colloquially called Bern-Belp or Belpmoos, is connected to several Swiss and European cities.
Miscellaneous
The Universal Postal Union is situated in Bern.
Berne (as "Bern") was featured as one of the scenarios in the original SimCity video game
Well-known anarchist Mikhail Bakunin died in Berne in 1876.
The city of New Bern, North Carolina in the USA is named after Berne, having been founded in 1710 by Christoph von Graffenried, a minor Swiss noble from Berne who attempted to set up Swiss settlement in the New World.Further Information
Get more info on 'Berne'.
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