| Bern Bern Bärn |
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| Population | 122,658 (2007-12-31) | |||||||||
| - Density | 2,377 /km2 (6,157 /sq mi) | |||||||||
| Area | 51.6 km2 (19.9 sq mi) | |||||||||
| Elevation | 542 m (1,778 ft) | |||||||||
| - Highest | 864 m - Gurten, Bern | |||||||||
| - Lowest | 480 m - Aare | |||||||||
| Postal code | 3000 | |||||||||
| SFOS number | 0351 | |||||||||
| Mayor (list) | Alexander Tschäppät SPS/PSS | |||||||||
| Demonym | Berner | |||||||||
| Surrounded by (view map) |
Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen | |||||||||
| Website | www.bern.ch SFSO statistics |
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![BernBernBärn [zoom] is located in Switzerland](http://images-mediawiki-sites.thefullwiki.org/04/2/1/1/2392728414175250.png)  Bern
Bern Bärn [zoom] |
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The city of Bern or Berne (German: Bern, pronounced [ˈbɛrn] (
listen); French: Berne [bɛʀn]; Italian: Berna [ˈbɛrna]; Romansh: Berna [ˈbɛrnə]; Bernese German: Bärn [b̥æːrn]) is the Bundesstadt (federal city, de facto capital) of Switzerland, and, with about 130,000 people [1], the fourth most populous city in Switzerland. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 43 municipalities,[2] has a population of 349,000.[3] Bern is also the capital of the Canton of Bern, the second most populous of Switzerland's cantons.
The official language of Bern is German, but the main spoken language is the Alemannic dialect called Bernese German (even though it does in fact have nothing to do with the German language)[citation needed]. Most people speak both.
The historic center of Bern has been featured in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1983, and Bern is among the world’s top ten cities for the best quality of life.[4]
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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 had 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 Bern joined the young Swiss Confederation, becoming a leading member of the confederation. 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 parts of its territories. In 1831 the city became the capital of the Canton of Bern 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 Aare. 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.
A number of congresses of the socialist First and Second Internationals were held in Bern, particularly during World War I when Switzerland was neutral. (See Berne International.)
Bern lies in the Swiss plateau within the Canton of Bern, somewhat west of the centre of Switzerland and 20 km (12 mi) north of the Bernese Alps. The landscape around Bern was formed by glaciers in the last Ice Age. The two mountains closest to Bern are the Gurten with a height of 958 and the Bantiger with a height of {947 m (3,106.96 ft) . The site of the old observatory in Bern is the point of origin of the CH1903 coordinate system at 46°57′08.66″N 7°26′22.50″E / 46.9524056°N 7.439583°E.
The city was originally built on a hilly peninsully surrounded by the river Aare but outgrew these natural boundaries in the 19th century. A number of bridges were built to allow the city to grow beyond the Aare.
Bern is built on very uneven ground. There are several dozens of meters in height difference from the quarters on the Aare (Matte, Marzili) to the higher ones (Kirchenfeld, Länggasse).
Bern has an area of 51.6 square kilometers (19.9 sq mi). Of this area, 20.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while 33.5% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 44.2% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (2.1%) is non-productive (rivers or glaciers).[5]
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high °C (°F) | 2.2 (36) |
4.6 (40) |
8.5 (47) |
12.6 (55) |
17.2 (63) |
20.6 (69) |
23.5 (74) |
22.7 (73) |
19.4 (67) |
13.7 (57) |
7.1 (45) |
3 (37) |
12.9 (55) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | -1.2 (30) |
0.5 (33) |
3.7 (39) |
7.3 (45) |
11.5 (53) |
14.9 (59) |
17.3 (63) |
16.4 (62) |
13.3 (56) |
8.6 (47) |
3.1 (38) |
-0.3 (31) |
7.9 (46) |
| Average low °C (°F) | -3.7 (25) |
-2.4 (28) |
-0.1 (32) |
3 (37) |
6.9 (44) |
10.1 (50) |
12.1 (54) |
11.7 (53) |
9 (48) |
5.3 (42) |
0.5 (33) |
-2.6 (27) |
4.2 (40) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 66 (2.6) |
58 (2.28) |
70 (2.76) |
84 (3.31) |
108 (4.25) |
121 (4.76) |
104 (4.09) |
113 (4.45) |
84 (3.31) |
73 (2.87) |
81 (3.19) |
67 (2.64) |
1,028 (40.47) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 10 | 9.8 | 11.3 | 11.6 | 13.7 | 11.8 | 10 | 10.9 | 8.1 | 8 | 10.1 | 10.2 | 125.5 |
| Source: MeteoSchweiz [6] 8 May 2009 | |||||||||||||
The municipality is administratively subdivided into six districts (Stadtteile), each of which consists of several quarters (Quartiere).
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Bern has a population (as of 31 December 2008) of 122,925.[7] As of 2007, 21.7 % of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Most of the population (as of 2000) speaks German (81.2%), with Italian being second most common (3.9%) and French being third (3.6%).
52.7 % of the population are female, 47.3 % are male. The average age is 41 years and nine months. As of 2000 children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 15.1%, adults (20–64 years old) 65% and seniors (over 64 years old) 19.9%.
The Swiss population is generally well educated. In Bern about 72.8% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule).
Bern has an unemployment rate of 3.2%. As of 2005, there were 773 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 104 businesses involved in this sector. 16,484 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 1,094 businesses in this sector. 131,659 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 7,638 businesses in this sector.[5]
Bern is governed by the Gemeinderat, an executive council with five members, one of them the elected mayor (Stadtpräsident). The parliament has 80 members and is called Stadtrat. Both the legislative and the executive are elected in general elections for a term of four years. The last elections were held in November 2008 with a 43.48% participation.
The executive council has a left-green majority with two representatives, including the mayor Alexander Tschäppät, of the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland (SPS) and one representative of the leftist Green party Grünes Bündnis (GB). It also has a majority of three woman against two men.
The seat of the Gemeinderat is the Erlacherhof.
The 80 members of the legislative council belong to 18 different political parties, the strongest being the Social Democratic Party with 20 representatives, followed by the conservative Free Democratic Party of Switzerland (FDP) with 10 and the moderate Green party Grüne Freien Liste (GFL) with 9 seats. Both the far right Swiss People's Party (SVP) and the leftist Green party Grünes Bündnis have 8 seats each.
The Stadtrat meets on Thursday evenings at the Rathaus (Town Hall).
The representatives of the Social Democratic Party and of the Green Parties, collectively referred to as "Red-Green-Center" (Rot-Grüne-Mitte), hold a majority in both councils and 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 vote.
The structure of Bern'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 (Bernese German for "Time Bell"), 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). The current pit off the far end of the Nydeggbrücke no longer contains any bears, the last being put down in 2009,[8] shortly before the opening of the new bear pit later in the year.
The Federal Palace (Bundeshaus), built from 1857 to 1902, which houses the national parliament, government and part of the federal administration, can also be visited.
Albert 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 which a scenic panoramic view of the medieval town centre can be enjoyed, is a well-kept Rosary on a hill, converted into a park from a former cemetery in 1913.
Bern's most recent sight is the set of fountains in front of the Federal Palace. It was inaugurated on August 1, 2004.
Bern features many heritage sites of national significance.[9] 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.
The Universal Postal Union is situated in Bern.
Bern has several dozen movie theaters. As is customary in Switzerland, movies are generally shown in their original language (e.g., English) with subtitling in German and French. Only a small number of screenings are dubbed in German.
The football team BSC Young Boys is based in Bern at the Stade de Suisse Wankdorf, which also is one of the venues for the European football championship.
The Stade de Suisse hosted three matches during the 2008 UEFA Euro Cup tournament.
SC Bern is the major ice hockey team of Bern who plays at the PostFinance Arena.
The PostFinance Arena was the main host of the 2009 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, including the opening game and the final of the tournament.
Bern Cardinals is the baseball and softball team of Bern, which plays at the Allmend
Bern Grizzlies is the American football club in Bern and plays at Sportanlage Schonau.
Bern was a candidate to host the 2010 Winter Olympics, but withdrew its bid in September 2002 after a referendum was passed that showed that the bid was not supported by locals. Those games were eventually awarded to Vancouver, Canada.
The University of Bern, whose buildings are mainly located in the Länggasse quarter, is located in Bern, as well as the University of Applied Science (Fachhochschule) and several vocations schools.
Bern is well connected to other cities by several highways (A1, A12, A6).
Public transport works well in Bern, with tram, S-Bahn and bus lines which connect the different parts of the City. Bern Rail Station connects the City to the national and international train network. A funicular leads from the Marzili quarter to the Bundeshaus. This funicular is, with a length of 106 m (347.77 ft), the second shortest public railway in Europe after the Zagreb Funicular. Several Aare bridges connect the old parts of the city with the newer quarters outside of the peninsula.
Bern is served by Bern Airport, located outside the city near the town of Belp. The regional airport, colloquially called Bern-Belp or Belpmoos, is connected to several Swiss and European cities.
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Berne [1] (German: Bern), the capital of Switzerland, is a small to medium sized city with a population of about 130,000 in the city proper and roughly 350'000 in the agglomeration area. It sits on a peninsula formed by the meandering turns of the river Aare. The remarkable design coherence of the Berne's old town has earned it a place on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It features 4 miles of arcaded walkways along streets decked out with fountains and clock-towers. Bern was one of the eight host cities in the 2008 European Football Championships.
Berne was founded in 1191 by Duke Berthold V von Zähringen and was part of the Holy Roman Empire. It was made a free imperial city by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in 1218 after Berthold died without an heir.
In 1353 Berne joined the Swiss confederation. After several successful conquers, Berne became the largest independent city state north of the alps. It was occupied by French troops in 1798 during the French Revolutionary Wars, and was stripped of a large part of its territory. The city became the Swiss capital in 1848.
The main language spoken in Berne is Bernese-German, one of the many Swiss-German dialects which all vary greatly from what the Swiss and Germans call Hochdeutsch/High German, and are difficult to understand even for Germans. Like all Swiss-German dialects, Bernese-German is only a spoken language. For writing, the standard German (Hochdeutsch/High German) is used.
English seems to be supplanting French as the favorite second language of the Bernese, even though the canton of Berne is a bilingual German and french speaking canton.
Berne is in the center of Switzerland and is very well connected with the rest of the country.
Berne's small international airport [2] with direct flights from Amsterdam, Berlin, London, Munich, Vienna and other european cities lies just a few kilometers south of the city. A taxi ride into the city costs approx. CHF 30, the airport shuttle bus takes you to the railway station in the center of Berne for CHF 14.
Berne is connected to Zurich Airport with half-hourly direct trains (less than 1.5 hours).
Bern is conveniently located in the vast network of Swiss Federal Railway between Geneva, Basel and Zurich and is served twice per hour by express (InterCity) trains from the airports of each of these cities. Hourly express trains take you into all directions, including Interlaken, Brig, and Lucerne.
For more information:
Berne is easily reachable with the national motorway network from all directions and has several exits from motorways A1, A12 and A6.
Berne has an excellent public transportation system, with frequent local city services provided by trams, trolleybuses and buses, together with an S-Bahn rail system for longer journeys into the surrounding suburbs.
The city center of Berne is easily accessible by foot. You can get around the main shopping area and restaurants simply by walking. But if you are going to go outside of the city center in areas like Guisanplatz, it's better to go by tram unless you want to be walking for 45 minutes.
Ticket for one ride (Einzelbillette) is CHF3.80; daily pass (Tageskarte) is CHF12 (2008). The city used to provide a "Berncard", an integrated ticket good for unlimited rides on all modes of transport within the city and the surrounding area (including the Gurtenbahn funicular to the top of the Gurten hill - see below) as well as free or discounted admission to many of the museums and attractions for the price of CHF20/31/38 for 24/48/72 hours from the moment of validation. As of October 2009, the card is not offered anymore.
Berne's S-Bahn rail system will take you to many places in the suburbs and even to other nearby cities like Biel, Thun, Fribourg or Solothurn.
As in most Swiss cities, free parking space is rare and the paying ones in the city center are quite expensive. As the center is quite small and all of the major attractions are within a mile walking distance it's a good choice to park in a "park and ride" and take public transport to the center of town.
You can get a free bike for four hours at "Hirschengraben". All you need is an ID and 20 CHF for deposit, and you can explore Berne by bike. After four hours, you'll have to pay 1CHF each hour. The "Hirschengraben" is less than five minutes away from the main train station. It's a stop for trams. Ask somebody, it's easy to find!
Berne is full of history and museums. It also has quite a bit of public art, all of which is marked on a walking map which is available from the tourist office in the train station for free.
Berne is home to the prestigious University of Berne [24] which currently enrolls approximately 13,000 students. In addition, the city has the University of Applied Science also known as Berner Fachhochschule. There are also many vocational schools and an office of the Goethe Institut.
As with most other cities in Switzerland, store opening and closing hours in Berne are strictly regulated but were slightly relaxed on 1st January 2007. All stores, including grocers must close by 7PM from Monday to Friday, except on Thursdays they remain open untill 9PM. On Saturdays everything must close by 5PM. The stores are closed on Sundays. Stores inside the railway station are allowed longer opening times. Both major supermarket chains Migros and Coop have a store inside the station so you'll be able to get relatively cheap groceries even on Sundays.
Rathausgasse and the streets parallel to it have any number of cute shops with an amazing range of handicraft and luxury goods. This is not the normal range of swiss souvenir stuff, but really interesting things. There are a couple of worthy examples below, but the real pleasure is in spending a few hours (or days) exploring the arcades and vitrines.
| This guide uses the following price ranges for a typical meal for one, including soft drink: | |
| Budget | Under CHF 25 |
| Mid-range | CHF 25 to CHF 50 |
| Splurge | Over CHF 50 |
Eating in Berne (or almost anywhere in Switzerland for that matter) can be an expensive proposition for foreign tourists. Be sure to "shop around" before deciding on a restaurant as many cater to said foreign tourists (especially those serving traditional Swiss food) and have inflated their prices accordingly. Most Bernese natives prefer Italian, Asian, or other non-local cuisine so finding a traditional Swiss restaurant with acceptable prices can often be a a daunting experience. Be patient and you will persevere without breaking the bank.
Many Bernese will tell you that nightlife in Berne is not exactly what you might call spectacular, but they're probably comparing it to Zurich or Paris. There are quite a few good spots to hang out at.
For a drink or two, there's a wide choice of bars all over town. However, you might be disappointed with most central options as they tend to be annoyingly conventional, though there are an ample number of exceptions:
Most of the towns cooler bars are located around the main clubbing venues though. In the ancient Matte neighborhood, which is well worth a daytime visit too, you'll find nightlife options for almost every taste.
| This guide uses the following price ranges for a standard double room: | |
| Budget | Under CHF 150 |
| Mid-range | CHF 150 to CHF 300 |
| Splurge | Over CHF 300 |
The main train station has a tourist office on the west side on the ground floor. They'll try to help you find a hotel room, if you arrive without booking. However, it is better to book ahead if you can, as Berne is a capital city; the budget hotels do tend to fill up on the weekends.
Berne is a very safe place with nearly no violent crime. However, as it is the capital of Switzerland, it sees political demonstrations every few weeks on a variety of subjects, occasionally leading to police intervention.
The central railway station often hosts drunks and vagrants at night, which is a nuisance but in general not dangerous.
Recently there has been a slight increase in violence from young people. Try to avoid groups of drunk teenagers that look suspicious and you should be fine.
While police officers in Berne will happily help you out if you are in trouble or need an information, they are also known for approaching "suspicious" persons in order to check their papers. This procedure is annoying, but legal as you will probably have a hard time proofing you were not acting suspicious. Carry a photocopy of your passport and your onward ticket with you, stay calm and polite and you won't have much trouble.
The surroundings of the Reitschule on the outskirts of downtown, are notorious for drug dealers and even violence.
Berne is an ideal gateway to the Bernese Highlands. You can make day trips to many famous and/or beautiful locations, like Spiez, Interlaken, Grindelwald, Jungfraujoch or Gstaad.
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Contents |
Supposedly named by its founder, Duke Berthold V, after a bear (German Bär) he had killed there.
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Singular |
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Bern
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Bern
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  | Narrenpack Theatre Bern - Narrenpack Theater Bern |
| | Schlachthaus Theatre Bern - Schlachthaus Theater Bern |
| | Theater am Käfigturm - Willkommen im Theater am Kaefigturm |
| | Gurtenfestival - 26. Gurtenfestival - 16. - 19. Juli 2009 |
| | GIS City of Bern - TB Internet, c-plan® |
| | Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Swiss Statistics - Find Commune |
| | CityHunter Bern - Berne City Guide - CityHunter |
| | City of Bern - Die Stadt Bern - weiche_de |
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