Bern (also Berne - the official French and English spelling), the capital of Switzerland, is a small- to medium-sized city with a population of about 130,000. It sits on 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.
The main language spoken in Berne is Bernese-German, one of the many Swiss-German dialects which all vary greatly not only from what the Swiss call Hochdeutsch/High German, but also among each other. Because of these differences, even Germans are often not able to follow Swiss-German talking. Like all Swiss-German dialects, Bernese-German is only a spoken language. For writing, the standard German (Hochdeutsch/High German) is used.
By popular demand among the Swiss (especially the young), Swiss-German is more and more often used as a written language in advertisements and personal communications as well, though as no particular spelling for the words exist, one can write whatever seems appropriate. In schools and Universities, children and students are taught only using standard German, so Swiss-Germans can understand their northern neighbors from Germany, if not the other way around.
English seems to be supplanting French as the favorite second language of the Bernese, but both are widely spoken, especially as the canton of Berne is a bilingual canton (German/French), and Berne itself is only about 12 kilometers from the nearest French-speaking village.
UNDERSTAND BERN
Berne was founded in 1191 by Duke Berthold V von Zahringen and was part of the Holy Roman Empire. It was made an 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 most of its territories. The city became the Swiss capital in 1848.
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THINGS TO SEE IN BERN
Berne is chock full of history and thus 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 1 CHF.
Bundeshaus (House of Parlaments). Representive Building dominating the Square. Constructed by the end of 19th century. Guided tour (free) if no "session" (held 4 times a year). During session only access to the spectators ranks. Website of the parliament : Guided tours of the Federal Parliament Building
Einsteinhaus. Albert Einstein rented this small flat with his wife during his years working at the Swiss patent office. Their first child, Hans Albert, and the special and general theories of relativity were born here, where Einstein's writing desk overlooked the busy street and its lovely clock-tower. There are numerous photos and original documents from Einstein's life, work, and speeches.
The Clock Tower. Near the center of the old town. On the hour, every hour throughout the day. (Be five minutes early as it starts before the hour!) A stunning display of early animatronic technology and as the locals are proud to tell you "the longest running act in showbusiness". At a few minutes before the hour, it begins with a little song and some flapping from the cock then some drumming by the jester up top. At the hour the bears and the old bearded king get into the act. OK, it's probably a good thing to take kids to see. It tells time too! (And the month, day, sign of the zodiac and phase of the moon). Free. There are guided tours inside the tower that will let you have a look at the clockwork whilst the show is displayed outside.
Museum of Fine Arts Known for its Klee collection.
Bern Historical Museum
Swiss Alpine Museum
Invasion of Berne successful! As you explore, you may notice these small alien graffiti mosaics. GAME NOT OVER was declared by the anonymous Parisian artist "Invader" in 1998. Since then, space invaders have been reappearing on the walls, bridges and roofs of cities across the world, most famously on the Hollywood sign and in several locations in the Louvre. Two additional Swiss cities have been invaded: Geneva and Lausanne. Those with 10 EUR, a longer visit, and a weird sense of humor might consider ordering a map and doing the space invader tour.
THINGS TO DO IN BERN
Gurten. The Gurten is a lovely hill just outside the city. It features a park and great view over the city on one side and a nice panorama of the Bernese alps on the other. The park is visited heavily by locals to play ball, to barbecue or to just lie in the sun. Tourists are not an unusual sight, though this little attraction is missed by most of the many that visit the city. Hiking paths lead in all directions and you will almost certainly stumble across some cows when walking around. A wooden look-out tower allows an even better panorama than that you would already have.
If you get hungry or thirsty, a good budget restaurant service and self-service provides you with all you need. Families with children should not miss the cool playground. The Gurten can be easily reached with tram number 9 from the railway station in Berne in direction Wabern. Exit the tram at station Gurtenbahn and walk a few steps up the hill. Then take the Gurtenbahn, a panorama train that will bring you on top in just 5 minutes. A club called up-town features various cultural events on weekends and once a year in summer national, European and a few international music stars (among others Alanis Morisette, Skin, Moloko and Jimmy Cliff in 2003) visit it for the Gurtenfestival, an open-air music festival. Gurten is a must see for everybody visiting the city for longer than a day. Except transportation and restaurant, everything is free.
Bear Pits Berne is inseparably linked with bears. According to legend the city's founder, Duke Berchtold V von Zahringen, named the city after the first animal to be caught here. The saga lives on in the form of the real-live bears in the Bear Pits and the heraldic bear in the Bernese coat of arms. Members of the RSPA might find the pits quite depressing. The good news are that they will be enlarged within the years to come. The bears will even have the possibility to go for a swim in the river.
Just next to the bear pits you'll find the "Tramdepot", the old final station of Berne's first tramway. The building now houses the tourist office (free shows on the cities history in regular intervals) and the towns most popular brewpub.
Rosengarten. Little park with a splendid view over the old town. Situated close to the bear pits (follow the path that goes up the hill opposite the bear-pit-roundabout. Quite popular (and populated) during lunchtime.
Swimming in the river Aare In hot summer days, let yourself drift for some kilometers in the river Aare. Good (and safe) stretches are between the Kornhausbridge and the public pool of the Lorraine (old fashioned swimming pool just next to the river) and between the Eichholz and the public pool of the Marzili. Other stretches such as swimming the bend around the old town (starting at the "Englische Garten" to the Lorraine) or the "Bremgartenschlaufe" are only to be done by good swimmers accompaigned by experienced locals.
SC Bern - Professional ice-hockey team. Excellent atmosphere at games. The Stadium is the second largest in Europe and regularly sold out
SHOPPING IN BERN
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 8:00 pm from Monday to Friday. Once a week they are allowed to stay open until 10:00 pm, but on Saturdays everything must close by 5:00 pm. 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.
Destination: BERN, SWITZERLAND
UNDERSTAND BERN
