1.
Bern
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The city of Bern or Berne is the de facto capital of Switzerland, referred to by the Swiss as their Bundesstadt, or federal city. With a population of 141,762, Bern is the fourth-most populous city in Switzerland, the Bern agglomeration, which includes 36 municipalities, had a population of 406,900 in 2014. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000, Bern is also the capital of the canton of Bern, the second-most populous of Switzerlands cantons. The official language in Bern is German, but the language is an Alemannic Swiss German dialect. In 1983, the old town in the centre of Bern became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Bern is ranked among the top ten cities for the best quality of life. The etymology of the name Bern is uncertain and it has long been considered likely that the city was named after the Italian city of Verona, which at the time was known as Bern in Middle High German. As a result of the find of the Bern zinc tablet in the 1980s, it is now common to assume that the city was named after a pre-existing toponym of Celtic origin. The bear was the animal of the seal and coat of arms of Bern from at least the 1220s. The earliest reference to the keeping of bears in the Bärengraben dates to the 1440s. No archaeological evidence that indicates a settlement on the site of city centre prior to the 12th century has been found so far. In antiquity, a Celtic oppidum stood on the Engehalbinsel north of Bern, fortified since the second century BC, during the Roman era, a Gallo-Roman vicus was on the same site. The Bern zinc tablet has the name Brenodor, in the Early Middle Ages, a settlement in Bümpliz, now a city district of Bern, was some 4 km from the medieval city. The medieval city is a foundation of the Zähringer ruling family, according to 14th-century historiography, Bern was founded in 1191 by Berthold V, Duke of Zähringen. In 1218, after Berthold died without an heir, Bern was made an imperial city by the Goldene Handfeste of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II. In 1353, Bern joined the Swiss Confederacy, becoming one of the eight cantons of the period of 1353 to 1481. The city grew out towards the west of the boundaries of the peninsula formed by the river Aare, the Zytglogge tower marked the western boundary of the city from 1191 until 1256, when the Käfigturm took over this role until 1345. It was, in turn, succeeded by the Christoffelturm until 1622, during the time of the Thirty Years War, two new fortifications – the so-called big and small Schanze – were built to protect the whole area of the peninsula
2.
Canton of Bern
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The canton of Bern is the second largest of the 26 Swiss cantons by both surface area and population. Located in west-central Switzerland, it borders the canton of Jura, to the west lie the canton of Neuchâtel, the canton of Fribourg and Vaud. To the south lies the canton of Valais, east of the canton of Bern lie the cantons of Uri, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Lucerne and Aargau. The canton of Bern is bilingual and has a population of 1,017,483, as of 2007, the population included 119,930 foreigners. The cantonal capital, also the capital of Switzerland, is Bern. Bern joined the Swiss Confederation in 1353 and was between 1803 and 1814 one of the six directorial cantons of the Napoleonic Swiss Confederation and these caves were used at various times during the last ice age. The first open-air settlement in the area is an upper paleolithic settlement at Moosbühl in Moosseedorf, during the warmer climate of the mesolithic period, increasing forest cover restricted the movement of hunters, fishers and gatherers. Their temporary settlements were built along lake and marsh edges, which remained free of trees due to fluctuations in water level, important mesolithic sites in the Canton are at Pieterlenmoos and Burgäschisee lake along with alpine valleys at Diemtig and Simmental. During the neolithic period, there were a number of settlements on the shores of Lake Biel, several of these sites are part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One of the best explored neolithic sites is at Twann, in the Twannbach delta there were about 25 Cortaillod culture and Horgen culture villages that existed between 3800 and 2950 BC. One of the oldest examples of bread from Switzerland, a sourdough from 3560–3530 BC, simple copper objects were already in use in the 4th millennium BC, including a copper pin from Lattrigen from 3170 BC and a knife blade from Twann. Shortly before 2000 BC bronze production entered the area and brought about a surge in development, settlements began to spread into the pre-Alpine and Alpine areas. The area between Lake Thun and the Niedersimmental were densely settled, Late Bronze Age settlements along Lake Biel have yielded up a wealth of items. During the early Iron Age changes in climate forced them to settlements along many waterways and in the valley floors and move to the plateaus. With increased trade contacts across the Alps, the influence of the Mediterranean grew in the area. Evidence of this include a hydria which was discovered in Grächwil. Burial rituals and social classes became more developed during this time, the so-called princely graves became more common, many of the burial mounds were over 30 m in diameter and 4 m high and richly outfitted with grave goods. In a grave mound in Bützberg the first burial in the mound was followed by later burials
3.
Aare
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The Aare or Aar is a tributary of the High Rhine and the longest river that both rises and ends entirely within Switzerland. There are more than 40 hydroelectric plants along the course of the Aare River, the rivers name dates to at least the La Tène period, and it is attested as Nantaror Aare valley in the Berne zinc tablet. The name was Latinized as Arula/Arola/Araris, the Aare rises in the great Aargletschers of the Bernese Alps, in the canton of Bern and west of the Grimsel Pass. The Finsteraargletscher and Lauteraargletscher come together to form the Unteraargletscher, which is the source of water for the Grimselsee. The Oberaargletscher feeds the Oberaarsee, which flows into the Grimselsee. Right after Innertkirchen it is joined by its first major tributary, less than 1 kilometre later the river carves through a limestone ridge in the Aare Gorge. It is here that the Aare proves itself to be more than just a river, a little past Meiringen, near Brienz, the river expands into Lake Brienz. Near the west end of the lake it receives its first important tributary. It then runs across the plain of the Bödeli between Interlaken and Unterseen before flowing into Lake Thun. Near the west end of Lake Thun, the river receives the waters of the Kander. Lake Thun marks the head of navigation, on flowing out of the lake it passes through Thun, and then flows through the city of Bern, passing beneath eighteen bridges and around the steeply-flanked peninsula on which the Old City is located. The river soon changes its flow for a due westerly direction. From the upper end of the lake, at Nidau, the river issues through the Nidau-Büren Channel, also called the Aare Canal, and then runs east to Büren. A short distance further, below Brugg it receives first the Reuss, its major tributary, and shortly afterwards the Limmat, its second strongest tributary. It now turns to north, and soon becomes itself a tributary of the Rhine, the Rhine, in turn, empties into the North Sea after crossing into the Netherlands. New York, NY, Columbia University Press, the Columbia Gazetteer of the World. New York, NY, Columbia University Press, leipzig, Germany, Veriag von Gustav Mayer. Gresswell, R. Kay, Huxley, Anthony, eds, standard Encyclopedia of the Worlds Rivers and Lakes
4.
History of Bern
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The city of Bern, founded in 1191 and first mentioned in a document in 1208, grew to become the biggest aristocratic city-state north of the Alps and a major power in the Old Swiss Confederacy. The former extent of Bern included the cantons of Bern, Vaud, since 1848, Bern has been the Federal City of Switzerland. The etymology of the name Bern is uncertain, however, the connection between Bern and Bär is a folk etymology. It has long been considered likely that the city was named after the Italian city of Verona, the Bern zinc tablet, which was found in the 1980s, indicates that the former oppidum′s possible Celtic name Brenodor was still known in Roman times. Since that time, it has been supposed that Bern may be a corruption of the older, the etymology of the Celtic would be related to the Middle Irish word berna ‘gap, chasm’. The Bernese citizen-soldiers were depicted as armed bears, and from at least the 16th century also referred to as mötz, motzlin and this term became Mutz in the modern language, and was in the 19th century applied to the city or canton itself. The city of Berne was also referred to as Mutzopolis. The earliest evidence of settlements in the Aare valley dates back to the Neolithic period. However, the earliest known settlement in the area of the city of Bern was on the Engehalbinsel to the north of the later city and this late La Tène culture settlement was founded around 300 to 200 BCE and fortified in the 2nd century BCE. It is thought to have one of the twelve oppida of the Helvetii mentioned by Caesar. After the Roman conquest, a small Gallo-Roman settlement, a vicus, was re-founded at the same place, to the south of the vicus lay the burial ground with over 160 graves. The vicus had an amphitheater, a temple district with three small Gallo-Roman temples, several private buildings with attached workshops and at the northern end. The main road led from the Vicus westward to Aventicum, the only other nearby Roman settlements were three farms, one near the Vicus, one in Haspelmatte and a widely spread farming complex in Bümpliz during the 2nd and 3rd century CE. The vicus at Engehalbinsel was abandoned between 165 and 211 CE, even after the fall of the Roman Empire, scattered settlements remained in the area around what is now Bern. A large graveyard, with over 300 graves, was in use during the 6th and 7th centuries on the edge of the Bremgarten woods. Other graveyards from the 7th century have found in Weissenbühl. In the Early Middle Ages, there was a settlement with a church in Bümpliz during the 7th to 10th centuries, in the 9th or 10th century a Burgundian Königshof with wooden fortifications was built near the settlement. However, no evidence indicating a settlement on the site of the old town of today′s city prior to the 12th century have been found so far
5.
Federal Palace of Switzerland
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The Federal Palace refers to the building in Bern housing the Swiss Federal Assembly and the Federal Council. It consists of an assembly building and two wings housing government departments and a library. The two chambers where the National Council and the Council of States meet are separated by the Hall of the Dome, the dome itself has an external height of 64 m, and an internal height of 33 m. The mosaic in the center represents the Federal coat of arms along with the Latin motto Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno, the coat of arms of the Canton of Jura, created in 1979, was placed outside of the mosaic. The name in German and Romansh both mean federal house, whereas the French and Italian names both translate to Federal Palace, the building was designed by the architect Hans Auer and its inauguration took place on 1 April 1902. The total cost, at the time, was 7,198,000 Swiss Francs, as reported in a study by the Federal parliamentary services, the noise caused by human activities in the chamber of the National Council is clearly too loud. Bundesplatz Hotel Bellevue Palace Official website Federal Palace in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland
6.
Bern Minster
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The Bern Minster is a Swiss Reformed cathedral, in the old city of Bern, Switzerland. Built in the Gothic style, its construction started in 1421 and its tower, with a height of 100.6 m, was only completed in 1893. It is the tallest cathedral in Switzerland and is a Cultural Property of National Significance, the Minster of Bern is located on the southern side of the Aare peninsula. The cathedral is oriented east and west like the rest of the Old City of Bern, to the north, Münstergasse runs along the side of the building. The west façade of the Münster dominates Münsterplatz, on the south side of the cathedral is the Münsterplattform. It is a three nave basilica without a transept, the entire cathedral is 84.2 meters long and 33.68 m wide. The central nave is 39.37 m long by 11.10 m wide and is 20.70 m high. The two side naves are very similar in dimensions, the nave is 52.50 m long. They are both 6.45 m wide and 10.40 m high, the altar house and choir together are 25.20 m long,10.92 m wide and 19.40 m high. The cathedral has a tower in the west, which is 100.60 m high. Below the tower, there is a 10.15 m long by 10.46 m wide, there are a total of ten bays in the building. The central nave has five of these bays, each of the side naves has two bays, with side chapels built against the exterior walls. The last bay is within the choir, the central nave walls are supported by fourteen flying buttresses. Each buttress starts at a column which rises above the roof of the side naves. The buttresses rise at an angle of 43° 30’, the lower side of the buttresses are decorated with egg-shaped cut outs, with vesica piscis and spandrel designs. The majority of the building is built from local sandstone, the vaults are built of brick. In the 18th Century, limestone sheathing was added to the pillars, most of the sandstone came from a quarry at Ostermundingen. Additional material came from three quarries, each with differing color and quality
7.
Zytglogge
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The Zytglogge is a landmark medieval tower in Bern, Switzerland. Built in the early 13th century, it has served the city as guard tower, prison, clock tower, centre of urban life and it is a heritage site of national significance, and part of the Old City of Bern, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. When it was built around 1218–20, the Zytglogge served as the tower of Berns western fortifications. These were erected after the citys first westward expansion following its de facto independence from the Empire, at that time, the Zytglogge was a squat building of only 16 metres in height. At this time, the Zytglogge also received its first slanted roof, in the great fire of 1405, the tower burnt out completely. It suffered severe damage that required thorough repairs, which were not complete until after the last restoration in 1983. The prison cells were abandoned and a clock was first installed above the gate in the early 15th century, probably including an astronomical clock. This clock, together with the bell cast in 1405, gave the Zytglogge its name. In the late 15th century, the Zytglogge and the other Bernese gate towers were extended and decorated after the Burgundian Romantic fashion, the Zytglogge received a new lantern, four decorative corner towerlets, heraldic decorations and probably its stair tower. The astronomical clock was extended to its current state, in 1527–30, the clockwork was completely rebuilt by Kaspar Brunner, and the gateway was overarched to provide a secure foundation for the heavy machinery. The Zytglogges exterior was repainted by Gotthard Ringgli and Kaspar Haldenstein in 1607–10, the corner towerlets were removed again some time before 1603. Both façades were again repainted in the Rococo style by Rudolf von Steiger in 1890, in 1981–83, the Zytglogge was thoroughly renovated again and generally restored to its 1770 appearance. In the advent season and from Easter until the end of October, the Bernese German Zytglogge translates to Zeitglocke in Standard German and to time bell in English, Glocke means bell in German, as in the related term glockenspiel. A time bell was one of the earliest public timekeeping devices, the name of Zytglogge was first recorded in 1413. Previously, the tower was referred to as the kebie and after its post-1405 reconstruction, the Zytglogge has an overall height of 54.5 metres, and a height of 24 metres up to the roof-edge. Its rectangular floor plan measures 11.2 by 10.75 metres, the wall strengths vary widely, ranging from 260 centimetres in the west, where the tower formed part of the city walls, to 65 centimetres in the east. The outward appearance of the Zytglogge is determined by the 1770 renovation, only the late Gothic cornice below the roof and the stair tower are visible artifacts of the towers earlier history. The main body of the tower is divided into the plinth, whose exterior is made of alpine limestone
8.
Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen (Bern)
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The Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen is a 16th-century fountain in the Gerechtigkeitsgasse in the Old City of Bern, Switzerland. It is the only Bernese fountain to all original design elements. Thanks to its figure, Hans Giengs famous statue of Lady Justice. The iconic figure was copied throughout Switzerland up until the middle of the 17th century, the statue is a copy of the original, which was largely destroyed by vandals in 1986. The fountain consists of a main basin and two smaller spillover basins. The main basin, made out of unadorned limestone plates held together with a ring, bears the date of one of the renovations. In the centre of the basin, bronze tubes emerge from the central pedestal. Atop it stands a narrow, festooned stone pillar decorated by an acanthus frieze, the life-sized statue on the pillar is Iustitia, Lady Justice, the personification of justice. She is portrayed standing in gracious counterpoise holding her traditional attributes — sword of justice in her hand, a balance in her left hand. Her costume is fashioned in a manner, with sandaled feet, one knee bared. At the feet of Justice, four smaller busts crowd the pedestal, a Pope, an Emperor, a Sultan, all figures have closed their eyes as in submission. They represent the Four Earthly Powers, the four forms of government according to Renaissance humanism, theocracy, monarchy, autocracy, the ensemble represents the supremacy of Justice over all Earthly authorities, a variant of the medieval pictorial formula of virtue defeating vice. Divine Justice was a frequent element of political discourse in Reformation-era Bern, in the view of the reformators, doing justice according to Gods word was the highest duty of all authority, superseding feudal rights. Such arguments were used, among others, to justify Berns conquest of Vaud in 1536 from the dukes of Savoy. The blindfold implies that justice ought to be done without respect to rank or standing, Giengs Iustitia is a symbol of republican justice, and was a forceful public reminder of the Bernese Republics authority through law. Giengs Iustitia was greatly influential on fountain designers up until the middle of the 17th century, in Switzerland alone, eleven fountains of Justice remain, and several others have probably been destroyed. Direct copies exist in Solothurn, Lausanne, Boudry, Cudrefin and Neuchâtel, designs influenced by the Bernese statue are found in Aarau, Biel, Burgdorf, Brugg, Zürich and Luzern. The fountain was constructed in 1543, essentially in its current state and its current name is first recorded in 1687
9.
University of Bern
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The University of Bern is a university in the Swiss capital of Bern and was founded in 1834. It is regulated and financed by the Canton of Bern and it is a comprehensive university offering a broad choice of courses and programs in eight faculties and some 150 institutes. With around 17,428 students, the University of Bern is the third biggest University in Switzerland, the University of Bern operates at three levels, university, faculties and institutes. Other organizational units include interfaculty and general university units, the universitys highest governing body is the Senate, which is responsible for issuing statutes, rules and regulations. Directly answerable to the Senate is the University Board of Directors, the Board comprises the Rector, the Vice-Rectors and the Administrative Director. The structures and functions of the University Board of Directors and the organizational units are regulated by the Universities Act. The University of Bern offers about 39 bachelor and 72 master programs, with enrolments of 7,869 and 4,425, the university also has 2,648 doctoral students. Around 1,575 bachelor,1,566 masters degree students and 534 PhD students graduate each year, for some time now, the university has had more female than male students, at the end of 2014, women accounted for 56% of students. Unlike other universities, the University of Bern does not have a large campus on the edge of the city. Most institutes and clinics are still in the Länggasse, the university district adjoining the city centre. The University has won awards for its intelligent, ecological. The vonRoll site, another factory building, is in the process of being refurbished to house the Faculty of Human Sciences. The roots of the University of Bern go back to the century, when, as a consequence of the Reformation. As part of its reorganization of education, the government of Bern transformed the existing theological college into an academy with four faculties in 1805. Henceforth, it was possible to not only theology in Bern. As in other countries of Europe, nineteenth century politics in Switzerland were dominated by the struggle between conservative and liberal currents. The liberals gained control of the Canton of Bern in 1831 and in 1834 turned the academy into a university, with an academic staff of 45 to teach 167 students. Owing to the situation, it was not until the promulgation of the federal constitution in 1848 that the university was able to embark on a period of peaceful development
10.
Trams in Bern
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The Bern tramway network is a network of tramways forming part of the public transport system in Bern, the capital city of Switzerland. In operation since 1890, it presently has five lines, one of which incorporates the Bern–Worb Dorf railway, the trams on the network run on 1,000 mm metre gauge track. Initially, they were powered by compressed air, but from 1894, since 1901, the trams have been powered by electricity, at 600 V DC. The network is operated by a public corporation, the Städtische Verkehrsbetriebe Bern. The SVB also operates most of Berns motor buses, and the Bern trolleybus system, like the other public transport services in the region, the tramway network is part of the Tarifverbund Bern-Solothurn, which is equivalent to a passenger transport executive or transit district. On 18 July 1889, the Eidgenössische Amt für Verkehr granted the Berner Tramway-Gesellschaft an 80-year concession for the operation of tramways in Bern, construction of a tramway began immediately, and the first line was opened on 1 October 1890. Services were operated by compressed air-powered vehicles, known colloquially as Lufttrams, the first line, designated as line I, ran from the Bärengraben, which was also the location of the depot, to the Bremgartenfriedhof, via Bern railway station. At each terminus, there was a turntable to turn the vehicles, during the winter months, the compressed air pipes often froze, and this would lead to several days of service interruptions. This line, opened in 1894, ran from Länggasse to Wabern, via the railway station, the depot for the steam trams was in the Mattenhofquartier. Berns main tram depot is located there. The new steam tram line ousted Berns horse buses from the city centre, from then onwards, meanwhile, plans were developed to extend the steam tramway to Kehrsatz and Belp. A coalition of political and economic interests in various neighbouring communities then vehemently campaigned for the construction of an interurban tramway from Bern to Worb. Such a tramway would allow connections at Gümligen with the standard gauge railways to Bern, Thun, the BTG assisted with planning and cost calculations, and applied on behalf of the coalition for the required concession, which was issued by the EAV on 23 December 1896. The opening of the 9.7 km long Bern to Worb tramway took place on 21 October 1898, from then until 31 March 1904, the Bern-Worb-Bahn was operated by the BTG. The development of urban tramway networks in Switzerland and abroad at around the turn of the 20th century did not go unnoticed in Bern. A third line was planned for the Bern tramway network at that time, electrification of the two existing lines was planned to follow. There was opposition to the construction of overhead catenary, mainly from the residents of Kirchenfeld on the side of the Aare. But at the box, the electrification plans received the go ahead
11.
Carnival in Bern
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The carnival in Bern, Switzerland is an annual pre-Lenten festival in the Swabian-Alemannic tradition. Its origins can be traced back to the 15th Century, the Bernese carnivals were held more or less regularly in medieval times, with strong anti-Papal rhetoric occurring between 1523 and 1525. After the Peasants War religious themes in carnivals were prohibited and did not return until the reformation of 1528 returned freedom of speech. Authorities also tried to ban carnivals in later centuries, the carnival as it is known today was introduced in 1982, and is unique because it incorporates the citys history by beginning the carnival with the symbolic freeing of the bear. The carnival in Bern in the third largest such celebration. Carnival was established in Bern during the medieval period, in Bern, the term for carnival is either Fasnacht or Fastnacht which means on the eve of fasting. Before the beginning of Lent, or the 40-day fasting period, feasts, during the 15th, century Bern began to grow in importance, and in the 1420s during a carnval the cornerstone for the new Rathaus was laid. The importance of the city became noticeable as visitors flocked to the city during the carnival celebrations. From the mid- to the end of the 15th century Bern saw visitors to the carnival arrive from surrounding cities and Cantons such as Lucerne. Some Reformation era carnival plays depicted contrasts between Catholics and Protestants, while others contrasted Jews and gentiles, such as in Goliath by Hans von Rüte, niklaus Manuel was the first writer to present ideas for reform and to belittle the Papacy in his plays. In 1522 he wrote two farces about the Pope, in which he showed the difference between the Pope and his priests, and Jesus, real life events, in particular the Battle of Novara, created the backdrop for Manuels writings. He wrote about Cardinal Anselm von Hochmuth, Mightily I have enjoyed it, /For Christian blood to me is dear, beginning in the mid-1520s there appear to have been incidents of sporadic violence in Bern during carnival which may have shown the tension of the Reformation period. Records show that the carnival was discontinued during the half of the decade. In the 1530s the carnival continued, but the entertainment had a different emphasis than in the earlier decade, records show that plays with a serious religious subject were put on as early as the 1530s in Bern, with Hans von Rütes Abgötterie possibly being the first. Hans von Rüte wrote plays about Biblical themes for the Bern carnival, in Gideon the Jews are depicted as losing to their enemies for seven devastating years because they adopted idolatry and abandoned God. Gideon eventually defeats all the enemies of the Israelites, a historical theme. Although the story, as told in von Rütes play, was taken from the Book of Judges and was about Jews, von Rütes Gideon defeats Zwinglian authority by destroying the Baal altar. However, in contrast to the plays of the earlier decade, the tradition of Reformation era carnival theater came to an end in the mid-1530s and Bernese record show that the genre came to an end by the late 1530s
