Bern, A City That Dates Back to the Twelfth Century

The city of Bern

Wandering through the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Bern's Old Town can be a magical and surreal experience, because its architecture and street plan are essentially unchanged since the late Middle Ages. Founded in the twelfth century on a hillside by the River Aare, Bern (or Berne) has a variety of architectural styles and characteristics representative of its long history including thirteenth-century arcades and sixteenth-century fountains. Largely restored in the eighteenth century, Bern has managed to retain its original charm and character.

According to legend, in 1911, Duke Berchtold V of Zahringen commanded nobleman Cuno von Bubenberg to build a city on the narrow, oak-covered peninsula, Von Bubenberg felled the forest and used the wood to build his town. After a disastrous fire in 1405, new buildings were built in sandstone and by the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries most houses had been updated in the new material.

The bear featured on the city coat of arms first appeared in 1224. Legend has it that the city was named after the first animal killed by the duke while he was out hunting. Along with the clock tower, the bear has continued to be the symbol of Bern to this day.

An imposing presence at the center of the old town, the Zytglogge, or Clock Tower, is both the bench mark of official Bern time as well as the point from which all distances in the canton are measured.

Below the main east face of the clock is an intricate astronomical and astrological device, which displays a 24-hour clock, the 12 hours of daylight, the position of the sun in the zodiac, the day of the week, the date and the month, the phases of the moon and the elevation of the sun above the horizon throughout the year. A few moments before the hour, mechanical figures appears from inside the clock, including a crowing cock, a parade of bears, Chronos with his hourglass and a dancing jester. The interior workings of the clock are impressive and guided tours allow you to explore the spire and enjoy the rooftop view.

Other beautiful buildings include the fifteenth-century Gothic cathedral - the Berner Munster - and town hall. The Rosengarten, on a hill overlooking the old town, offers panoramic views of this beautiful, atmospheric city.