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Berndistrict= Bern (district)
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46nm=57ed=7em=27
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3000
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127'000populationof=2004
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52altitude=542
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Alexander Tschäppät <small>(since 2005 SPS )</small>
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wwwbernch
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The city of (
Bernese German ''Bärn'' ,
German ,
French ''Berne'' ,
Italian ''Berna'' ,
Romansh ''Berna'' ), is the "Bundesstadt" (administrative
Capital ) of
Switzerland , and is the fourth most populous Swiss city (after
Zürich ,
Geneva and
Basel ).
Language:
German , or more specifically,
Bernese German , which is a
High-Alemannic Dialect . The
Canton Of Bern has a
French -speaking part. Very few people still speak the ''Matteänglisch'', a secret language used in the former workers' quarter ''Matte'', but several words have found their way in the Bernese German.
Bern also functions as the capital of the
Canton Of Bern , the second most populous of Switzerland's cantons.
Illustrious Bernese include the
Reformer Albrecht Von Haller , the poet
Albert Bitzius and the painters
Ferdinand Hodler and
Paul Klee . The German-born physicist
Albert Einstein worked out his
Theory Of Relativity while employed as a
Clerk at the Bern patent office.
A culturally important person was
Mani Matter , a songwriter performing in
Bernese German .
Duke Berthold 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 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 Bern and in
1848 it additionally became the Swiss (administrative) 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. The protection by these edifices was sufficient for the prosperous growth of the city of Berne up to the
19th Century .
Bern lies in the
Swiss Plateau part of the
Canton Of Bern , somewhat west of the center of Switzerland. 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 858 meters and the Bantiger with a height of 947 meters.
The site of the old observatory in Bern is the origin (600 000/200 000) of the
CH1903 Coordinate System , its international coordinates are .
The city was originally built on a peninsula engulfed by the river
Aare 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:
- 1844 Nydeggbrücke (at the bottom, i.e. the East-End)
- 1883 Kirchenfeldbrücke (at the South-side)
- 1898 Kornhausbrücke (at the North-side)
The city is built on very uneven ground. There are several dozens of meters in height difference from the quarters down at the Aare (e.g. Matte, Marzili) to the higher ones (e.g. Kirchenfeld, Länggasse).
Bern 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 factions hold a majority in both councils (3 to 2 and 43 to 37, respectively). For this reason, it is 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 Bern are the
Free Democratic Party (''FDP'', free-market liberal) and the
Swiss People's Party (''SVP'', 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 Bern is
Alexander Tschäppät of the
Social Democrats .
''See also:''
List Of Mayors Of Berne
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 '', 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 Building (''
Bundeshaus ''), dating from
1902 , which houses Parliament and part of the federal administration, can also be visited at opening hours. llama
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 .
Probably the newest attraction of Bern is the set of fountains in front of the Bundeshaus. It was inaugurated on
August 1 ,
2004 , the Swiss national day.
Bern is rich of cultural offerings for every taste.
Bern has several dozens of 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. Program information is available through e.g. the
Cineman website.
- Queersicht - Queer Filmfestival, annually held second week of November.
- Gurtenfestival
- Berner
- Internationales Jazzfestival Bern
- Taktlos-Festival
- QUEERSICHT - Queer Filmfestival, annually held second week of November. See Wikipedia Entry.
- National Reach Around Festival
- Zibelemärit - The Zibelemärit (onion market) is an annual fair held on the fourth Monday in November.
Bern has a
University , a technical college and several vocational schools.
The University is spread over several buildings which are mainly located in the ''Länggasse'' quarter. Currently (
2005 ) there are around 13'000 students registered. It consists of the following faculties:
- Christian Theology
- Law
- Medicine
- Veterinary Medicine
- Teacher Education
- Philosophical-historical
- Philosophical-scientific
Currently (2005) there are around 5000 students registered to the technical college of Bern. It consists of the follwoing units:
- Technique and Computer Science
- Architecture, Construction and Wood
- Economics, Administration and Social Work
- Arts
- Agriculture
- Sports
Many vocational schools are present in Bern. Some of them are the following:
Bern 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 cable railway which leads from the ''Marzili'' quarter to the ''Bundeshaus''. This
Railway is, with a length of 106 m, the shortest public cable railway in Europe. Several 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 village of
Belp . The regional airport, colloquially called ''Bern-Belp'' or ''Belpmoos'', is connected to several Swiss and European cities.
A number of celebrities are natives of the city or canton of Bern:
