Explorations of Switzerland’s capital city!
Bern was made the “federal city” (i.e., capital city) of the Swiss Federation in 1848. Honestly, it really doesn’t look like a capital city. Bern is an old, very well-preserved medieval city, with some large government buildings attached and surrounded by suburbs. The last big disaster to befall Bern was a massive fire in the 15th century. The residents rebuilt in stone and that stone remains. The old town of Bern is so intact, that it was made a UNESCO world heritage site for that reason. Honestly, the only reason those stone buildings probably still survive is because the old city of Bern is surrounded on three sides by a river. There simply isn’t room to build any new substantial buildings there. Most of the hill between the riverbanks on which old Bern was built is only about 3-4 small blocks wide (a five-minute walk at my speed). It was just easier to plop that new capital building in 1902 in the 17th century part of town, leaving the medieval center intact. I approve.
Bern in 1638. It hasn’t changed that much since then. The fortifications are gone and it’s a bit larger today, but those streets are still there.
Bern was first settled around the 12th century and became the largest city state north of the Alps by the 16th century. A major fire ripped through the community in 1405. Many of the stone buildings that replaced the burnt wooden buildings still stand today. Many have been modernized but the outer shell and over all look remains fairly true to the original medieval structure. At some point, they added arcades to the front of the buildings to expand the upper stories of the buildings. All that remains. It’s really cool.
Jana Irving Found this church, Heiliggeistkirche (German church names are all insane like this), steps from Bern’s main train station.
Jana Irving I stopped by later that day to check out the interior. I think those banners may be lace. There was also a small cafe inside the main part of the church.
Jana Irving Continuing towards the medieval part of town, I found this fancy 17th century Baroque tower, Käfigturm, overlooking a market plaza.
Jana Irving The sun had not quite reached the plaza.
Jana Irving Französische Kirche (French Church), a gorgeous Gothic building. It is a bit weird inside though.
Jana Irving Finally in the medieval town.
Jana Irving Not much going on on this street.
Jana Irving Looking very medieval or restored to look that way.
Jana Irving Looking in the opposite direction, one finds another famous Bern landmark/tower/clock, Zytglogge. It also has an astrolabe below the clock.
Jana Irving Looking down Kramgasse, the central street of the old medieval town.
Jana Irving Just like Zurich, Bern is full of really interesting fountains. The top of that fountain, Zähringerbrunnen, is a bear in full armor and a flag with another bear at its feet. Something to do with the Bern foundation story.
Jana Irving Oh, look! It’s Albert Einstein’s house, now a museum. He rented an apartment in this building. One of the many museums I didn’t have enough time for.
Jana Irving I couldn’t find an explanation for this fountain. It looks like guy is trying to get something out of the mouth of his pet lion, or something.
Jana Irving Another fountain! I seriously am still on the same block.
Jana Irving I’m not sure what this is supposed to be but it overlooks that last fountain.
Jana Irving The Rathaus (town hall).
Jana Irving And across the street, is another fountain!
Jana Irving Not all the buildings date to the medieval period, but they are in the same shape and style.
Jana Irving All four of the long streets meet together here.
Jana Irving I just thought that these buildings were adorable.
Jana Irving Just look at that cuteness! The church on the left is the 14th century Nydeggkirche.
Jana Irving The 15th century Untertorbrücke (Lower Gate Bridge) was the city’s only bridge until the 19th century.
Jana Irving The old city of Bern is built up on a bit of a plateau or hill. A ring of buildings are at the river level, and that 19th century bridge, the Nydeggbrücke, which has the widest stone arch in continental Europe.
Jana Irving Another street with a fountain. Not surprised.
Jana Irving Cool design on that one.
Jana Irving The giant Berner Münster (Cathedral). It was heavily under construction.
Jana Irving Luckily, this chapel with its wonderful stained glass was still open. There were also very convenient chairs for you to sit in to stare at said stained glass.
Jana Irving The Münsterplatz has its own fancy fountain. This one is of Moses.
Jana Irving It is a rather pleasant plaza.
Jana Irving Next to the cathedral is the Münsterplattform, a small park that overlooks the river and these lovely, terraced gardens.
Jana Irving From the Kirchenfeldbrücke, you can see more of the old town, complete with a fantastic view of the cathedral and the Münsterplattform.
Jana Irving From the other side of the bridge is this gorgeous view of the Bundeshaus, the Swiss parliament building, along with some other governmental buildings.
Jana Irving Now for the front. The whole building really reminded me of some state capital building in the US, from the size to the decoration.
Jana Irving For some reason, I took a tour of the building…in German. Worth it.
Jana Irving The ceiling of the atrium was gorgeous.
Jana Irving The Council of States Chamber which has a giant fresco. Reminds me a bit of the Representative’s Chamber at the Massachusetts State House.
Jana Irving The National Council Chamber with its giant mural, complete with a hidden fish.
Jana Irving It’s a very fancy room.
Bern wasn’t my first choice of a day trip from Zurich, but it turned out to be a fantastic choice. I could have spent another day just going to the museums. Alas, I had only a day, which I greatly enjoyed in my jetlagged state.
Check out my next update where I explore the tiny country of Liechtenstein!
or
Start at the beginning of this adventure in Zurich!
