Bern
is blessed with the Swiss charm, but it is still to get its fair share of acknowledgement as one of the best places to visit in Switzerland.
However, it is a fascinating Swiss city to visit that blends historic heritage and Swiss beauty.
Here are some interesting facts and insights about Bern, Switzerland.
Get Introduced to Bern
Bern is the capital city of Switzerland. However, officially it is titled as Bundesstadt or Federal City.
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To be exact, Switzerland does not have a capital city. The federal parliament of the country is located at Bern for decades; hence it is the de facto capital of Switzerland.
According to Fables, it is said that the city was set up by Duke Berchtold V of Zähringen.
He declared that the city would be named after the first animal he finds on a hunting expedition. It turned out to be a bear and the city owes its name to this wild animal.
The city has a cultural attachment to the bear. Bern is called as the ‘City of Bears’ and one can find many bears roaming nonchalantly at the Bear Park in the Old Town of Bern.
Located at an altitude of 542 meters above sea level, Bern is Europe’s third-highest capital city.
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Bern is also tagged as the ‘City of Fountains’ as it has a fascinating collection of over 100 freshwater fountains.
The Bernese Old Town is tagged as a UNESCO World Heritage Old Town for its rustic medieval ambiance and architectural landmarks.
The township has around 1.3 million people living here. Of these, nearly 25% are foreigners.
German is the main language spoken in Bern followed by Italian and French. The city also has a Bernese dialect which is very smooth and slow in speech.
Bern is popular for Swiss cheese. The authentic Emmental Cheese comes from the Emmental region in Bern.
Bern also gave the world one of the most popular Swiss chocolates - Toblerone. If you look closely at the chocolate’s brand logo, you will find a bear embossed on the Matterhorn Peak image as a tribute to Bern city.
Albert Einstein lived in Bern from 1903 to 1905. He discovered the 'Theory of Relativity' in this Swiss city. His former Swiss Residence in Bern is now a popular museum – Einstein House.
Bern ranks under the top 20 cities that are the best places to live in the world. This is also the reason Bern is one of the most expensive European cities to live.