Bern

 

  • 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.

  • Bern was made a free imperial city in 1218 and, in 1353, it joined the Swiss Confederacy, becoming one of its eight early cantons.

  • Since then, Bern became a large city-state and a prominent actor of Swiss history by pursuing a policy of sovereign territorial expansion.

  • [22] The last regular election of the City Council was held on 27 November 2016 for the mandate period (German: Legislatur, French: la législature) from 2017 to 2020.

  • [31] The canton of Bern school system provides one year of non-obligatory kindergarten, followed by six years of primary school.

  • [39] It includes the entire Old Town, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and many sites within and around it.

  • History Early history[edit] Construction of the Untertorbrücke (Lower Gate Bridge) in Bern, Tschachtlanchronik, late 15th century No archaeological evidence that indicates
    a settlement on the site of today’s city centre prior to the 12th century has been found so far.

  • Some of the most notable in the Old Town include the Cathedral which was started in 1421 and is the tallest cathedral in Switzerland, the Zytglogge and Käfigturm towers, which
    mark two successive expansions of the Old Town, and the Holy Ghost Church, which is one of the largest Swiss Reformed churches in Switzerland.

  • A number of congresses of the socialist First and Second Internationals were held in Bern, particularly during World War I when Switzerland was neutral; see Bern International.

  • [26] International relations Twin and sister cities[edit] The Municipal Council of the city of Bern decided against having twinned cities except for a temporary (during the
    UEFA Euro 2008) cooperation with the Austrian city Salzburg.

  • 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 Zytglogge tower marked the western boundary of the city from 1191 until 1256, when the Käfigturm took over this role until 1345.

  • Bern was made the Federal City (seat of the Federal Assembly) within the new Swiss federal state in 1848.

  • It is made up of 80 members, with elections held every four years.

  • Main sights[edit] The central building of the Federal Palace of Switzerland The Ogre of the Kindlifresserbrunnen has a sack of children waiting to be devoured.

  • [36] The Federal Palace (Bundeshaus), built from 1857 to 1902, which houses the national parliament, government and part of the federal administration, can also be visited.

  • [51] Of the working population, 50.6% used public transport to get to work, and 20.6% used a private car.

  • Since the 16th century, the city has had a bear pit, the Bärengraben, at the far end of the Nydeggbrücke to house its heraldic animals.

  • It was, in turn, succeeded by the Christoffelturm (formerly located close to the site of the modern-day railway station) until 1622.

  • Airport[edit] Bern Airport (colloquially called Bern-Belp or Belpmoos) located outside the city near the town of Belp, as of March 2021 mostly serves general aviation and
    charter flights.

  • Within the Old Town, there are eleven 16th-century fountains, most attributed to Hans Gieng, that are on the list.

  • Although fortified settlements were established since the antiquity, the medieval city proper was founded by the Zähringer ruling family, probably in 1191 by Berthold V, Duke
    of Zähringen.

  • [30] Education[edit] Main building of the University of Bern The University of Bern, whose buildings are mainly located in the Länggasse quarter, is located in Bern, as well
    as the University of Applied Sciences (Fachhochschule) and several vocations schools.

  • Bicycle transport[edit] The city has made efforts to make Bern the “bicycle capital” of Switzerland through the creation of better infrastructure, such as dedicated cycle
    paths.

  • In the Early Middle Ages, a settlement in Bümpliz, now a city district of Bern, was some 4 km (2 mi) from the medieval city.

  • [54] As of 2000, there were 9,045 pupils in Bern who came from another municipality, while 1,185 residents attended schools outside the municipality.

  • According to the local legend, based on folk etymology, Berchtold V, Duke of Zähringen, the founder of the city of Bern, vowed to name the city after the first animal he met
    on the hunt, and this turned out to be a bear.

  • Green Free List, who is the newly elected mayor since 2017), and GB (Green Alliance of Berne), giving the left parties a very strong majority of four out of five seats.

  • Unlike members of the Municipal Council, members of the City Council are not politicians by profession, and they are paid a fee based on their attendance.

  • The central part of Bern, (excluding Bümpliz, Betlehem, Bottigen, Brünnen, and Riedbach in the west of the municipality), is part of the fare zone 100.

  • Power and water infrastructure, as well as other special developed areas, made up 1.2% of the city, while another 6.5% consists of parks, green belts, and sports fields.

  • The four bears are now kept in an open-air enclosure nearby, and two other young bears, a present by the Russian president, are kept in Dählhölzli zoo.

  • Outside the Old Town the heritage sites include the Bärengraben, the Gewerbeschule Bern (1937), the Eidgenössisches Archiv für Denkmalpflege, the Kirchenfeld mansion district
    [de] (after 1881), the Thunplatzbrunnen, the Federal Mint building, the Federal Archives, the Swiss National Library, the Historical Museum (1894), Alpine Museum, Museum of Communication and Natural History Museum.

  • [31] Apartment blocks at Bern-Bethlehem As of 2000, children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 15.1% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 65% and
    seniors (over 64 years old) make up 19.9%.

  • [30] Historic population The historical population is given in the following chart:[35] Religion[edit] From the 2000 census, 60,455 or 47.0% belonged to the Swiss Reformed
    Church, while 31,510 or 24.5% were members of the Catholic Church.

  • [30] Most of the population (as of 2000) speaks German (104,465 or 81.2%) as their first language, Italian is the second most common (5,062 or 3.9%) and French is the third
    (4,671 or 3.6%).

  • The regular election of the Municipal Council by any inhabitant valid to vote is held every four years.

  • Despite the waves of pestilence that hit Europe in the 14th century, the city continued to grow, mainly due to immigration from the surrounding countryside.

  • Bern was made the Federal City in 1848.

  • The medieval city is a foundation of the Zähringer ruling family, which rose to power in Upper Burgundy in the 12th century.

  • Of the primary pupils, 30.1% were permanent or temporary residents of Switzerland (not citizens) and 35.7% have a different mother language than the classroom language.

  • [31] Houses in the Old City of Bern As of 2000, there were 67,115 private households in the municipality, and an average of 1.8 persons per household.

  • In 1983, the historic old town (in German: Altstadt) in the centre of Bern became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

  • The Zytglogge clock tower and the city’s medieval covered shopping promenades (Lauben) Heritage sites of national significance[edit] Bern is home to 114 Swiss heritage sites
    of national significance.

  • The city’s population rose from about 5,000 in the 15th century to about 12,000 by 1800 and to above 60,000 by 1900, passing the 100,000 mark during the 1920s.

  • Bern’s central railway station (Bahnhof Bern) is Switzerland’s second busiest station (202,600 passengers per working day in 2014), and is the main transport hub in the region.

  • Government[edit] Erlacherhof Rathaus See also: List of mayors of Bern See also: Gemeinderat (Bern) The Municipal Council (de: Gemeinderat, fr: conseil municipal) constitutes
    the executive government of the City of Bern and operates as a collegiate authority.

  • A number of bridges have been built to allow the city to expand beyond the Aare.

  • [4][note 2] With a population of about 144,000 (as of 2020), Bern is the fifth-most populous city in Switzerland.

  • Contrary to most other municipalities, the executive government in Berne is selected by means of a system of Proporz.

  • [30] In 2008 the total number of full-time equivalent jobs was 125,037.

  • The Old City is in the lower right-hand side.

  • The population was made up of 44,032 Swiss men (35.4% of the population) and 15,092 (12.1%) non-Swiss men.

  • Since the 15th century, the city was progressively rebuilt and acquired its current characteristics.

  • The city is well served by railways, with the extensive S-Bahn network and many regional and international connections.

  • The sessions of the City Council are public.

  • [38] Bern’s most recent sight is the set of fountains in front of the Federal Palace.

  • The structure of Bern’s city centre is largely medieval and has been recognised by UNESCO as a Cultural World Heritage Site.

  • From about 5,000 inhabitants in the 15th century, the city passed the 100,000 mark in the 1920s.

  • [30] As of 2000, there were 59,948 people who were single and never married in the municipality.

  • The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 5.7 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving.

  • [33] As of 2009, the construction rate of new housing units was 1.2 new units per 1000 residents.

  • Old Swiss Confederacy[edit] In 1353, Bern joined the Swiss Confederacy, becoming one of the eight cantons of the formative period of 1353 to 1481.

  • Any resident of Bern allowed to vote can be elected as a member of the City Council.

  • This is followed by three years of obligatory lower secondary school where the pupils are separated according to ability and aptitude.

  • Of the kindergarten pupils, 32.4% were permanent or temporary residents of Switzerland (not citizens) and 40.2% have a different mother language than the classroom language.

  • After a major blaze in 1405, the city’s original wooden buildings were gradually replaced by half-timbered houses and subsequently the sandstone buildings which came to be
    characteristic for the Old Town.

  • The circuit eventually fell into disrepair after Switzerland banned motorports after the 1955 Le Mans Disaster, but they made an amendment in 2015 to host electric racing,
    which is how the Swiss ePrix happened in 2019.

  • [12] Geography and climate Topography[edit] The Old City of Bern with the Minster and its platform above the lower Matte quarter and the Aare The Aare flows in a wide loop
    around the Old City of Bern.

  • Over the 10 years between 2000 and 2010, the population changed at a rate of 0.6%.

  • Bern 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; by the 18th century,
    it comprised most of what is today the canton of Bern and the canton of Vaud.

 

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