Berne
Berne is the Swiss capital city and capital of the canton of the same name.
Berne is one of my favorite cities in Switzerland. The exceptionally well preserved medieval old town has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1983 and is a delight to stroll around. The old town is home to many of Bernes main sights and attractions.
Main sights
The Old Town of Berne is nestled on a peninsula of the River Aare although the town now straddles the river.
At what used to be the the first western gate to the city (1191 - 1256) is the Clock Tower (Zeitglockenturm.) The Clock Tower marks the boundry of the citys first expansion. It also boasts an impressive astronomical calendar clock. The Berne Tourist Board runs special tours of the Zeitglockenturm which you can inquire about at the tourist office at the main train station.
Berne is also home to the Swiss Federal Parliament. The Parliament building is also known as the Federal Palace and was built to the designs of the architect H. Auer. The Palace was inaugurated in 1902. The two councils which form parliament sit in seperate chambers which meet in the "Hall of the Dome" which is decorated by various symbols of Switzerland. The glass dome, for example, is decorated with the coats of arms of 22 Cantons while the Coats of Arms of Jura is shown seperately along with the date of the cantons accession to the Union (1978). Guided tours of the Parliament building are available when Parliament is not sitting.
The Berne Münster (Cathedral) is the largest gothic building in Switzerland with a 100 meter tower. Entry to the cathedral is free, but for a few francs you can climb the tower for fantastic views of the old town. IMO, the views from the top of spire is worth every franc and every step up and down.
In Kramgasse, in the very centre of the Old Town, you can visit the one time residence of one of Bernes most former residents - Albert Einstein. At his house in Kramgasse, Einstein would write his most famous equation E = mc2 and his Special Theory of Relativity. Einsteins Annus Mirabulus would occur in 1905 while living in Berne's Kramgasse. During 1905, Einstein would write the following five papers:
- On a Heuristic Point of View Concerning the Production and Transformation of Light (For this paper on the photoelectric effect he received the Nobel Prize of 1921.)
- On the Movement of Small Particles Suspended in Stationary Liquids Required by the Molecular-Kinetic Theory of Heat (On a problem in statistical mechanics)
- On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies (Special theory of relativity)
- Does the Inertia of a Body Depend upon Its Energy Content? (Equivalence of mass and energy)
- On the Theory of Brownian Motion (Published in 1906)
- A New Determination of Molecular Dimensions (His doctoral dissertation)
Where to eat in Berne
There are several run of the mill places to eat within the old town of Berne. However, there is one gem in Der Klötzlikeller in Gerechtigkeitsgasse. Our visit to this historic establishment in June 2007 was highly enjoyable.
Language
The main language of Berne is German or, more specifically, Bernese German which differs not only from other Swiss-German dialects but also from High German itself.
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