0 A DAY IN BERN PART I - UN JOUR À BERNE N°1

The week after we went to Sion (see post 1 & post 2), we once again took the train on a journey to Bern, the Capital city of Switzerland. There we had a wonderful time cruising through the old streets and admiring the beautiful architecture...

Bern is the fifth most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich, Geneva, Basel and Lausanne) and is situated in the Swiss German speaking part of our country. It was founded on the River Aare in 1191 by Duke Berchtold V of Zähringen who allegedly named it after a bear (Bär in German) he had killed.

Luckily most of this town's medieval center has remained largely preserved and is classified as UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since the 16th century, the city has had a bear's pit (the Bärengraben) which used to be off the far end of the Nydereggbrücke (bridge). It no longer contains any bears, the last having been put down in 2009 and the remaining bears being kept in a zoo until they can enjoy their new place (no concrete jail this time, but a green park on the side of the river) which is currently under construction.