The Capital of Switzerland is The Well-Preserved Medieval City of Bern
The Capital of Switzerland is Bern and it has everything that a small city of barely 130,000 inhabitants needs. It is a fantastic city and has more than 6 km of arcades. It has also one of the longest covered shopping promenades in the world, which invite you to do shopping, or dining out. There are so many landmarks, cafés, restaurants, theatres, museums, and shops. When you are visiting, there is no need for using a car, as everything is close on foot starting from the train station. Goethe, when visiting the Capital of Switzerland, one's called it the prettiest that he has ever seen. In 1831, the city became the capital of the Canton of Bern and in 1848 it additionally became the Swiss Capital. The Parliament Building from where Switzerland is governed is in the hearth of the Old Town. What Capital of Switzerland makes such a charming city is that not much has changed over the last five hundred years? In the Old Town, the architecture has remained the same. The buildings are sandstone arcaded and the lanes cobbled. On the other side, it is very modern with lots of shops, restaurants, and a beautiful busy train station. However, car traffic is kept out of the Old Town and you could spend days walking the alleys, visit the cafés or take a plunge into the Aare river. 
Many tourist attractions make this fascinating city a unique experience to discover. It is one of the best examples of a beautiful and well-maintained medieval town, listed by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage. However, there are city sights you should definitely visit. I myself like the nice cafés in front of the parliament building.So here are some tourist attractions that I picked and are a must see when visiting the beautiful Capital of Switzerland: • Tower Clock "Zytglogge" • Bear Ditch • Swiss Alpine Museum • Heiliggeistkirche (Holy Spirit Church) • Paul Klee - Museum of Art • The Old Town - with its Fountains • Museum of Natural History Muenster Cathedral The Muenster is the most impressing gothic building of the city. The sacral building is the biggest in Switzerland. The construction began 1421 and during centuries, builders worked at this masterwork. Can you imagine that the tower was not finished until 1893? An exceptional feature to admire is the portal with the representation of the latest court. Three hundred forty and four steps above the entrance is the lookout point of this artwork. However, the tower of the Muenster is only 100 meters high - the highest of Switzerland. Visitors get a magnificent outlook over the city to the snowy mountains in the south and as far as to the Jura region. Opening hours Wintertime Muenster Cathedral Tower Clock The tower clock was the first gate in the west of the Capital of Switzerland around 1191 - 1256 and formed the boundary of the first city extension. Now it has become the most important sight. Caspar Brunner created this very interesting ornate astronomical calendar clock in 1530.
Things like mechanical crows, roosters, bears, jesters and more parade around the clock's face. It displays... * a 24- hour cloc The linkages keep this astronomical and astrological device together to the main clock mechanism. Instead of just watching the action outside in front the tower clock, sign yourself up for a one hour guided tour. One’s inside you see and have explained close-up the actual inner workings of the mechanism as the pendulum swings and linked cogs turn gracefully. Inside the rooms, you can also explore the spire and take a romantic rooftop view as far away as the Swiss Alps. Tower Clock There are daily tours offered in English and German from 01.05. - 01.11.2007 Bear Ditch The legend has it that the city founder, Berchtold V von Zähringen, killed a bear on the river Aare peninsula. From then on, Bern (from German Bär)called itself as the Capital of Switzerland. This explains why the city's coat of arms features a bear. The existing Bear Ditch has been in the same location since 1857. A renovation from 1995/96 provided the bears with a more natural habitat. Today the Bear Ditch houses two Pyrenean brown bears called Tana and Pedro. The bears are outside every day. The Capital of Switzerland authorities want to turn the existing Bear Ditch into a Bear Park in the future. The project was launched in April 2003 and aims to crate two bear enclosures measuring over 10,000 m2 in which the bears will be able to be outdoors all day throughout the year in winter caves. Bärengraben (Bear Ditch Swiss Alpine Museum This museum dedicates to the Swiss Alps and its mountain people. It introduces you to the cultural and natural peculiarities of the Alpine world. The main feature of the exhibition are... * geology ... and much more that is of interest to visitors. Opening hours Schweizerisches Alpines Museum Heiliggeistkirche (Holy Spirit Church) The town master builder of the Capital of Switzerland, Niklaus Schiltknecht built the Holy Spirit Church in 1729. The first church to stand on this same location belonged to a monastic order. They dedicated themselves to the Holy Spirit in 1228. The monks maintained and operated a hospital, and soon their church became known as "Die Spitalkirche" the Hospital Church. Samuel König, a Pietist theologian preached here from 1693 to 1698. Niklaus Schiltknecht replaced the Hospital Church with the present Baroque Church in 1726. He completed as the new Holy Spirit Church in 1729. The Heiliggeistkirche is a purpose-built Reformed Protestant Church. It retains to this day the choir stalls and bell from the earlier church in 1596. When visiting the Heiliggeistkirche, you will notice the Baroque interior, which has a large modern organ, a freestanding pulpit, and 14 sandstone columns. You will also see the canopy-like oblong ceiling featuring tasteful Baroque pastel decoration and its curved wooden pews seats over 2000 people. Heiliggeistkirche Opening hours Paul Klee - Museum of Art (Kunstmuseum) The Collection of this fine arts museum is one of the most distinguished in Switzerland. It has excellent works spanning over eight centuries and includes a total of 3,000 paintings and sculptures as well as approximately 55,000 drawings, photographs, prints, films and videos. You can admire art from the Italian Trecento (Fra Angelico, Duccio), Swiss art from the 15th century (Albert Anker, Ferdinand Hodler, Niklaus Manual, Cuno Amiet), International paintings from the 19th and early 20th centuries (Impressionism, Cubism, Expressionism, Blauer Reiter, Surrealism) with particular focus on Paul Klee, Pablo Picasso, and Wassily Kandinsky. Also National (Meret Oppenheim, Franz Gertsch, and Markus Raetz) and International art trends from Jackson Pollock to the present can be found. Kunstmuseum of the Capital of Switzerland Opening hours Old Town - with its fountains The Old Town has more than 100 fountains. Many of this fountains call to mind heroes and historical events of the past of Bern. To this day, eleven of them feature the original statues with their beautiful allegorical figures. The fountains like Chindlifresser (Ogre), Gerechtigkeit (Justice), Zähringen and many more are dating from the 16th century. In addition, they bear the testimony to the wealth of the bourgeoisie at that time. Tourism Office Museum of Natural History The Natural History Museum is one of the major nature museums in Switzerland. On four floors, you can admire the stunning displays of local and exotic wildlife, birds, insects, and reptiles. It also possesses one of the largest diorama shows in Europe. Very interesting to see are "Animals as Architects", which gives you a vivid impression of how diverse and inventive the building activities of our fellow creatures can be. PC stations invite you to play and have fun about the various subjects. Among the best in the world is the marvelous collection of Alpine minerals. There is also an exhibition called "Earth Planet and Living Space" which presents the structure of the Earth. It also presents various geological aspects of our country including a plesiosaur from Frick/Aargau. The public's number one favorite is "Barry" the Swiss Saint Bernard dog who rescued stranded tourists in the Alps who died in the Capital of Switzerland in 1814. However, they are not using Saint Bernard dogs in rescue operations, simple because they are too heavy, and they are too comfortable. The honor to rescuing tourists and locals in the Swiss Alps goes to the German Shepard dog. So if you enjoy musuems, you may also want to visit the Bern Historical Musuem. Naturhistorisches Museum Opening hours Hotels in the Capital of Switzerland Bellevue Palace The Bellevue Palace is the only 5-Star hotel in the Capital of Switzerland. It is centrally located, very close to the "Bundeshaus", the seat of the Swiss government. It is also within walking distance of the medieval city centre with its over 100 legendary fountains and quaint shopping arcades. The rooms are large and most are in the traditional Swiss style, whilst those on the top floor are very modern. It is a favorite among famous International personalities and combines excellent architectural heritage with high-tech infrastructure. Allegro Grand Casino The Allegro hotel is located just across the Kornhausbrücke from the Old Town. This is only a 4-Star hotel, but very modern with state-of-the-art technical facilities, and decorative art. In fact, many hotels in Bern are 3 or 4-star rated. From the hotel looking to the south and southeast, you have a "Panorma" view to the Swiss Alps. The Penthouse rooms have parquet floors, leather furniture, towel warmer and designer toiletries. The café Piazza by the entry pond is a perfect spot to have a café Moccato or espresso and read the business paper. Innere Enge This hotel from the 1700s is actually the secret of the Capital of Switzerland. It is an individual, small, but very comfortable hotel, and located in a park just a 20-minute walk from the centre. The staff serves the gourmet cuisine in the Pavilion. The atmosphere in the public rooms is of "Teutonic Art Nouveau". The bedrooms are spacious and furnishings are traditional and meet high standards. International stars play regularly fine live jazz & blues in "Marian's Jazzroom". High-End Restaurants in the Capital of Switzerland Restaurant Meridiano Bellevue-Grill und La Terrasse Restaurant Kurierstube Entertainment & Bars in the Capital of Switzerland Allegro Bar This stylish hotel bar is a place for encounters with an international flair. There is live music everyday, and classic cocktails underline the elegant ambience. Belle-Époque The Belle-Époque is one of the most elegant bar´s in the Capital of Switzerland. An extensive selection of the best wines, the latest cocktail trends, and single malt whiskeys are on the menu. Art Café Café and art – is an unbeatable and highly exciting combination. A very beautifully designed bar with live DJ's on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Return from Capital of Switzerland to Swiss Cities Return from Capital of Switzerland to High End Travel Switzerland
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Bern Switzerland was founded 1191 onto a steep-sided peninsula from the duke Berchtold V. von Zähringen. In 1353, it joined the young Swiss Confederation. Much later, the French troops occupied it in 1798 during the French Revolutionary wars. 
