|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Do you know that the German-born physicist Albert Einstein worked out his theory
of relativity while employed as a clerk at the Berne patent office? Of all Swiss
cities, BERN (Berne in French) is perhaps the most immediately charming. Crammed
onto a steep-sided peninsula in a crook of the fast-flowing River Aare, its quiet,
cobbled lanes, lined with sandstone arcaded buildings straddling the pavement,
have changed barely at all in over five hundred years but for the adornment of
modern shop signs and the odd car or tram rattling past. The hills all around,
and the steep banks of the river, are still liberally wooded.
Old world charm and ambience in modern settings. Views, both of the Old Town’s
clustered roofs and of the majestic Alps on the horizon, are breathtaking.
Coming from Zürich or Geneva, it’s hard to remember that Bern – once voted
Europe’s most floral city – is the nation’s capital and home of the Swiss parliament.
For all its political status, Bern is a tiny city of barely 130,000 people and
retains a small town’s easy approach to life.
The attraction of the place is its
ambience; traffic is kept out of the Old Town and you could spend days just
wandering the streets and alleys, café-hopping and – if it’s warm – joining
the locals for a plunge into the River Aar.
VISITOR INFO
The perfectly preserved medieval street plan, with its arcades, street fountains
and doughty towers made UNESCO to deem Bern a World Heritage Site, placing it in
the company of such legendary sites as Florence, Petra and the Taj Mahal. In a
competition for the world’s most beautiful and relaxing capital city, it’s hard
to think what could knock Bern into second place.
Wandering through Bern’s Old Town can be a magical experience – few cities in
the world are so visibly wedded to their distant past, with architecture and a
street plan more or less unchanged since medieval times. Perhaps its most famous
sight is the Zytglogge an elaborate medieval clock tower with moving puppets.
It also has an impressive 15th century Gothiccathedral, the Münster and a 15th
century town hall. Thanks to 6 kilometers of arcades, the old town boasts one
of the longest covered shopping promenades in Europe.
The Garden of Roses (Rosengarten), from where a scenic panorama view of the
medieval city core can be enjoyed, is a well-kept Rosary on a hill. Berne's
most recent sight is the set of fountains in front of the Federal Palace.
The most hectic shopping goes on in the western half of the Old Town,
on Marktgasse and Spitalgasse in particular; the older, eastern half is slow paced and tranquil.
HOTELS
You have to book ahead or you will be disappointed. Bern’s accommodation is good value,
especially considering that it’s easy to choose an inexpensive place and still find
yourself in an utterly tranquil room overlooking historic cobbled streets, with only
voices and church bells as background.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
