Berne, Bern,capital of Switzerland,A CHARMING PLACE!

RIVER AARE

Berne, (it is not burn,it is berrrrrn) is situated on the banks of the River Aare. In fact it is surrounded by the River and is positioned like a peninsula. It is the Capital of Switzerland,  or Swiss Confederation, which  in Latin is called Confoederatio Helvetica. Now I know why the currency of Switzerland is CHF, and not Swiss something! The main languages spoken in Switzerland  are German, Italian, French and Romansh. I loved the sound of the word "Romansh", sounds so much like romance or even "romanch" in Hindi. Switzerland is actually all about both romance and romanch(excitement). The beauty of nature all around is so pervading that one does not want to shut ones eye even for a minute. 

THE RIVER AGAIN

Although Berne is the Capital, it has still maintained its medieval look. It has an old world charm and one cannot see the sky scrapers that one normally expects  to see in modern cities. It is rather surprising that in spite of being the Capital the City has maintained its ambience. 

CLUSTERED HOUSES

It seems rather sleepy, and comfortable. There doesn't seem to be any rush anywhere, on the contrary there is peace, ease and tranquility. Berne has cobbled streets,  clustered roofs and lovely trees all over the city, not to forget the river and its bridges.  Modern buildings do exist but they are away from the Center. 

COBBLED STREET, ARCADED SHOPS.

There are about 119 World Heritage  sites in the "Old Town", which has a broad road in the center which is closed to vehicular traffic. It is only a pedestrian zone with arcaded shops. During the  medieval times Trade Guilds had their Offices here. There are  12 Statues all along this road, which also double up as fountains. 

CHILD EATER

The most grotesque statue cum fountain is  that of a man eating a baby and carrying three more babies in a sack. This is called the Kindlifresser, or “Child Eater.” This statue was built in 1546. It is not very clear why such a statue was made. 

A STATUE CUM FOUNTAIN

The people of Berne are very proud of the fact that their drinking water straight from the tap is of very good quality. The water keeps flowing all the time and everyone is  encouraged to drink a lot of water.

THE ZYTGLOGGE

There is an elaborate medieval clock in the Old City Center which has moving puppets. The puppets come out 4 minutes before the hour, a cock crows,  a jester performs, the puppets which are bears move around, a man sounds the gong, a man turns the hour glass around, and then the hour is struck. What amazed me is that this clock has been in existence since the 15th century. It was a source of entertainment as well as told the time, for over 500 years now. Yes indeed Switzerland is the land of clocks, watches and the importance of time! This particular Clock is called Zytglogge or Time Clock.

PARLIAMENT

The Federal Palace or Bundeshaus houses the Swiss Federal Parliament. The beautiful  buildings of the Swiss Banks are also located close by. Right behind the Swiss Federal Parliament are steps leading to the river and beyond in the distance one can see the majestic Alps. 

THE ALPS FROM BEHIND THE PARLIAMENT

The view was simply breathtaking. A reminder that nature and its beauty and might are much more than the chaos that humans create! 

SWISS NATIONAL BANK

The headquarters of the Swiss National Bank is in Bern. 

 A favourite decorative motif in Bern is the bear (Old High German:bero), commemorating the legend of the first animal killed by Berthold V in the year the city was founded sometime in the 12th century, this legend is said to be the source of the city’s name.  Since the 16th Century the city has had a  bear pit called the Barengraben.  Currently four bears are kept in the open-air enclosure. Almost everywhere one can see the statues, motifs or pictures of bears.

A BEAUTIFUL STREET

In addition to being the Swiss Federal capital, Bern is the headquarter of the international postal, telegraph, railway, and copyright unions. While I thought that the major earnings of this country was from its tourism, I was surprised to know that tourism is secondary to the manufacture of printing products, chocolate, machinery, electrical equipment, and chemical and pharmaceutical products. Berne is also a market for agricultural produce and a busy rail junction. 

Albert Einstein lived in Berne from 1903 to 1905, and worked on his Theory of Relativity here.In the 1950's Berne was a must visit destination for famous people like Sophia Loren, Peter Ustinov,Ursula Andress,Yehudi Menuhin. Gstaad another lovely beauty spot of Switzerland is also close by.

BEAUTY,TRANQUILITY!

I loved the tranquility and slow pace of life in Berne. I was amazed to see that the Capital of a country could be so calm and beautiful. Our own Capital cities of Hill states have become so crowded, that tourism is no longer a possibility there. 

UNSURPASSED BEAUTY!