Zytglogge

Bern (Swiss Standard German: [bɛrn] (listen)) or Berne is the de facto capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city". With a population of about 133,000 (as of 2022), Bern is the fifth-most populous city in Switzerland, behind Zurich, Geneva, Basel and Lausanne. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 36 municipalities, had a population of 406,900 in 2014. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000.Bern is also the capital of the canton of Bern, the second-most populous of Switzerland's cantons. The official language is German, but the main spoken language is the local variant of the Alemannic Swiss German dialect, Bernese German. In 1983, the historic old town (in German: Altstadt) in the centre of Bern became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is notably surrounded by the Aare, a major river of the Swiss Plateau. Although fortified settlements were established since antiquity, the medieval city proper was founded by the Zähringer ruling family, probably in 1191 by Berthold V, Duke of Zähringen. Bern was made a free imperial city in 1218 and, in 1353, it joined the Swiss Confederacy, becoming one of its eight early cantons. Since then, Bern became a large city-state and a prominent actor of Swiss history by pursuing a policy of sovereign territorial expansion. Since the 15th century, the city was progressively rebuilt and acquired its current characteristics. Bern was made the Federal City in 1848. From about 5,000 inhabitants in the 15th century, the city passed the 100,000 mark in the 1920s.

The 1936 UCI Road World Championships was the sixteenth edition of the UCI Road World Championships. The championships took place in Bern, Switzerland. 42 amateurs rode in the morning, the 39 professionals in the afternoon. Only 26 amateur and 10 professional cyclists completed their race. In the same period, the 1936 UCI Track Cycling World Championships was organized in the Oerlikon Velodrome in Zürich.

The 1961 UCI Road World Championships was the 34rd edition of the UCI Road World Championships. It took place on 2 and 3 September 1961 in Bern, Switzerland. It was the second time the championships were organized in Bern, after the 1936 UCI Road World Championships. The women's race took place on 10 August on the Isle of Man. Belgian Yvonne Reynders won her second of four world titles on the road. The amateurs rode 181.5 kilometers on Saturday, September 2, 1961. It was a triumph for the French amateurs, who won gold, silver and bronze. The three Frenchmen escaped together on a climb after about 145 kilometers. In the final lap, Jean Jourden defeated his two compatriots. The professional cyclists rode on Sunday, September 3, 1961, over a distance of 285.252 kilometers. Belgian Rik Van Looy extended his world title; he narrowly defeated the Italian Nino Defilippis in a sprint. Frenchman Raymond Poulidor came third. In the same period, the 1961 UCI Track Cycling World Championships was organized in the Oerlikon Velodrome in Zürich, Switzerland.

The Marktgasse is one of the streets in the Old City of Bern, the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. It is part of the Innere Neustadt which was built during the 13th Century. It runs from the Käfigturm between Waisenhausplatz and Bärenplatz in the west to the Zytglogge between Kornhausplatz and Theaterplatz in the east. It is part of the UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site that encompasses the Old City.

The Kornhausplatz is a plaza in the Old City of Bern, the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. It is on the edge of the Zähringerstadt which was built during the founding of the city in 1191, though the plaza wasn't built until later. It is located near the Kornhausbrücke (Kornhaus bridge) and the Zytglogge clock tower. It is part of the UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site that encompasses the Old City.

The Kindlifresserbrunnen ([kɪntliˈfʁɛsɐˌbʁʊ.nən], Swiss German for "Child-Eater Fountain") is a painted stone fountain at the Kornhausplatz (Granary Place) in Bern, Switzerland. It is one of the Old City of Bern's fountains from the 16th century. It was created in 1545–1546 by Hans Gieng to replace a wooden fountain from the 15th century. The new fountain's original name was Platzbrunnen (Plaza Fountain); the current name was used first in 1666. Kindli is a Swiss German diminutive for the German word Kind, meaning child. A literal translation of the name Kindlifresserbrunnen therefore would be "Fountain of the Eater of Little Children". The fountain sculpture depicts a seated ogre devouring a naked child. Placed at his side is a bag containing more children. Because the ogre is wearing a pointed hat resembling a Jewish one, it has been speculated about the possibility of the ogre being the depiction of a Jew as an expression of blood libel against Jews. Another theory is that the statue is the likeness of Krampus, the beast-like creature from the folklore of Alpine countries thought to punish children during the Christmas season who had misbehaved. According to other theories it is a depiction of the Greek god Cronus eating his children or the Roman Saturn eating the months, though Cronus should have six and Saturn twelve rather than the sculpture's eight. Another theory is that it represented Cardinal Schiner who led the Swiss Confederation into several bloody defeats in northern Italy. An alternative theory is that it is a depiction of the older brother of Duke Berchtold (founder of Bern) who it is claimed, was so incensed by his younger brother's overshadowing of him that he collected and ate the town's children but such an incident is not recorded in Bern's history books. A final theory is that it is just a carnival character intended to frighten disobedient children.Another theory is the eight children depict the eight cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy and the Ogre is an enemy (possibly Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy) trying to gobble the cantons up. This would match with the fountain's base which shows a frieze of armed bears going to war, including a piper and a drummer. The frieze may have been designed by Hans Rudolf Manuel Deutsch.The Kindlifresserbrunnen is an important object in the novel L'ogre (The Ogre) by Jacques Chessex.

The Burgerbibliothek of Berne (German: Burgerbibliothek Bern) is a public library located at Münstergasse 63 in Berne, Switzerland. The origins of this institution can be traced back to the Reformation. Until 1951 it belonged jointly to the city and the University of Bern, and was supported by the Canton of Berne and by the Community of Burghers of Berne. The collection of the library includes the illustrated late mediaeval historical chronicle Berner Chronik written by Diebold Schilling the Elder, Liber ad honorem Augusti. It contains about 30 000 pictorial documents about Berne and about 1 000 precious codices, some of them from the late antiquity. The library includes collections inherited from the following collectors: Eduard Bähler Philipp Emanuel von Fellenberg Jeremias Gotthelf Johann Rudolf Gruner Kurt Guggisberg (part of inheritance) Albrecht von Haller Karl Howald Ernst Kreidolf Rudolf Münger Rudolf Abraham von Schiferli Gottlieb Samuel Studer Rudolf von Tavel Gertrud Züricher

The Amthausgasse is one of the streets in the Old City of Bern, the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. It is part of the Innere Neustadt which was built during the expansion of 1255 to 1260. One building, a Burgher house at Amthausgasse 5 is listed on the Swiss inventory of heritage site of national significance and it is part of the UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site that encompasses the Old City.

The Zähringerbrunnen (Zähringen Fountain) is a fountain on Kramgasse in the Old City of Bern, Switzerland. It is a Swiss Cultural Property of National Significance and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Old City of Bern.

Bern Theatre, known in the city as Stadttheater Bern, is an opera house and theatre in Bern, Switzerland. The theatre opened in 1903 and was modernised between 2015–2016 with significant structural changes made to the backstage and auditorium.The theatre took on a new trading name from the 2011/2012 season through to the 2020/2021 as Konzert Theatre Bern representing the four different sections of the theatre; the Bern Symphony Orchestra (BSO), Musiktheater (Opera), Schauspiel (Theatre) and Tanz (Dance).Starting in the season of 2021 / 2022 the theatre will be known as Bühnen Bern.Famous past performers include Robin Adams, Agnes Baltsa, Inge Borkh, Renato Bruson, Grace Bumbry, José Carreras, Plácido Domingo, Salvatore Fisichella, Käthe Gold, Norma Sharp, Alexander Moissi, Jessye Norman, Liselotte Pulver, Will Quadflieg, Nello Santi, Christine Schäfer, Maria Schell, and Rolf Schimpf.

The Kochergasse is one of the streets in the Old City of Bern, the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. It is part of the Innere Neustadt which was built during the expansion of 1255 to 1260. It runs in front of the Bundeshaus East and it is part of the UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site that encompasses the Old City.

The Bellevue Palace is a five-star luxury hotel located in the Old City of Bern, Switzerland. Owned by the Swiss Confederation, it is the state's guesthouse for visiting heads of state and government, and is host to dozens of members of parliament during the weeks the assembly is in session.