Bern Historical Museum

The Natural History Museum of Bern (German: Naturhistorisches Museum Bern) is a museum in Bern, Switzerland. In its teaching and research it cooperates closely with the University of Bern. It is visited by around 131,000 people yearly.

The Swiss Alpine Museum (German: Schweizerisches Alpines Museum; French: Musée Alpin Suisse) is a museum dedicated to the nature and culture of the Swiss Alps. It is located at Helvetiaplatz 4 in Bern.

The Museum of Communication is an interactive museum dedicated to the subject of communication in Bern, Switzerland. In 2019 it was awarded the Council of Europe Museum Prize. It was founded in 1907 as the corporate museum of Swiss Post (later called PTT), the national postal service of Switzerland. The restructuring of the museum into a foundation of Swiss Post and Swisscom led to a broadening of the overall theme and a new name, the Museum of Communication. The latest incarnation of the museum, which opened its doors with a redesigned permanent exhibition in 2017, is focused completely on its visitors.

The Swiss National Library (German: Schweizerische Nationalbibliothek, French: Bibliothèque nationale suisse, Italian: Biblioteca nazionale svizzera, Romansh: Biblioteca naziunala svizra) is the national library of Switzerland. Part of the Federal Office of Culture, it is charged with collecting, cataloging and conserving information in all fields, disciplines, and media connected with Switzerland, as well as ensuring the widest possible accessibility and dissemination of such data. The Swiss National Library is intended to be open to all and, by the breadth and scope of its collection, aims to reflect the plurality and diversity of Swiss culture. It is a heritage site of national significance.

The Swiss Literary Archives (SLA - Schweizerische Literaturarchiv) in Bern collects literary estates in all four national languages of Switzerland (German, French, Italian and Romansh language). It is part of the Swiss National Library operated by the Federal Office of Culture within the Federal Department of Home Affairs.The archives were founded in 1991 and are located in the building of the Swiss National Library. The foundation can be tracked back to the last will of the writer Friedrich Dürrenmatt, who died in 1989. Dürrenmatt gave his literary remains to the state, but under the condition that the state establishes a national archive for literature. The Swiss Literary Archives today contain around 100 important literary estates and premortal-estates and about 120 partial estates and collections, including material from:

The Ukrainian Embassy in Bern is the diplomatic mission of Ukraine to the Swiss Confederation and the Principality of Liechtenstein. Since 2022, Iryna Venediktova has been the ambassador.

Swissmint is the official mint of the Swiss Confederation. Located in the Swiss capital city Bern, it is responsible for manufacturing Swiss franc coins, both of the currency and bullion variety. Apart from making coins for the government, Swissmint also manufactures medals and commemorative coins for private customers.

Diplomatic Documents of Switzerland (Dodis) is a research project which edits important documents on Swiss foreign relations and contemporary history. The project includes a book series in several volumes and the online database Dodis.

The Swiss Federal Archives (German: Schweizerisches Bundesarchiv, French: Archives fédérales suisses, Italian: Archivio federale svizzero, Romansh: Archiv federal svizzer) are the national archives of Switzerland. Additionally, the cantons have official archives of their own. The building and its collections are a Swiss heritage site of national significance.In 2018 the archives held over 66,000 linear meters of printed documents and 20.7 terabytes of digital documents. The archives have a permanent staff of 57.8 full-time equivalent and a budget of 19.2 million CHF. The archives are governed by the Federal Act on Archiving.The Federal Archives were created in 1798 following the creation of the Helvetic Republic. Under the republic, the archives moved whenever the seat of government moved. With the creation of the Federal State in 1848 the archives became part of the Federal Chancellery and found a home in Bern in the town hall. The first federal archivist was Johann Jakob Meyer, who was appointed in 1849. In the second half of the 19th century, the archives moved to the western wing of the Parliament building. In 1868 the second chief archivist, Jakob Kaiser, was appointed. Over the following years he persuaded Parliament to purchase land across the Aare river in the Kirchenfeld district and build the current archive building. The building was built in 1896-99 by Theodor Gohl in the Renaissance Revival style.In 1914 the archives are officially designated as the Bundesarchiv or Federal Archives. In the same year its first typewriter was installed. On 9 May 1944 the Federal Council approves the first regulations making all records in the archive which are at least 50 years old available to the public without restriction. In 1963 the first microfilm reader was installed, followed by a copier in 1965. On 15 July 1966 new regulations regarding the archives retained the 50 year limit, but made exceptions for academic research. In 1973 the 50 year limit was shortened to 35 years and in 1998 it was again reduced to 30 years.

The von Wattenwyl house on Herrengasse 23 is a historic building in Bern, Switzerland, named after the von Wattenwyl family who owned it for over 200 years. The building was constructed during the Middle Ages, incorporating some older neighbouring properties; these can still seen in the eastern range of the house. Over time, the house changed owners several times, and various design changes were effected. The first major reconstruction was in 1690, with further changes executed between 1730 and 1740. The most notable of these was made in 1760 by the eminent Bernese architect, Erasmus Ritter, for the building's then owner, David Salomon von Wattenwyl. A fountain by Ritter, in the form of a carved pillar surmounted by a vase, remains in front of the house.

The Herrengasse ("Nobles' Lane") is one of the streets in the Old City of Bern, the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. It was the southernmost street of the old Zähringerstadt (Zähringer town) of Bern and ended at the first city wall. Three buildings on the Herrengasse are 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 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