Swiss Literary Archives

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 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 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.

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.

The Bern Historical Museum (German: Bernisches Historisches Museum, French: Musée d’Histoire de Berne) is the second largest historical museum in Switzerland. It was designed by the Neuchâtel architect André Lambert and built in 1894. Since it was initially conceived as the Swiss National Museum (which the city of Zurich was later chosen to host), the architect took as his model various historic castles from the 15th and 16th centuries. An extension to the original museum building was completed in 2009. The museum contains collections related to the history of Bern from prehistoric times to the present and other artefacts on permanent display from Asia, Oceania, America and Egypt. One of the most remarkable items in the collection is the Muri statuette group, a group of six Gallo-Roman bronze figurines. The Bern Historical Museum is a heritage site of national significance.Over the museum's entrance is a glass mosaic, "The Age of History", featuring the figures of Poetry and History, made in 1900 by the Swiss painter Léo-Paul Robert.

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 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 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 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.

St Ursula's Church, Bern is an Anglican Episcopal church in Bern, Switzerland. The church is one of the ten Anglican chaplaincies in Switzerland that have a resident chaplain (minister) and together form the Archdeaconry of Switzerland. St Ursula's has a long tradition of ministry to all English-speaking people in the Canton of Bern and beyond. It also provides a home for Christians from many different denominations and cultural backgrounds.

The Dampfzentrale ("steam center") is a cultural centre and former fossil fuel power plant in Bern, Switzerland. The power plant was built between 1901 and 1904 by architect Eduard Joos at Marzilistrasse 47. The chair of the board Nicola von Greyerz stood down in 2018 and was replaced by Melanie Mettler and Vinzenz Mathys. In 2023, it was announced that the Dampfzentrale would receive 2.4 million CHF every year in subsidies from 2024 until 2027.

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.