Old City of Bern

In the year 1191 Duke Berchtold the Fifth of Zähringen founded the city of Bern on a protected river peninsula and fortified the city with a moat, a circular wall and a defense tower. In the course of the centuries the city was enlarged several times beyond the limits of the fortifications. The defense tower, which was all of a sudden located in the middle of the city, was re-built as a clock tower after the fire of 1405, and from that time onwards was called the "Zytglogge" (time clock). This is where the Old Town begins, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.

The six kilometer long arcades form the longest roofed-over shopping promenade in Europe. In addition, Bern is the Federal capital of Switzerland and is the seat of the Federal Government, the Federal Assembly and of a large part of the Federal Administration.

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