Bern

Bern: history & character

Bern — Switzerland's federal capital since 1848 and one of Europe's oldest still-intact medieval cities — was founded in 1191 by Duke Berchtold V of Zähringen on a peninsula loop of the Aare river, a defensive choice that still explains its uniquely riverbend-wrapped silhouette today. Its historic centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983, is the largest in Switzerland: 6 km of covered arcades (the Lauben) line the cobbled sandstone streets, alongside polychrome fountains, near-intact medieval façades, and the 1218 Zytglogge astronomical clock tower still in working order. The city remains as discreet as the Confederation it hosts — the Federal Palace overlooks the Aare with a thoroughly Swiss sobriety — yet its quality of life regularly ranks among the world's best. For dog owners, Bern is exceptionally well-equipped: three urban forests within tram distance (Bremgartenwald in the north, Könizbergwald in the west, the Gurten in the south), a 5 km riverside Aare promenade, the free public BärenPark on the edge of the Old Town, and the University of Bern Veterinary Hospital — a teaching reference for the entire German-speaking Europe.