Bern

Bern: storia e carattere

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.