Bern trip
While on your Bern trip, there are several things that you can be sure of, you can be sure that you’ll be amazed by the wonderful medieval town centre, and the rather provincial town atmosphere, and you’ll also read the name UNESCO a lot.
Switzerland’s capital is very proud of its medieval roots and more-so because the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has declared their town centre a World Heritage Site.
Switzerland’s capital is an interesting type of capital, having gotten the title only because it was the compromise candidate between the French and German speakers when the new Swiss Confederation formed back in 1848. This means that Bern is basically a provincial town, but with a bunch of extra buildings attached, which come with their own cargo of politicians and bureaucrats.
Once you get here you’ll understand what boon to the medieval town the 1983 protection order was. It preserved the long and winding cobbled streets which are lined with 15th century buildings which in turn feature terraces and arcades. Actually walking through these streets might offer the impression of going through a sort of architectural canyon, so let’s talk a bit about the architectural sights a bit.
One of the oldest attractions that you should not miss in the city is the Zytglogge, which was part of the western gate of the city between 1191 and 1256. This Tower is very similar to the Astronomical Clock in Prague’s old town square, in the sense that many people gather round it to watch it chime. Now that might seem like a weird use of your time, but the tower has several revolving figures on it, which start twirling at four minutes before the hour, it’s definitely something to see and enjoy. If you happen to be visiting between May and October, you may actually be lucky enough to be able to enter the tower and see the clock mechanism at work.
You can see the most of Bern and its surroundings as possible with the help of our Bern car hire services.
