"Berne is Berne like God is God" goes the saying-but they may also say that the city always bears a smile on its face. The Swiss capital is an institution with its palatial Federal Parliament building in which the country is governed while by comparison the people of the Aare appreciate and easy manner. Casanova spoiled himself in the baths here,the daughter of the Russian Czar, laid out a romantic garden in Berne, and Lenin industriously wrote his philosophical books.
That is all in the past say the students. They are more interested in the fact that one can so easily swim in the river-in Europe's earliest river bathing lido. The River Aare with its crystal clear glacial water flows through Berne in a large sweep making it ideal to view the city from the water. When a fire destroyed almost the entire town in 1405 Berne was built in its present layout. A 100 years later the buildings rose anew in sandstone and huge colonnades spanned the wide streets to form arcades under which one can stroll with dry feet. Berne built almost 4 miles of covered walkway.
Berne was later enhanced in the 16th century with a clock tower with a superb astronomical clock as a striking centerpiece of the town. Fountains were also created to beautify the city and with masterful wooden watering places including the Zahringer and Simson fountains. The ideas and spirit of the French Revolution reached Berne where people met in coffee houses and directed their attention to the citys development. The facades were altered to acquire the French style and the interiors were furnished with fabrics and carpets.
Like New York, Berne's Medieval grid of streets and market are so laid out that it is easy to find your way.The market is the most opulent broad and wide weekly market. Berne's most finest street is the Maritsgasse with a building line that is so unifying that one can recognize what the city architect had in mind for the collective impression. In the surrounding area there is so much worth seeing including Einstein's House(The Theory of Relativity from the 8 years that Einstein had stayed in Berne) , the Town Hall, the corn exchange , the clock tower and last but not least, the church of St. Vinzenz that is the finest late Gothic basilica in Switzerland.
A distinctive feature is the former's tanner's district of Matte that teems with cafes and avantgrade theaters.Berne is most famous for its Kellertheater but even more famous for its bears. Brown bears in a white moat have been the symbol of the town since 1441 and the entire city celebrated Easter Monday when their are shown off.Berne is also passionate about art . Paul Klee spent his boyhood here and Berne is also the first place where the Romanian artist Christo wrapped up a building when he wrapped up the Kunsthalle in the early 1970's.
That is all in the past say the students. They are more interested in the fact that one can so easily swim in the river-in Europe's earliest river bathing lido. The River Aare with its crystal clear glacial water flows through Berne in a large sweep making it ideal to view the city from the water. When a fire destroyed almost the entire town in 1405 Berne was built in its present layout. A 100 years later the buildings rose anew in sandstone and huge colonnades spanned the wide streets to form arcades under which one can stroll with dry feet. Berne built almost 4 miles of covered walkway.
Berne was later enhanced in the 16th century with a clock tower with a superb astronomical clock as a striking centerpiece of the town. Fountains were also created to beautify the city and with masterful wooden watering places including the Zahringer and Simson fountains. The ideas and spirit of the French Revolution reached Berne where people met in coffee houses and directed their attention to the citys development. The facades were altered to acquire the French style and the interiors were furnished with fabrics and carpets.
Like New York, Berne's Medieval grid of streets and market are so laid out that it is easy to find your way.The market is the most opulent broad and wide weekly market. Berne's most finest street is the Maritsgasse with a building line that is so unifying that one can recognize what the city architect had in mind for the collective impression. In the surrounding area there is so much worth seeing including Einstein's House(The Theory of Relativity from the 8 years that Einstein had stayed in Berne) , the Town Hall, the corn exchange , the clock tower and last but not least, the church of St. Vinzenz that is the finest late Gothic basilica in Switzerland.
A distinctive feature is the former's tanner's district of Matte that teems with cafes and avantgrade theaters.Berne is most famous for its Kellertheater but even more famous for its bears. Brown bears in a white moat have been the symbol of the town since 1441 and the entire city celebrated Easter Monday when their are shown off.Berne is also passionate about art . Paul Klee spent his boyhood here and Berne is also the first place where the Romanian artist Christo wrapped up a building when he wrapped up the Kunsthalle in the early 1970's.
