1.
Bern
–
The city of Bern or Berne is the de facto capital of Switzerland, referred to by the Swiss as their Bundesstadt, or federal city. With a population of 141,762, Bern is the fourth-most populous city in Switzerland, the Bern agglomeration, which includes 36 municipalities, had a population of 406,900 in 2014. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000, Bern is also the capital of the canton of Bern, the second-most populous of Switzerlands cantons. The official language in Bern is German, but the language is an Alemannic Swiss German dialect. In 1983, the old town in the centre of Bern became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Bern is ranked among the top ten cities for the best quality of life. The etymology of the name Bern is uncertain and it has long been considered likely that the city was named after the Italian city of Verona, which at the time was known as Bern in Middle High German. As a result of the find of the Bern zinc tablet in the 1980s, it is now common to assume that the city was named after a pre-existing toponym of Celtic origin. The bear was the animal of the seal and coat of arms of Bern from at least the 1220s. The earliest reference to the keeping of bears in the Bärengraben dates to the 1440s. No archaeological evidence that indicates a settlement on the site of city centre prior to the 12th century has been found so far. In antiquity, a Celtic oppidum stood on the Engehalbinsel north of Bern, fortified since the second century BC, during the Roman era, a Gallo-Roman vicus was on the same site. The Bern zinc tablet has the name Brenodor, in the Early Middle Ages, a settlement in Bümpliz, now a city district of Bern, was some 4 km from the medieval city. The medieval city is a foundation of the Zähringer ruling family, according to 14th-century historiography, Bern was founded in 1191 by Berthold V, Duke of Zähringen. In 1218, after Berthold died without an heir, Bern was made an imperial city by the Goldene Handfeste of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II. In 1353, Bern joined the Swiss Confederacy, becoming one of the eight cantons of the period of 1353 to 1481. The city grew out towards the west of the boundaries of the peninsula formed by the river Aare, the Zytglogge tower marked the western boundary of the city from 1191 until 1256, when the Käfigturm took over this role until 1345. It was, in turn, succeeded by the Christoffelturm until 1622, during the time of the Thirty Years War, two new fortifications – the so-called big and small Schanze – were built to protect the whole area of the peninsula
2.
Switzerland
–
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a federal republic in Europe. It consists of 26 cantons, and the city of Bern is the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in western-Central Europe, and is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland is a country geographically divided between the Alps, the Swiss Plateau and the Jura, spanning an area of 41,285 km2. The establishment of the Old Swiss Confederacy dates to the medieval period, resulting from a series of military successes against Austria. Swiss independence from the Holy Roman Empire was formally recognized in the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. The country has a history of armed neutrality going back to the Reformation, it has not been in a state of war internationally since 1815, nevertheless, it pursues an active foreign policy and is frequently involved in peace-building processes around the world. In addition to being the birthplace of the Red Cross, Switzerland is home to international organisations. On the European level, it is a member of the European Free Trade Association. However, it participates in the Schengen Area and the European Single Market through bilateral treaties, spanning the intersection of Germanic and Romance Europe, Switzerland comprises four main linguistic and cultural regions, German, French, Italian and Romansh. Due to its diversity, Switzerland is known by a variety of native names, Schweiz, Suisse, Svizzera. On coins and stamps, Latin is used instead of the four living languages, Switzerland is one of the most developed countries in the world, with the highest nominal wealth per adult and the eighth-highest per capita gross domestic product according to the IMF. Zürich and Geneva have each been ranked among the top cities in the world in terms of quality of life, with the former ranked second globally, according to Mercer. The English name Switzerland is a compound containing Switzer, a term for the Swiss. The English adjective Swiss is a loan from French Suisse, also in use since the 16th century. The name Switzer is from the Alemannic Schwiizer, in origin an inhabitant of Schwyz and its associated territory, the Swiss began to adopt the name for themselves after the Swabian War of 1499, used alongside the term for Confederates, Eidgenossen, used since the 14th century. The data code for Switzerland, CH, is derived from Latin Confoederatio Helvetica. The toponym Schwyz itself was first attested in 972, as Old High German Suittes, ultimately related to swedan ‘to burn’
3.
Canton of Bern
–
The canton of Bern is the second largest of the 26 Swiss cantons by both surface area and population. Located in west-central Switzerland, it borders the canton of Jura, to the west lie the canton of Neuchâtel, the canton of Fribourg and Vaud. To the south lies the canton of Valais, east of the canton of Bern lie the cantons of Uri, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Lucerne and Aargau. The canton of Bern is bilingual and has a population of 1,017,483, as of 2007, the population included 119,930 foreigners. The cantonal capital, also the capital of Switzerland, is Bern. Bern joined the Swiss Confederation in 1353 and was between 1803 and 1814 one of the six directorial cantons of the Napoleonic Swiss Confederation and these caves were used at various times during the last ice age. The first open-air settlement in the area is an upper paleolithic settlement at Moosbühl in Moosseedorf, during the warmer climate of the mesolithic period, increasing forest cover restricted the movement of hunters, fishers and gatherers. Their temporary settlements were built along lake and marsh edges, which remained free of trees due to fluctuations in water level, important mesolithic sites in the Canton are at Pieterlenmoos and Burgäschisee lake along with alpine valleys at Diemtig and Simmental. During the neolithic period, there were a number of settlements on the shores of Lake Biel, several of these sites are part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One of the best explored neolithic sites is at Twann, in the Twannbach delta there were about 25 Cortaillod culture and Horgen culture villages that existed between 3800 and 2950 BC. One of the oldest examples of bread from Switzerland, a sourdough from 3560–3530 BC, simple copper objects were already in use in the 4th millennium BC, including a copper pin from Lattrigen from 3170 BC and a knife blade from Twann. Shortly before 2000 BC bronze production entered the area and brought about a surge in development, settlements began to spread into the pre-Alpine and Alpine areas. The area between Lake Thun and the Niedersimmental were densely settled, Late Bronze Age settlements along Lake Biel have yielded up a wealth of items. During the early Iron Age changes in climate forced them to settlements along many waterways and in the valley floors and move to the plateaus. With increased trade contacts across the Alps, the influence of the Mediterranean grew in the area. Evidence of this include a hydria which was discovered in Grächwil. Burial rituals and social classes became more developed during this time, the so-called princely graves became more common, many of the burial mounds were over 30 m in diameter and 4 m high and richly outfitted with grave goods. In a grave mound in Bützberg the first burial in the mound was followed by later burials
4.
Meiringen
–
Meiringen is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. Besides the village of Meiringen, the municipality includes the settlements of Balm, Brünigen, Eisenbolgen, Hausen, Prasti, Sand, Stein, Unterbach, Unterheidon, Wylerli, the village is also known for its claim to have been the place where the meringue was first created. The blazon of the coat of arms is Or an Eagle displayed Sable crowned, beaked, langued and membered of the first. In it, the words the first refer to the first tincture mentioned, namely or. It further implies, for each of the nouns that precede the word of. Meiringen is located in the eastern Bernese Oberland region, in the Haslital on the reaches of the river Aare. On the left bank it stretches up into the Alps and reaches an elevation of 3,191 m at the summit of the Wellhorn, the municipality has an area, as of 2009, of 40.59 square kilometers. Of this area,17.75 km2 or 43. 7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 13.27 km2 or 32. 7% is forested. Of the rest of the land,3.04 km2 or 7. 5% is settled,0.53 km2 or 1. 3% is either rivers or lakes and 6.09 km2 or 15. 0% is unproductive land. Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 3. 1%, out of the forested land,29. 7% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1. 4% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land,3. 3% is used for growing crops and 17. 8% is pastures and 22. 5% is used for alpine pastures, all the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas,5. 6% is unproductive vegetation and 9. 4% is too rocky for vegetation, Meiringen is first mentioned in 1234 as Magiringin. Due to its location at the foot of several alpine passes. The first village church was built in the 9th or 10th century, when it was destroyed in a flood the new church of St. Michael was built about 5 m above the old church. The current church of St. Michael dates from the 15th century and was renovated in 1683-84, the Restiturm castle was constructed in the 13th century, whilst the Wyghus fortress in the Brünig Pass was first mentioned in 1333, though it was destroyed later. Meiringen was always the political capital of the surrounding valley and it was the capital of the Imperial reichsfrei bailiwick of Hasli. In 1275 it formed an alliance with the city of Bern, in 1311, Hasli was given to the house of Weissenburg by Henry VII. After an unsuccessful revolt in 1334, Hasli passed to the city of Bern as a territory in name
5.
Interlaken
–
Interlaken is a statistic town and municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the Swiss canton of Bern. It is an important and well-known tourist destination in the Bernese Highlands region of the Swiss Alps, and the main transport gateway to the mountains and lakes of that region. The town is located on the alluvial land called Bödeli between the two Lakes of Brienz to the east and Thun to the west and alongside the river Aare. Interlaken is the town of a Small Agglomeration with the same name of 23,300 inhabitants. The official language of Interlaken is German, but the spoken language is the local variant of the Alemannic Swiss German dialect. Until 1891, Interlaken was known as Aarmühle, the convent of the Augustinian Canons was built around 1133 when it was mentioned as inter lacus Madon and lasted until 1528. The mill on the bank of the Aare was first mentioned in 1365 as Amuli. Previously, printing, textiles, and to a smaller extent watchmaking were also of importance, Interlaken is one of the oldest tourist resorts in Switzerland, and it remains one of the most popular. While some scattered Neolithic flint objects, early Bronze Age swords and Roman era coins have been found near Interlaken, Interlaken Monastery was built around 1133 on imperial land on the left side of the Aare. The monastery controlled a bridge over the river and generated an income from tolls, a village grew up around the monastery, along with a mill. On the right bank of the river, Interlaken village developed, in 1279/80 the village of Unterseen developed near Interlaken village. Also near the village were the castle of Weissenau and the market town of Widen. The castle and market became the possessions of the monastery. The Interlaken Monastery was first mentioned in 1133 when Lothair III, by 1247, there were also women at the monastery. During the 13th century the monasterys influence spread throughout the area and into the Aare. They eventually had authority over two dozen churches along with a number of villages and farms and became the largest religious landholder in the region, during the 13th and the beginning of the 14th century the monastery grew and prospered. However, in 1350 a period of crises and conflicts led to a decline in the number of monks and nuns, a document from 1310, indicates that there were 30 priests,20 lay brothers and 350 women at the monastery. In contrast, in 1472 there were only the provost, the prior, nine ordinary canons, at this time, the monastery also had problems with its tenants and neighbors
6.
Thun
–
Thun is a town and a municipality in the administrative district of Thun in the canton of Bern in Switzerland with about 43,783 inhabitants, as of 31 December 2013. It is located where the Aare flows out of Lake Thun,30 kilometres south of Bern, besides tourism, machine and precision instrument engineering, the largest garrison in the country, the food industry, armaments and publishing are of economic importance to Thun. The official language of Thun is German, but the spoken language is the local variant of the Alemannic Swiss German dialect. The area of what is now Thun was inhabited since the Neolithic age, during the early Bronze Age there were a number of settlements along the lake shore and the Aare. A site at Renzenbühl had a chief or noblemans grave which contained one of the richest collections of early Bronze Age artifacts in Europe. Another site at Wiler contained approximately 1,500 maritime snail shells which were harvested from the Mediterranean, the name of the town derives from the Celtic term Dunum, meaning fortified town. It fell to Rome in 58 BC, when Roman legions conquered almost all of Switzerland, the Romans were driven out of Thun, and out of the rest of Switzerland, by the Burgundians around 400 AD. The Aare became the frontier between the Christian Burgundians and the Pagan, German-speaking Alemanni, who lived north, the region was mentioned for the first time during the 7th century, in the chronicle of Frankish monk Fredgar. The town is first mentioned in 1133 as Tuno, the region of Thun became a part of the Holy Roman Empire in 1033, when Conrad II gained the title of King of Burgundy. The emperors entrusted the Zähringen family, centred in Bern, with subduing the unruly nobles of central Switzerland, around 1190 Duke Bertold V of Zähringen, built Thun castle and expanded the town. After Bertolds death in 1218, his territories went to Ulrich III von Kyburg, in 1264 Thun received town rights and in 1384 the town was bought by the canton of Bern. Thun was the capital of the Canton of Oberland of the Helvetic Republic, in 1819 a Military School was founded in the town, which later developed into the main military school in Switzerland. Thun was connected to the network of Switzerland in 1859. The center of Thun is located on the Aare, just downstream of the point where that river flows out of Lake Thun, the town covers an area of 21.6 km2, with the town boundaries reaching up to 4 km from the town centre. The town ranges in altitude between about 560 m, in the center, and 1,170 m, on its eastern boundary. Thun has an area of 21.58 km2, as of the 2004 survey, a total of 6.03 km2 or 27. 9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 4.32 km2 or 20. 0% is forested. Of rest of the municipality 10.76 km2 or 49. 9% is settled,0.29 km2 or 1. 3% is either rivers or lakes and 0.19 km2 or 0. 9% is unproductive land. From the same survey, industrial buildings made up 5. 7% of the area while housing and buildings made up 26. 8%
7.
Muri bei Bern
–
Muri bei Bern is a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. The earliest documentary evidence for the name was in 1180, when a clergyman named Burkhard made transactions with wealthy residents, at that time Muri belonged to the dominion of Geristein, which in 1298 was conquered by the city of Bern. The holdings consisted of the four so-called parishes Bolligen, Muri, Stettlen, as the emerging Bern conquered the territories, it left the municipalities untouched, beginning the long-standing tradition of municipal autonomy. In the course of the centuries the residents of the municipality lived in relative stability, in which the changes in European. Major structural and commercial changes began to place in the beginning of the 20th century. It followed industrialization and the trains from the city to the countryside, in the decade between 1920 and 1930, the municipal population grew from 2435 to 3938, or 62%. Muri bei Bern has an area of 7.63 km2, of this area,2 km2 or 26. 2% is used for agricultural purposes, while 1.67 km2 or 21. 9% is forested. Of the rest of the land,3.79 km2 or 49. 7% is settled,0.14 km2 or 1. 8% is either rivers or lakes and 0.05 km2 or 0. 7% is unproductive land. Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 3. 0% of the area while housing and buildings made up 32. 1%. While parks, green belts and sports made up 2. 2%. Out of the land,20. 4% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1. 4% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land,18. 2% is used for growing crops and 6. 8% is pastures, all the water in the municipality is flowing water. The highest point is 727 m on the Dentenberg Mountain, the lowest point is 508 m at the Aare River, the municipality is located on a terrace above the right bank of the Aare river and is part of the agglomeration of Bern. It consists of the villages of Muri and Gümligen, on 31 December 2009 Amtsbezirk Bern, the municipalitys former district, was dissolved. On the following day,1 January 2010, it joined the newly created Verwaltungskreis Bern-Mittelland, the blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Per pale Sable and Argent a Fess embattled counterchanged. Muri bei Bern has a population of 12,984, as of 2010,12. 4% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has changed at a rate of 2. 1%, migration accounted for 5. 2%, while births and deaths accounted for -3. 4%. Muri also provides a service called Bernmobil and bus service from RBS
8.
Bremgarten bei Bern
–
Bremgarten bei Bern is a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It was home to the Bremgarten Circuit, the Grand Prix motor racing course that at one time hosted the Swiss Grand Prix, Bremgarten bei Bern is first mentioned in 1180 as Bremecart. In 1236 it was mentioned as Bremegarten and until 1870 it was known as Bremgarten-Herrschaft, the oldest trace of settlements in Bremgarten are from the Roman era and include a settlement, cobbled roads and Roman coins. During the Middle Ages there was a castle and village at Bremgarten, however, in 1978, the outer curtain wall of the old castle was discovered. The castle, the home of the Lords of Bremgarten, was located at a point on the Aare peninsula. The castle was the center of a barony that stretched along the Aare river at least as far as from Worblaufen to Kirchlindach. The Bremgarten familys personal church, St. Michaels Church was first mentioned in 1275, though it was built in the 10th or 11th century, in 1298, the town and castle were destroyed by Bern after the Bernese victory at the Battle of Donnerbühl. In 1306, the Lords of Bremgarten sold their land, rights and their ferry, under the Commandery, the town and castle were rebuilt and the castle became the seat of the commander. In 1510 the lands in Bremgarten were sold to the Stuckihaus Commandery to hold as a fief, following the Protestant Reformation, the Commandery was secularized in 1529 and its land became part of Bern. The last commander of Münchenbuchsee Commandry retired to Bremgarten Castle for the remainder of his life, Bremgarten was assigned to the high court of Zollikofen. Much of the land that had part of the Barony of Bremgarten was broken up to form new municipalities. In 1545, Bern sold the village and low court right to the Schultheiss Hans Franz Nageli and he demolished the old castle, except for the keep and curtain walls, and had a renaissance country manor built. Over the following centuries the castle and land was inherited, bought. It was held in 1579-92 by the Brügger family, 1592-1727 by the Kilchberger, 1727-43 by the de Chemilleret, 1743-61 by the von Wattenwyl, in 1743-47 the medieval keep and ramparts of the castle were demolished to make way for a baroque summer palace. Starting in 1765, the new owner Albrecht von Frisching, encouraged many tenants, by 1780 the project was finished and the castle was completely rebuilt. He had the hill built up and leveled to create a spacious courtyard. In 1770-71 the country estates of Belvedere and Aarwyl were built in Bremgarten, during the 19th century, Bremgarten Castle changed hands frequently, until 1918 when it was bought by the wealthy industrialist Wassmer family. They repaired the castle and in 1978 fully restored it, after the 1798 French invasion and under the Helvetic Republic, Bremgarten was granted a town council and became part of the District of Bern
9.
Aarberg
–
Aarberg is a historic town and a municipality in the Seeland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. Aarberg lies 20 kilometers from Bern above the river Aare, with an area of 7.93 km2, Aarberg borders Bargen, Kappelen, Lyss, Radelfingen and Seedorf. Aarberg is not to be confused with Aarburg in Aargau or with Aarbergen in Germany, the town was once located on an island with the Aare and Little Aare flowing around it. The old town grew up around the edge of the island with an open plaza in the middle. In addition to the old town, Aarberg also includes the new quarter. The official language of Aarberg is German, but the spoken language is the local variant of the Alemannic Swiss German dialect. Where Aarberg now stands was once an island surrounded by the Aare, by 1138 there was a small pilgrim home and hospital with a bridge, the Bargenbrügg, over the Aare. This bridge was a key river crossing from Bern to Büren an der Aare, the town itself was founded between 1220 and 1225 by count Ulrich III of Neuchâtel. The count had recently acquired the rulership over this region and needed a location from which to rule. The island and the key bridge was a location for a town. Aarberg is first mentioned in 1236 as Arberc, in 1267 it was mentioned as opidum de Arberch. By the 14th century, Aarberg lay along the most important of the three roads in the region. The old Roman roads that connected Solothurn, Aarberg and Murten as well as southern Germany with Lyon, the oldest official seal of citizenship in the town dates from 1249. Ulrich IV reaffirmed the privileges in 1271. Initially the town was unwalled with two rows of houses around a central narrow plaza. Following fires in 1419 and 1477 the town was rebuilt in stone and set back about 10 m creating the current, the town was besieged in 1339,1382 and 1386 but not taken. In 1358 the Graf Peter von Aarberg was in financial difficulties, after years of unsuccessful attempts, in 1377-79 he was able to sell the town and his rights as ruler to Bern. The Bernese bailiff took up residence in Aarberg Castle in 1379, in 1414, the toll on the bridges over the Aar as well as the expensive construction and repair on the bridges, was given to Bern
10.
Solothurn
–
Solothurn is a town, a municipality, and the capital of the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. It is located in the north-west of Switzerland on the banks of the Aare, the town is the only municipality of the district of the same name. The town got its name from Salodurum, a Roman-era settlement, from 1530 to 1792 it was the seat of the French ambassador to Switzerland. The pedestrian-free old town was built between 1530 and 1792 and shows an impressive array of Baroque architecture, combining Italian Grandezza, French style, the town has 18 structures listed as heritage sites. Agricultural, once the dominant sector of employment, has become almost non-existent, most people today are employed in manufacturing and education. The official language of Solothurn is German, but the spoken language is the local variant of the Alemannic Swiss German dialect. The oldest finds from Solothurn probably date from the Paleolithic era, the remains of a Mesolithic camp were discovered in 1986 during renovations of the former Kino Elite building. From the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Age, only a few scattered items have been discovered, the Roman settlement at Solothurn was probably built around AD 15-25 as a road station and bridge head on the road from Aventicum to Augusta Raurica or Vindonissa. A small vicus or settlement quickly developed around the castrum, Solothurn is first mentioned in 219 as vico salod on the so-called Eponastein. The name may indicate either that a Celtic settlement existed on the site before or just be a testimony to the mixed Gallo-Roman culture in the north-west provinces of the Roman Empire and it came to be known as Salodurum. Its strategical importance lay in the position at the approach to the Rhine from southeast, in the 2nd-3rd Century AD, the vicus expanded rapidly to fill almost all of what is now the old town of Solothurn, including a portion of todays suburb south of the Aare. The Roman bridge was probably somewhat above the current Wengibrücke, the Roman era river bed was 40–80 meters north of the present Aare. The main street of the Vicus was well below the present main street, in addition to the normal government of the settlement, there were two mayors, and a six-member college, which was entrusted with supporting the imperial cult. Salodurum was also home to a detachment of the XXII Legion. According to inscriptions, there was a temple of Jupiter, a temple of Apollo Augustus and an altar to the goddess of horses Epona, however, the locations of those three temples is not known. There was bath house on the street and a pottery district in the northwest of the town which have been documented archaeologically. A cemetery with urns and cremation burials on the end of the Vicus was discovered in 1762-63 during the demolition of the old church of St. Ursus. In addition, two Roman tombs were discovered in the same area, around 325-350, the unfortified settlement along the road was transformed into a fortified camp or castrum, which covered only half of the former settlement area
_IMG_6765.jpg)
Texts on Wikisource:
