Bern#Politics

{{Hatnote|See also Other names of Bern}}

The etymology of the name "Bern" is uncertain. According to the local legend, based on folk etymology, Berthold V, Duke of Zähringen, the founder of the city of Bern, vowed to name the city after the first animal he met on the hunt, and this turned out to be a bear. 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. The city was sometimes referred to as Bern im Üechtland to distinguish it from Verona.{{cite web |url=https://hls-dhs-dss.ch/de/articles/008562/2013-11-13/ |title=Üchtland |last1=Müller |first1=Wulf |last2=Tremp |first2=Ernst |date=13 November 2013 |website=Historical Dictionary of Switzerland |access-date=5 August 2020 |archive-date=11 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111083752/https://hls-dhs-dss.ch/de/articles/008562/2013-11-13/ |url-status=live }} As a result of the finding of the Bern zinc tablet in the 1980s, it is now more common to assume that the city was named after a pre-existing toponym of Celtic origin, possibly *berna "cleft".Andres Kristol (ed.): Lexikon der schweizerischen Gemeindenamen. Huber, Frauenfeld 2005, {{ISBN|3-7193-1308-5}}, p. 143. The bear was the heraldic animal of the seal and coat of arms of Bern from at least the 1220s. The earliest reference to the keeping of live bears in the Bärengraben dates to the 1440s.

{{Main|History of Bern}}

{{For timeline}}

File:Untertorbrücke Tschachtlanchronik.jpg (Lower Gate Bridge) in Bern, Tschachtlanchronik, late 15th century]]

No archaeological evidence that indicates a settlement on the site of today's city centre prior to the 12th century has been found so far. In antiquity, a Celtic oppidum stood on the Engehalbinsel (peninsula) north of Bern, fortified since the second century BC (late La Tène period), thought to be one of the 12 oppida of the Helvetii mentioned by Caesar. During the Roman era, a Gallo-Roman vicus was on the same site. The Bern zinc tablet has the name Brenodor ("dwelling of Breno"). In the Early Middle Ages, a settlement in Bümpliz, now a city district of Bern, was some {{convert|4|km|0|abbr=on}} from the medieval city.

The medieval city is a foundation of the Zähringer ruling family, which rose to power in Upper Burgundy in the 12th century. According to 14th-century historiography (Cronica de Berno, 1309), Bern was founded in 1191 by Berthold V, Duke of Zähringen.

In 1218, after Berthold died without an heir, Bern was made a free imperial city by the Goldene Handfeste of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II.

In 1353, Bern joined the Swiss Confederacy, becoming the eighth canton of the formative period of 1353 to 1481.

Bern invaded and conquered Aargau in 1415 and Vaud in 1536, as well as other smaller territories, thereby becoming the largest city-state north of the Alps. By the 18th century, it comprised most of what is today the canton of Bern and the canton of Vaud.

File:MerianBern.jpg

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 succeeded by the Christoffelturm (formerly located closer to the site of the modern-day railway station) until 1622. During the Thirty Years' War, two new fortifications – the so-called big and small Schanze (entrenchments) – were built to protect the whole area of the peninsula.

After a major blaze in 1405, the city's original wooden buildings were gradually replaced by half-timbered houses, and subsequently the sandstone buildings which came to be characteristic for the Old Town. Despite waves of pestilence that hit Europe in the 14th century, the city continued to grow, mainly due to immigration from the surrounding countryside.{{HDS|209|Bern: Development of the settlement and the population}}

During the 18th century, the city of Bern was at one point the largest shareholder in the South Sea Company, a British joint-stock company which was involved in the Atlantic slave trade.{{Cite news |last=Illien |first=Noele |date=2020-11-19 |title=Banking and slavery: Switzerland examines its colonial conscience |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/19/banking-slavery-switzerland-examines-its-colonial-conscience |access-date=2023-11-15 |issn=0261-3077}} From 1689 to 3 March 1798 in the town was printed, in French, the biweekly newspaper Gazette de Berne, which reflected the opinions of Bern,{{Cite book |last1=Bertholet |first1=Auguste |url=https://www.sgeaj.ch/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/bertholet-kapossy-la-physiocratie-et-la-suisse-2023.pdf |title=La Physiocratie et la Suisse |last2=Kapossy |first2=Béla |publisher=Slatkine |year=2023 |isbn=9782051029391 |location=Geneva |language=fr}} usually hostile to the politics of Pre-revolutionary France.{{HDS|043041|author=Ernst Bollinger|Gazette de Bern}}

File:Johann Heinrich Müller, 1825-1894 H01b Bern.JPG]]

Bern was occupied by French troops in 1798 during the French Revolutionary Wars, when it was stripped of parts of its territories. It regained control of the Bernese Oberland in 1802, and following the Congress of Vienna of 1814, it newly acquired the Bernese Jura. At this time, it once again became the largest canton of the Confederacy as it stood during the Restoration and until the secession of the canton of Jura in 1979.

On 28 November 1848, during the revolutions that year, a majority of the new Swiss Federal Assembly deputies chose Bern as the Federal City (seat of the government) of the newly created Swiss federal state, ahead of Zürich and Lucerne. Bern was chosen as not to concentrate all the power in the economic powerhouse of Zürich, while Catholic and conservative Lucerne had been part of the Sonderbund during the war a year before. In addition, Bern had a more central location and was supported by the French-speaking cantons due to proximity to them. However, the constitution doesn't define Bern as official capital of Switzerland, but as the seat of government.{{Cite web |last=Stephens) |first=(Translated from French by Thomas |title=Why is Bern the capital of Switzerland? |url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/-federal-city-_why-is-bern-the-capital-of-switzerland-/44577476 |access-date=2023-04-25 |website=SWI swissinfo.ch |date=28 November 2018 |language=en}}

A number of congresses of the socialist First and Second Internationals were held in Bern, particularly during World War I when Switzerland was neutral; see Bern International.

The city's population rose from about 5,000 in the 15th century to about 12,000 by 1800 and to above 60,000 by 1900, passing the 100,000 mark during the 1920s. Population peaked during the 1960s at 165,000 and has since decreased slightly, to below 130,000 by 2000. As of September 2017, the resident population stood at 142,349, of which 100,000 were Swiss citizens and 42,349 (31%) resident foreigners. A further estimated 350,000 people live in the immediate urban agglomeration.municipal statistics,[http://www.bern.ch/leben_in_bern/stadt/statistik/in_kuerze] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222114804/http://www.bern.ch/leben_in_bern/stadt/statistik/in_kuerze|date=22 December 2010}} includes 6,816 weekend commuters not included in the federal statistics of 123,466.{{cite web |title=Statistik Schweiz - Aktuellste Daten |url=http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/01/02/blank/dos/result.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101126162846/http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/01/02/blank/dos/result.html |archive-date=26 November 2010 |access-date=8 December 2010}}

{{Further|List of parks in Bern}}

File:Bern luftaufnahme.png and the Aare]]

File:Bern 2.jpg]]

File:Aareschlaufe Bern-East.svg

File:Bern, Switzerland.JPG. The Old City is on the lower right-hand side.]]

Bern lies on the Swiss plateau in the canton of Bern, slightly west of the centre of Switzerland and {{convert|20|km|mi|abbr=on}} north of the Bernese Alps. The countryside around Bern was formed by glaciers during the most recent ice age. The two mountains closest to Bern are Gurten with a height of {{convert|864|m|0|abbr=on}} and Bantiger with a height of {{convert|947|m|0|abbr=on}}. The site of the old observatory in Bern is the point of origin of the CH1903 coordinate system at {{Coord|46|57|08.66|N|7|26|22.50|E|region:CH_type:landmark}}.

The city was originally built on a hilly peninsula surrounded by the river Aare, but outgrew natural boundaries by the 19th century. A number of bridges have been built to allow the city to expand beyond the Aare.

Bern is built on very uneven ground. An elevation difference of up to 60 metres exists between the inner city districts on the Aare (Matte, Marzili) and the higher ones (Kirchenfeld, Länggasse).

Bern has an area, {{as of|2013|lc=on}}, of {{convert|51.62|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}. Of this area, {{convert|9.42|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} or 18.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while {{convert|17.21|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} or 33.3% is forested. Of the rest of the land, {{convert|23.76|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} or 46.0% is settled (buildings or roads), {{convert|1.08|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} or 2.1% is either rivers or lakes, and {{convert|0.14|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} or 0.3% is unproductive land.[https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/de/home/statistiken/raum-umwelt/bodennutzung-bedeckung/gesamtspektrum-regionalen-stufen/gemeinden.assetdetail.11007176.html Swiss Federal Statistical Office-Land Use Statistics] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200816160612/https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/de/home/statistiken/raum-umwelt/bodennutzung-bedeckung/gesamtspektrum-regionalen-stufen/gemeinden.assetdetail.11007176.html |date=16 August 2020 }} 2018 data {{in lang|de}} accessed 26 July 2020

Of the developed area of Bern, 3.1% consists of industrial buildings, 22.3% housing and other buildings, and 12.9% is devoted to transport infrastructure. Power and water infrastructure, as well as other special developed areas, made up 1.2% of the city, while another 6.5% consists of parks, green belts, and sports fields.

Of Bern's total land area, 32.8% is heavily forested. Of the agricultural land, 13.3% is used for growing crops and 4.4% is designated to be used as pasture. Local rivers and streams provide all the water in the municipality.

File:ETH-BIB-Bern, Münster-Bern-Inlandflüge-LBS MH01-000191.tif (1919)]]

According to the Köppen Climate Classification, Bern has an oceanic climate (Cfb){{cite web|url=http://www.meteoswiss.admin.ch/product/output/climate-data/climate-diagrams-normal-values-station-processing/BER/climsheet_BER_np8110_e.pdf|title=Bern 1981–2010 Averages|access-date=30 August 2017|archive-date=31 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831040457/http://www.meteoswiss.admin.ch/product/output/climate-data/climate-diagrams-normal-values-station-processing/BER/climsheet_BER_np8110_e.pdf|url-status=live}} closely bordering on a humid continental climate (Dfb).

The closest weather station near Bern is located in the municipality of Zollikofen, about {{convert|5|km|0|abbr=out}} north of the city centre. The warmest month for Bern is July, with a daily mean temperature of {{convert|18.3|C|F}}, and a daily maximum temperature of {{convert|24.3|C|F}}. The highest temperature recorded at Bern / Zollikofen is {{convert|37.0|C|F}},{{cite web|url=http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/indicesmapdetail.php?seasonid=14&year=2003&indexid=TXx&stationid=1644|title=August 2003|access-date=30 August 2017|archive-date=31 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831000704/http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/indicesmapdetail.php?seasonid=14&year=2003&indexid=TXx&stationid=1644|url-status=live}} recorded in August 2003. On average, a temperature of {{convert|25|C|F}} or above is recorded 40.7 days per year, and 6 days per year with a temperature of {{convert|30|C|F}} or above at Zollikofen, and the warmest day reaches an average of {{convert|32.1|C|F}}.{{cite web|url=http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/calcdetail.php?seasonid=0&periodid=1981-2010&indexid=TXx&stationid=1644|title=Annual Average Maximum|access-date=30 August 2017|archive-date=30 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830235308/http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/calcdetail.php?seasonid=0&periodid=1981-2010&indexid=TXx&stationid=1644|url-status=live}}

There are 103.7 days of air frost, and 22.3 ice days per year at Bern (Zollikofen) for the period of 1981–2010, as well as 14.1 days of snowfall, 36.7 days of snow cover per year and the average amount of snow measured per year is {{convert|52.6|cm|in}}. On average, January is the coldest month, with a daily mean temperature of {{convert|-0.4|C|F}}, and a daily minimum temperature of {{convert|−3.6|C|F}}. The lowest temperature ever recorded at Bern (Zollikofen) was {{convert|-23.0|C|F}},{{cite web|url=http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/showindices.php?8cqn7s151crijdl1udd83b5493|title=February 1929|access-date=30 August 2017|archive-date=30 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830235148/http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/showindices.php?8cqn7s151crijdl1udd83b5493|url-status=live}} recorded in February 1929, and typically the coldest temperature of the year reaches an average of {{convert|-12.8|C|F}}{{cite web|url=http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/calcdetail.php?seasonid=0&periodid=1981-2010&indexid=TNn&stationid=1644|title=Annual Average Minimum|access-date=30 August 2017|archive-date=31 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831000407/http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/calcdetail.php?seasonid=0&periodid=1981-2010&indexid=TNn&stationid=1644|url-status=live}} for the period of 1981–2010.

{{Weather box

|location = Bern (Zollikofen), elevation: {{convert|553|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1901–present

|metric first = Y

|single line = Y

|Jan record high C = 15.9

|Feb record high C = 18.5

|Mar record high C = 23.0

|Apr record high C = 28.2

|May record high C = 31.4

|Jun record high C = 33.7

|Jul record high C = 36.8

|Aug record high C = 37.0

|Sep record high C = 31.6

|Oct record high C = 25.5

|Nov record high C = 20.8

|Dec record high C = 19.1

|year record high C = 37.0

|Jan high C = 3.4

|Feb high C = 5.2

|Mar high C = 10.3

|Apr high C = 14.5

|May high C = 18.6

|Jun high C = 22.5

|Jul high C = 24.6

|Aug high C = 24.2

|Sep high C = 19.4

|Oct high C = 14.0

|Nov high C = 7.7

|Dec high C = 3.8

|year high C = 14.0

|Jan mean C = 0.2

|Feb mean C = 1.1

|Mar mean C = 5.2

|Apr mean C = 9.0

|May mean C = 13.2

|Jun mean C = 16.9

|Jul mean C = 18.8

|Aug mean C = 18.4

|Sep mean C = 14.1

|Oct mean C = 9.5

|Nov mean C = 4.2

|Dec mean C = 0.9

|year mean C = 9.3

|Jan low C = -2.9

|Feb low C = -2.8

|Mar low C = 0.3

|Apr low C = 3.4

|May low C = 7.6

|Jun low C = 11.3

|Jul low C = 13.0

|Aug low C = 12.9

|Sep low C = 9.2

|Oct low C = 5.5

|Nov low C = 1.0

|Dec low C = -2.1

|year low C = 4.7

|Jan record low C = -21.8

|Feb record low C = -23.0

|Mar record low C = -15.6

|Apr record low C = -7.9

|May record low C = -2.2

|Jun record low C = 0.9

|Jul record low C = 3.6

|Aug record low C = 3.5

|Sep record low C = -0.8

|Oct record low C = -5.5

|Nov record low C = -13.9

|Dec record low C = -20.5

|year record low C = -23.0

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 60.3

|Feb precipitation mm = 55.5

|Mar precipitation mm = 64.9

|Apr precipitation mm = 78.0

|May precipitation mm = 112.4

|Jun precipitation mm = 101.5

|Jul precipitation mm = 108.0

|Aug precipitation mm = 112.3

|Sep precipitation mm = 87.0

|Oct precipitation mm = 86.5

|Nov precipitation mm = 76.9

|Dec precipitation mm = 78.5

|year precipitation mm = 1021.8

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 9.5

|Feb precipitation days = 8.7

|Mar precipitation days = 9.5

|Apr precipitation days = 9.6

|May precipitation days = 12.1

|Jun precipitation days = 11.4

|Jul precipitation days = 10.8

|Aug precipitation days = 11.0

|Sep precipitation days = 8.6

|Oct precipitation days = 10.4

|Nov precipitation days = 10.1

|Dec precipitation days = 10.6

|year precipitation days = 122.3

| Jan snow cm = 10.7

| Feb snow cm = 11.0

| Mar snow cm = 5.4

| Apr snow cm = 1.1

| May snow cm = 0.1

| Jun snow cm = 0.0

| Jul snow cm = 0.0

| Aug snow cm = 0.0

| Sep snow cm = 0.0

| Oct snow cm = 0.5

| Nov snow cm = 5.1

| Dec snow cm = 13.7

| year snow cm = 47.6

|unit snow days = 1.0 cm

|Jan snow days = 3.6

|Feb snow days = 3.2

|Mar snow days = 1.6

|Apr snow days = 0.4

|May snow days = 0.0

|Jun snow days = 0.0

|Jul snow days = 0.0

|Aug snow days = 0.0

|Sep snow days = 0.0

|Oct snow days = 0.1

|Nov snow days = 1.1

|Dec snow days = 3.2

|year snow days = 13.2

|Jan humidity = 84

|Feb humidity = 79

|Mar humidity = 73

|Apr humidity = 70

|May humidity = 72

|Jun humidity = 72

|Jul humidity = 71

|Aug humidity = 73

|Sep humidity = 79

|Oct humidity = 84

|Nov humidity = 86

|Dec humidity = 86

|year humidity = 77

|Jan sun = 66.1

|Feb sun = 94.4

|Mar sun = 151.3

|Apr sun = 179.3

|May sun = 197.1

|Jun sun = 225.5

|Jul sun = 245.2

|Aug sun = 227.8

|Sep sun = 175.2

|Oct sun = 119.1

|Nov sun = 66.0

|Dec sun = 53.1

|year sun = 1797.1

|Jan percentsun = 26

|Feb percentsun = 35

|Mar percentsun = 44

|Apr percentsun = 47

|May percentsun = 45

|Jun percentsun = 50

|Jul percentsun = 55

|Aug percentsun = 56

|Sep percentsun = 50

|Oct percentsun = 38

|Nov percentsun = 26

|Dec percentsun = 22

|year percentsun = 43

| source 1 = NOAA{{cite web

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20241211034258/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/data/oceans/archive/arc0216/0253808/5.5/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Switzerland/CSV/BernZollikofen_06631.csv

| archive-date = 11 December 2024

| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/data/oceans/archive/arc0216/0253808/5.5/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Switzerland/CSV/BernZollikofen_06631.csv

| title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020

| work = World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020)

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| access-date = 11 December 2024}}

|source 2 = MeteoSwiss{{cite web

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220114033933/https://www.meteoswiss.admin.ch/product/output/climate-data/climate-diagrams-normal-values-station-processing/BER/climsheet_BER_np9120_e.pdf

| archive-date = 14 January 2022

| url = https://www.meteoswiss.admin.ch/product/output/climate-data/climate-diagrams-normal-values-station-processing/BER/climsheet_BER_np9120_e.pdf

| title = Climate Normals Bern / Zollikofen (Reference period 1991−2020)

| publisher = Swiss Federal Office of Metreology and Climatology, MeteoSwiss

| date = 13 January 2022

| access-date = 13 January 2022}}KNMI{{cite web | url = http://eca.knmi.nl/indicesextremes/customquerytimeseriesplots.php?optionSelected=station&processtext1=Your+query+is+being+processed.+Please+wait...&countryselect=All+countries%7C**&stationselect=BERN%2FZOLLIKOFEN%5Bch%5D%7C1644&categoryselect=All+categories%7C**&indexselect=All+indices%7C**&seasonselect=ANNUAL%7C0&processtext2=Your+query+is+being+processed.+Please+wait... | title = Bern extreme values | access-date = 30 August 2017 | publisher = KNMI }}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

}}

The municipality is administratively subdivided into six districts (Stadtteile), each of which consists of several quarters (Quartiere).

{{Districts and quarters of Bern}}

File:Erlacherhof.jpg

File:Rathaus (Bern).jpg

{{See also|List of mayors of Bern}}

{{See also|Gemeinderat (Bern)}}

The Municipal Council (de: Gemeinderat, fr: conseil municipal) constitutes the executive government of the City of Bern and operates as a collegiate authority. It is composed of five councillors ({{langx|de|Gemeinderat/-rätin}}, {{langx|fr|conseiller/conseillère municipal(e)}}), each presiding over a directorate (de: Direktion, fr: direction) comprising several departments and bureaus. The president of the executive department acts as mayor (de: Stadtpräsident/-präsidentin, fr: Le Maire). In the mandate period (Legislatur) 2025–2028, the Municipal Council is presided by Stadtpräsidentin {{ill|Marieke Kruit|de}}. Departmental tasks, coordination measures and implementation of laws decreed by the City Council are carried by the Municipal Council. The regular election of the Municipal Council by any inhabitant valid to vote is held every four years. Any resident of Bern allowed to vote can be elected as a member of the Municipal Council. Contrary to most other municipalities, the executive government in Bern is selected by means of a system of Proporz. The mayor is elected as such as well by public election while the heads of the other directorates are assigned by the collegiate. The executive body holds its meetings in the Erlacherhof, built by architect Albrecht Stürler after 1747.

{{As of|2025}}, Bern's Municipal Council is made up of two representatives of the SP (Social Democratic Party), and one each of GFL (Grüne Freie Liste a.k.a. Green Free List), GB (Green Alliance of Bern) and GLP (Green Liberal Party), giving the left parties a very strong majority of four out of five seats. The last regular election was held on 24 November 2024.{{cite web |url=https://www.bern.ch/mediencenter/medienmitteilungen/aktuell_ptk/drei-neue-gemeinderatsmitglieder-gewaehlt-bisherige-bestaetigt |title=Drei neue Gemeinderatsmitglieder gewählt – Bisherige bestätigt |publisher=City of Bern |type=official site |language=de |location=Bern, Switzerland |date=2024-11-24 |access-date=2025-02-01}}

{{cite web |url=https://www.bern.ch/politik-und-verwaltung/gemeinderat |title=Gemeinderat |publisher=City of Bern |type=official site |language=de |location=Bern, Switzerland |date=2025-01-01 |access-date=2025-02-01}}

{|class="wikitable"

|+ The Municipal Council (Gemeinderat) of Bern for the mandate period 2025-2028

! Municipal Councillor
(Gemeinderat/-rätin) !! Party !! Head of Directorate (Direktion, since) of !! elected since

|-

| {{ill|Marieke Kruit|de}}Mayor (Stadtpräsidentin) || {{Color box|{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Switzerland}}|border=darkgray}} SP || Mayor's Office (Präsidialdirektion (PRD), 2025) || 2021

|-

| {{ill|Alec von Graffenried|de}}Vice-Mayor (Vizepräsident) || {{Color box|#39A642|border=darkgray}} GFL || Security, the Environment and Energy (Direktion für Sicherheit, Umwelt und Energie (SUE), 2025) || 2017

|-

| {{ill|Ursina Anderegg|de}} || {{Color box|#84B414|border=darkgray}} GB || Education, Social Welfare and Sport (Direktion für Bildung, Soziales und Sport (BSS), 2025) || 2025

|-

| Matthias Aebischer || {{Color box|{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Switzerland}}|border=darkgray}} SP || Civil Engineering, Transport and Green Spaces (Direktion für Tiefbau, Verkehr und Stadtgrün (TVS), 2025) || 2025

|-

| {{ill|Melanie Mettler|de}} || {{Color box|{{party color|Green Liberal Party of Switzerland}}|border=darkgray}} GLP || Finances, Personnel and IT (Direktion für Finanzen, Personal und Informatik (FPI), 2025) || 2025

|}

{{reflist|group=GR}}

Dr. Claudia Mannhart is City Chronicler (Stadtschreiberin).{{cite web |url=https://www.bern.ch/politik-und-verwaltung/stadtverwaltung/sk |title=Stadtkanzlei |publisher=City of Bern |type=official site |language=de |access-date=2025-02-01}} She was elected by the Municipal Council in 2021.{{cite web |url=https://www.bern.ch/mediencenter/medienmitteilungen/aktuell_ptk/claudia-mannhart-als-neue-stadtschreiberin-gewaehlt |title=Claudia Mannhart als neue Stadtschreiberin gewählt |publisher=City of Bern |type=official site |language=de |date=2021-01-28 |access-date=2025-02-01}}

{{Pie chart

| thumb =right

| caption =The Stadtrat of Bern for the mandate period of 2021–2024:

| other =

| label1 =PdA

| value1 ={{#expr: 1/(80/100) round 2}}

| color1 =Red

| label2 =AL

| value2 ={{#expr: 3/(80/100) round 2}}

| color2 ={{party color|Alternative Left}}

| label3 =GaP

| value3 ={{#expr: 1/(80/100) round 2}}

| color3 =#509F25

| label4 =JUSO

| value4 ={{#expr: 2/(80/100) round 2}}

| color4 ={{party color|Social Democratic Party of Switzerland}}

| label5 =SP/PS

| value5 ={{#expr: 21/(80/100) round 2}}

| color5 ={{party color|Social Democratic Party of Switzerland}}

| label6 =JA!

| value6 ={{#expr: 3/(80/100) round 2}}

| color6 =#FF8623

| label7 =GB

| value7 ={{#expr: 10/(80/100) round 2}}

| color7 =#84B414

| label8 =GFL

| value8 ={{#expr: 7/(80/100) round 2}}

| color8 =#39A642

| label9 =jglp

| value9 ={{#expr: 2/(80/100) round 2}}

| color9 ={{party color|Green Liberal Party of Switzerland}}

| label10 =glp/pvl

| value10 ={{#expr: 9/(80/100) round 2}}

| color10 ={{party color|Green Liberal Party of Switzerland}}

| label11 =EVP/PEV

| value11 ={{#expr: 2/(80/100) round 2}}

| color11 ={{party color|Evangelical People's Party of Switzerland}}

| label12 =CVP/PDC

| value12 ={{#expr: 2/(80/100) round 2}}

| color12 ={{party color|Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland}}

| label13 =BDP/PBD

| value13 ={{#expr: 2/(80/100) round 2}}

| color13 ={{party color|Conservative Democratic Party of Switzerland}}

| label14 =FDP/PLR

| value14 ={{#expr: 7/(80/100) round 2}}

| color14 ={{party color|FDP.The Liberals}}

| label15 =JF / DL

| value15 ={{#expr: 1/(80/100) round 2}}

| color15 ={{party color|FDP.The Liberals}}

| label16 =SVP/UDC

| value16 ={{#expr: 7/(80/100) round 2}}

| color16 ={{party color|Swiss People's Party}}

}}

The City Council (de: Stadtrat, fr: Conseil de ville) holds legislative power. It is made up of 80 members, with elections held every four years. The City Council decrees regulations and by-laws that are executed by the Municipal Council and the administration. The delegates are selected by means of a system of proportional representation.

The sessions of the City Council are public. Unlike members of the Municipal Council, members of the City Council are not politicians by profession, and they are paid a fee based on their attendance. Any resident of Bern allowed to vote can be elected as a member of the City Council. The parliament holds its meetings in the Stadthaus (Town Hall).

The last regular election of the City Council was held on 29 November 2020 for the mandate period ({{langx|de|Legislatur}}, {{langx|fr|la législature}}) from 2021 to 2024. The City Council consist of 23 (-1) members of the Social Democratic Party (SP/PS) including two seats by the junior party JUSO, 11 (+3) Green Liberal Party (glp/pvl) including two member of its junior party jglp, 10 (+1) Green Alliance of Bern (GB), 8 (-1) The Liberals (FDP/PLR) including one seat by its junior partner JF / DL, 7 (-2) Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC), 7 (-1) Grüne Freie Liste (GFL) (Green Free List), 3 (+1) Junge Alternative (JA!) (or Young Alternatives), 3 (+1) Alternative Linke Bern (AL), 2 (-1) Conservative Democratic Party (BDP/PBD), 2 (-) Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP/PDC), 2 (-) Evangelical People's Party (EVP/PEV), 1 (-) Swiss Party of Labour (PdA), and 1 Grüne alternative Partei (GaP) (or Green alternative Party).{{cite web |url=https://www.bern.ch/politik-und-verwaltung/stadtrat/mitglieder |title=Stadtrat; Mitglieder |publisher=Ratssekretariat des Stadtrats, Stadt Bern |type=official site |language=de |location=Bern, Switzerland |date=2021-01-01 |access-date=2022-08-01}}

In the 2019 federal election for the Swiss National Council the most popular party was the PS which received 28.7% (-5.6) of the vote. The next five most popular parties were the Green Party (25.2%, +7.9), the pvl (13.5%, +4.1), the UDC (9.5%, -2.9), PLR (4.2%, -2.8), and the BDP/PBD (7.0%).{{cite web |url=https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfsstatic/dam/assets/9386461/appendix |title=NR - Ergebnisse Parteien (Gemeinden) (INT1) |format=CSV |editor=Swiss Federal Statistical Office, FSO |type=official statistics |publisher=Swiss Federal Statistical Office, FSO |via=opendata.swiss |location=Neuchâtel, Switzerland |date=28 November 2019 |language=de, fr, it |access-date=18 May 2020 |archive-date=11 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811013939/https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfsstatic/dam/assets/9386461/appendix |url-status=live }} In the federal election a total of 49,030 votes were cast, and the voter turnout was 56%.{{cite web |url=https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfsstatic/dam/assets/9386463/appendix |title=NR - Wahlbeteiligung (Gemeinden) (INT1) |format=CSV |editor=Swiss Federal Statistical Office, FSO |type=official statistics |via=opendata.swiss |publisher=Swiss Federal Statistical Office, FSO |location=Neuchâtel, Switzerland |date=28 November 2019 |language=de, fr, it |access-date=18 May 2020 |archive-date=11 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811014252/https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfsstatic/dam/assets/9386463/appendix |url-status=live }}

In the 2015 federal election for the Swiss National Council the most popular party was the PS which received 34.3% of the vote. The next five most popular parties were the Green Party (17.4%), the UDC (12.4%), and the FDP/PLR (9.9%), glp/pvl (9.4%), and the BDP/PBD (7.0%). In the federal election, a total of 48,556 voters were cast, and the voter turnout was 56.0%.{{cite web |url=http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/17/02/blank/data/07/03.html |title=Nationalratswahlen 2015: Stärke der Parteien und Wahlbeteiligung nach Gemeinden |format=XLS |type=official statistics |publisher=Swiss Federal Statistical Office |location=Neuchâtel, Switzerland |date=4 March 2016 |language=de, fr |access-date=3 August 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160802003536/http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/17/02/blank/data/07/03.html |archive-date=2 August 2016}}

The Municipal Council of the city of Bern decided against having twinned cities except for a temporary (during the UEFA Euro 2008) cooperation with the Austrian city Salzburg.{{cite web |url=http://www.bern.ch/mediencenter/aktuell_ptk_sta/2006-05-salzburg?searchterm=partnerschaft |title=EURO 2008 – Partnerschaft von Stadt und Kanton Bern sowie mit Stadt und Land Salzburg |publisher=Abteilung Kommunikation und Amt für Information, City of Bern|language=de |date=30 May 2006 |website=bern.ch |access-date=6 April 2014 |quote=…in einer gemeinsamen Erklärung die Absicht bekundet, mittels einer zeitlich befristeten Partnerschaft zwischen den Städten und Ländern… |archive-date=7 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407070943/http://www.bern.ch/mediencenter/aktuell_ptk_sta/2006-05-salzburg?searchterm=partnerschaft |url-status=live }}{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121130053840/http://www.bern.ch/stadtrat/sitzungen/termine/2008/08.000236/file |archive-date=30 November 2012 |title=Interpellation Fraktion SP/JUSO Andreas Flückiger/Markus Lüthi, SP): Das orange Wunder von Bern: Diese Freundschaft muss gepflegt werden! Was können wir tun? |url=http://www.bern.ch/stadtrat/sitzungen/termine/2008/08.000236/file |publisher=Der Gemeinderat (Municipal Council) |website=bern.ch |access-date=14 October 2014 |language=de |date=22 October 2008 |quote=Bisher hat die Stadt Bern bewusst auf eine Städtepartnerschaft verzichtet}}

File:Bern population pyramid.svg

{| class="wikitable floatright"

|+ Largest groups of foreign residents 2012

|-

!Nationality || Number || % total
(foreigners)

|-

|{{flag|Germany}} || 5,957 || 4.7 (20.0)

|-

|{{flag|Italy}} || 4,113 || 3.2 (13.5)

|-

|{{flag|Spain}} || 1,977 || 1.6 (6.5)

|-

|{{flag|Portugal}} || 1,433 || 1.1 (4.7)

|-

|{{flag|Turkey}} || 1,161 || 0.9 (3.8)

|-

|{{flag|North Macedonia}} || 1,120 || 0.9 (3.7)

|-

|{{flag|Kosovo}} || 1,085 || 0.9 (3.6)

|-

|{{flag|Sri Lanka}} || 898 || 0.7 (3.0)

|-

|{{flag|Serbia}} || 898 || 0.7 (3.0)

|-

|{{flag|France}} || 668 || 0.5 (2.2)

|-

|{{flag|Austria}} || 629 || 0.5 (2.1)

|-

|}

{{Historical populations|1850|29670|1860|31050|1870|37548|1880|45743|1888|48605|1900|67550|1910|90937|1920|104626|1930|111783|1941|130331|1950|146499|1960|163172|1970|162405|1980|145254|1990|136338|2000|128634|2010|124381|2020|134794|source={{cite web |title=Bevölkerungsentwicklung nach institutionellen Gliederungen, 1850-2000 |trans-title=Population development according to institutional divisions, 1850-2000|url=https://www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch/pxweb/en/px-x-4004000000_101/-/px-x-4004000000_101.px/table/tableViewLayout2/?rxid=513a4f6a-09be-49d1-99c7-23421ad2dd49|publisher=Federal Statistical Office}}{{cite web |title=Permanent resident population by Year, Canton / District / Commune|url=https://www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch/pxweb/en/px-x-0102010000_101/-/px-x-0102010000_101.px/table/tableViewLayout2/?rxid=18b2f0c5-2cf6-4847-9f6f-3f23d3e7129d|publisher=Federal Statistical Office}}}}Bern has a population ({{as of|{{Swiss populations YM|CH-BE}}|lc=on}}) of {{Swiss populations|CH-BE|0351}}.{{Swiss populations ref|CH-BE}} About 34% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the 10 years between 2000 and 2010, the population changed at a rate of 0.6%. Migration accounted for 1.3%, while births and deaths accounted for −2.1%.[http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/en/index/regionen/02/key.html Swiss Federal Statistical Office] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105172441/http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/en/index/regionen/02/key.html |date=5 January 2016 }} accessed 23-January-2012

Most of the population ({{as of|2000|lc=on}}) speaks German (104,465 or 81.2%) as their first language, Italian is the second most common (5,062 or 3.9%) and French is the third (4,671 or 3.6%). There are 171 people who speak Romansh.

{{as of|2008}}, the population was 47.5% male and 52.5% female. The population was made up of 44,032 Swiss men (35.4% of the population) and 15,092 (12.1%) non-Swiss men. There were 51,531 Swiss women (41.4%) and 13,726 (11.0%) non-Swiss women.[http://www.fin.be.ch/de/index/finanzen/finanzen/publikationen/wohnbevoelkerung.html Statistical office of the canton of Bern] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120215012157/http://www.fin.be.ch/de/index/finanzen/finanzen/publikationen/wohnbevoelkerung.html |date=15 February 2012 }} {{in lang|de}} accessed 4 January 2012 Of the population in the municipality, 39,008 or about 30.3% were born in Bern and lived there in 2000. There were 27,573 or 21.4% who were born in the same canton, while 25,818 or 20.1% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 27,812 or 21.6% were born outside of Switzerland.

File:Bern Bethlehem2.jpg

{{as of|2000}}, children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 15.1% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 65% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 19.9%.

{{as of|2000}}, there were 59,948 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 49,873 married individuals, 9,345 widows or widowers and 9,468 individuals who are divorced.[http://www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch/Database/German_40%20-%20Eidgen%C3%B6ssische%20Volksz%C3%A4hlung/40.3%20-%202000/40.3%20-%202000.asp?lang=1&prod=40&secprod=3&openChild=true STAT-TAB Datenwürfel für Thema 40.3 – 2000] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130809142611/http://www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch/Database/German_40%20-%20Eidgen%C3%B6ssische%20Volksz%C3%A4hlung/40.3%20-%202000/40.3%20-%202000.asp?lang=1&prod=40&secprod=3&openChild=true |date=9 August 2013 }} {{in lang|de}} accessed 2 February 2011

File:Houses in the Old City of Bern.jpg

{{as of|2000}}, there were 67,115 private households in the municipality, and an average of 1.8 persons per household. There were 34,981 households that consist of only one person and 1,592 households with five or more people. {{as of|2000|alt=In 2000}}, a total of 65,538 apartments (90.6% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 5,352 apartments (7.4%) were seasonally occupied and 1,444 apartments (2.0%) were empty.[http://www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch/Database/German_09%20-%20Bau-%20und%20Wohnungswesen/09.2%20-%20Geb%C3%A4ude%20und%20Wohnungen/09.2%20-%20Geb%C3%A4ude%20und%20Wohnungen.asp?lang=1&prod=09&secprod=2&openChild=true Swiss Federal Statistical Office STAT-TAB – Datenwürfel für Thema 09.2 – Gebäude und Wohnungen] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140907111534/http://www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch/Database/German_09%20-%20Bau-%20und%20Wohnungswesen/09.2%20-%20Geb%C3%A4ude%20und%20Wohnungen/09.2%20-%20Geb%C3%A4ude%20und%20Wohnungen.asp?lang=1&prod=09&secprod=2&openChild=true |date=7 September 2014 }} {{in lang|de}} accessed 28 January 2011 {{as of|2009}}, the construction rate of new housing units was 1.2 new units per 1000 residents.

{{as of|2003}} the average price to rent an average apartment in Bern was 1108.92 Swiss francs (CHF) per month (US$890, £500, €710 approx. exchange rate from 2003). The average rate for a one-room apartment was 619.82 CHF (US$500, £280, €400), a two-room apartment was about 879.36 CHF (US$700, £400, €560), a three-room apartment was about 1040.54 CHF (US$830, £470, €670) and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 2094.80 CHF (US$1680, £940, €1340). The average apartment price in Bern was 99.4% of the national average of 1116 CHF.[http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/05/06/blank/key/einfuehrung.html Swiss Federal Statistical Office-Rental prices] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100423161803/http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/05/06/blank/key/einfuehrung.html |date=23 April 2010 }} 2003 data {{in lang|de}} accessed 26 May 2010 The vacancy rate for the municipality, {{as of|2010|alt=in 2010}}, was 0.45%.

The historical population is given in the following chart:{{HDS|209|Bern}}

Colors=

id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9)

id:darkgrey value:gray(0.8)

ImageSize = width:800 height:500

PlotArea = top:10 left: 100 bottom:90 right:100

Legend = columns:3 left:220 top:70 columnwidth:160

AlignBars = justify

DateFormat = x.y

Period = from:0 till:170000

TimeAxis = orientation:vertical

AlignBars = justify

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:30000 start:0

ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:6000 start:0

Colors=

id:TO value:yellowgreen legend:Total

id:GE value:teal legend:German_Speaking

id:FR value:green legend:French_Speaking

id:PR value:lightpurple legend:Protestant

id:CA value:oceanblue legend:Catholic

id:SW value:red legend:Swiss

PlotData=

color:yellowgreen width:40 mark:(line,white) align:center

bar:1850 from:start till:29670 text:"29,670" color:TO

bar:1880 from:start till:44087 text:"44,087" color:TO

bar:1910 from:start till:90937 text:"90,937" color:TO

bar:1930 from:start till:111783 text:"111,783" color:TO

bar:1950 from:start till:146499 text:"146,499" color:TO

bar:1970 from:start till:162405 text:"162,405" color:TO

bar:1990 from:start till:136338 text:"136,338" color:TO

LineData =

points:(213,188)(307,286) color:GE

points:(307,286)(400,331) color:GE

points:(400,331)(493,395) color:GE

points:(493,395)(587,405) color:GE

points:(587,405)(680,349) color:GE

points:(213,94)(307,101) color:FR

points:(307,101)(400,105) color:FR

points:(400,105)(493,114) color:FR

points:(493,114)(587,109) color:FR

points:(587,109)(680,102) color:FR

points:(120,156)(213,184) color:PR

points:(213,184)(307,274) color:PR

points:(307,274)(400,315) color:PR

points:(400,315)(493,370) color:PR

points:(493,370)(587,362) color:PR

points:(587,362)(680,278) color:PR

points:(120,93)(213,98) color:CA

points:(213,98)(307,113) color:CA

points:(307,113)(400,121) color:CA

points:(400,121)(493,145) color:CA

points:(493,145)(587,187) color:CA

points:(587,187)(680,176) color:CA

points:(120,156)(213,185) color:SW

points:(213,185)(307,281) color:SW

points:(307,281)(400,337) color:SW

points:(400,337)(493,418) color:SW

points:(493,418)(587,419) color:SW

points:(587,419)(680,355) color:SW

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"

|-

! colspan="12" | Historic Population Data

|-

! Year

! Total Population

! German-speaking

! French-speaking

! Protestant

! Catholic

! Jewish

! Christian Catholic

! Other or no religion given

! No religion given

! Swiss

! Non-Swiss

|-

! Scope="row" | 1700

| style="text-align:center;"| 14,219 || | || | || | || | || | || | || | || | || | || |

|-

! Scope="row" | 1730

| style="text-align:center;"| 15,932 || | || | || | || | || | || | || | || | || | || |

|-

! Scope="row" | 1764

| style="text-align:center;"| 14,515 || | || | || | || | || | || | || | || | || | || |

|-

! Scope="row" | 1798

| style="text-align:center;"| 12,186 || | || | || | || | || | || | || | || | || | || |

|-

! Scope="row" | 1818

| style="text-align:center;"| 18,997 || | || | || | || | || | || | || | || | || | || |

|-

! Scope="row" | 1837

| style="text-align:center;"| 24,362 || | || | || | || | || | || | || | || | || | || |

|-

! scope="row" | 1850

| style="text-align:center;"| 29,670 || style="text-align:center;"| || style="text-align:center;"| || style="text-align:center;"|27,986 || style="text-align:center;"|1,478 || style="text-align:center;"| || style="text-align:center;"|206 || style="text-align:center;"| || style="text-align:center;"| || style="text-align:center;"|28,009 || style="text-align:center;"|1,661

|-

! scope="row" | 1880

| style="text-align:center;"| 44,087 || style="text-align:center;"|41,784 || style="text-align:center;"|1,875 || style="text-align:center;"|39,948 || style="text-align:center;"|3,456 || style="text-align:center;"| || style="text-align:center;"|387 || style="text-align:center;"|296 || style="text-align:center;"| || style="text-align:center;"|40,463 || style="text-align:center;"|3,624

|-

! scope="row" | 1910

| style="text-align:center;"| 90,937 || style="text-align:center;"|83,144 || style="text-align:center;"|4,566 || style="text-align:center;"|78,234 || style="text-align:center;"|9,650 || style="text-align:center;"| || style="text-align:center;"|1,056 || style="text-align:center;"|1,997 || style="text-align:center;"| || style="text-align:center;"|81,335 || style="text-align:center;"|9,602

|-

! scope="row" | 1930

| style="text-align:center;"| 111,783 || style="text-align:center;"|102,444 || style="text-align:center;"|6,378 || style="text-align:center;"|95,600 || style="text-align:center;"|13,280 || style="text-align:center;"| || style="text-align:center;"|854 || style="text-align:center;"|2,049 || style="text-align:center;"| || style="text-align:center;"|104,864 || style="text-align:center;"|6,919

|-

! scope="row" | 1950

| style="text-align:center;"| 146,499 || style="text-align:center;"|129,781 || style="text-align:center;"|10,262 || style="text-align:center;"|118,823 || style="text-align:center;"|23,295 || style="text-align:center;"|1,089 || style="text-align:center;"|792 || style="text-align:center;"|2,500 || style="text-align:center;"| || style="text-align:center;"|139,367 || style="text-align:center;"|7,132

|-

! scope="row" | 1970

| style="text-align:center;"| 162,405 || style="text-align:center;"|133,737 || style="text-align:center;"|8,041 || style="text-align:center;"|115,779 || style="text-align:center;"|41,374 || style="text-align:center;"|635 || style="text-align:center;"|561 || style="text-align:center;"|4,056 || style="text-align:center;"| || style="text-align:center;"|139,873 || style="text-align:center;"|22,532

|-

! scope="row" | 1990

| style="text-align:center;"| 136,338 || style="text-align:center;"|110,279 || style="text-align:center;"|5,236 || style="text-align:center;"|79,889 || style="text-align:center;"|36,723 || style="text-align:center;"|335 || style="text-align:center;"|334 || style="text-align:center;"|19,057 || style="text-align:center;"|10,006 || style="text-align:center;"|112,599 || style="text-align:center;"|23,739

|}

File:Heiliggeistkirche Bern 2.jpg

From the {{as of|2000|alt=2000 census}}, 60,455 or 47.0% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church, while 31,510 or 24.5% were members of the Catholic Church. Of the rest of the population, there were 1,874 members of an Orthodox church (or about 1.46% of the population), there were 229 persons (or about 0.18% of the population) who belonged to the Christ Catholic Church, and there were 5,531 persons (or about 4.30% of the population) who belonged to another Christian religion. There were 324 persons (or about 0.25% of the population) who were Jewish, and 4,907 (or about 3.81% of the population) who were Muslim. There were 629 persons who were Buddhist, 1,430 persons who were Hindu and 177 persons who belonged to another religion. 16,363 (or about 12.72% of the population) belonged to no religion, are agnostic or atheist, and 7,855 persons (or about 6.11% of the population) did not answer the question. On 14 December 2014 the Haus der Religionen was inaugurated.

File:Bundeshaus_Bern_2009,_Flooffy.jpg

File:4377 - Bern - Kindlifresserbrunnen am Kornhausplatz.JPG

The structure of Bern's city centre is largely medieval and has been recognised by UNESCO as a Cultural World Heritage Site. Perhaps its most famous sight is the Zytglogge (Bernese German for "Time Bell"), an elaborate medieval clock tower with moving puppets. It also has an impressive 15th century Gothic cathedral, the Münster, and a 15th-century town hall. Thanks to {{convert|6|km|0|abbr=off}} of arcades, the old town boasts one of the longest covered shopping promenades in Europe.

Since the 16th century, the city has had a bear pit, the Bärengraben, at the far end of the Nydeggbrücke to house its heraldic animals. The four bears are now kept in an open-air enclosure nearby, and two other young bears, a present by the Russian president, are kept in Dählhölzli zoo.{{cite news|title= City of bears receives Russian bruins|newspaper= swissinfo.ch|date= 16 September 2009|url= http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/City_of_bears_receives_Russian_bruins.html?cid=1008832|access-date= 13 July 2010|archive-date= 5 January 2012|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120105171617/http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/City_of_bears_receives_Russian_bruins.html?cid=1008832|url-status= live}}

The Federal Palace (Bundeshaus), built from 1857 to 1902, which houses the national parliament, government and part of the federal administration, can also be visited.

Albert Einstein lived in a flat at the Kramgasse 49, the site of the Einsteinhaus, from 1903 to 1905, the year in which the Annus Mirabilis papers were published.

The Rose Garden (Rosengarten), from which a scenic panoramic view of the medieval town centre can be enjoyed, is a well-kept Rosarium on a hill, converted into a park from a former cemetery in 1913.

There are eleven Renaissance allegorical statues on public fountains in the Old Town. Nearly all the 16th-century fountains, except the Zähringer fountain, which was created by Hans Hiltbrand, are the work of the Fribourg master Hans Gieng. One of the more interesting fountains is the Kindlifresserbrunnen (Bernese German: Child Eater Fountain), which is claimed to represent a Jew,[http://www.bern.ch/stadtrat/sitzungen/archiv/1998/980514n.pdf City Council of Bern minutes of the 14 May 1998 5:00PM session] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213224744/http://www.bern.ch/stadtrat/sitzungen/archiv/1998/980514n.pdf |date=13 February 2012 }} accessed 23 November 2008 {{in lang|de}} the Greek god Chronos, or a Fastnacht figure meant to frighten disobedient children.{{Cite web |url=http://digibiblio.unibe.ch/digibern/Chopin/Engine/Systematik/viewer.asp?KatalogID=1&ImgNum=285&ImgCount=8&RecordNr=18 |title=Hofer, 281 |access-date=21 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707004313/http://digibiblio.unibe.ch/digibern/Chopin/Engine/Systematik/viewer.asp?KatalogID=1&ImgNum=285&ImgCount=8&RecordNr=18 |archive-date=7 July 2011 |url-status=dead }}

Bern's most recent sight is the set of fountains in front of the Federal Palace. It was inaugurated on 1 August 2004.

The Universal Postal Union is situated in Bern.

File:The Zytglogge clock tower.jpg clock tower and the city's medieval covered shopping promenades (Lauben)]]

Bern is home to 114 Swiss heritage sites of national significance.{{cite web|url=http://www.bevoelkerungsschutz.admin.ch/internet/bs/de/home/themen/kgs/kgs_inventar/a-objekte.html |title=Kantonsliste A-Objekte |year=2009 |website=KGS Inventar |publisher=Federal Office of Civil Protection |language=de |access-date=25 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100628110559/http://www.bevoelkerungsschutz.admin.ch/internet/bs/de/home/themen/kgs/kgs_inventar/a-objekte.html |archive-date=28 June 2010}}

It includes the entire Old Town, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and many sites within and around it. Some of the most notable in the Old Town include the Cathedral which was started in 1421 and is the tallest cathedral in Switzerland, the Zytglogge and Käfigturm towers, which mark two successive expansions of the Old Town, and the Holy Ghost Church, which is one of the largest Swiss Reformed churches in Switzerland. Within the Old Town, there are eleven 16th-century fountains, most attributed to Hans Gieng, that are on the list.

Outside the Old Town the heritage sites include the Bärengraben, the Gewerbeschule Bern (1937), the Eidgenössisches Archiv für Denkmalpflege, the {{ill|Kirchenfeld, Bern|de|Kirchenfeld (Bern)|lt=Kirchenfeld mansion district}} (after 1881), the Thunplatzbrunnen, the Federal Mint building, the Federal Archives, the Swiss National Library, the Historical Museum (1894), Alpine Museum, Museum of Communication and Natural History Museum.

File:Zentrum Paul Klee Bern 15.JPG]]

File:Stadttheater Bern in 2022.jpg

File:GF2023 J-Balvin (C)Gurtenfestival-Manuel-Lopez 27369.jpg, 2023]]

{{See also|List of museums in Bern}}

• Bern Theatre{{cite web|url=http://www.stadttheaterbern.ch/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030201101554/http://www.stadttheaterbern.ch/|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 February 2003|title=Stadttheater Bern|access-date=12 April 2009}}
• Narrenpack Theatre Bern{{cite web|url=http://www.narrenpack.ch/|title=Narrenpack Theatre Bern|access-date=12 April 2009|archive-date=4 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100104191936/http://www.narrenpack.ch/|url-status=live}}
• Schlachthaus Theatre{{cite web|url=http://www.schlachthaus.ch/|title=Schlachthaus Theatre Bern|access-date=12 April 2009|archive-date=2 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302083057/http://www.schlachthaus.ch/|url-status=live}}
• Tojo Theater
• The Theatre on the Effinger-Street{{cite web|url=http://www.dastheater-effingerstr.ch/|title=Das Theatre an der Effingerstrasse|access-date=12 April 2009|archive-date=4 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090304001558/http://www.dastheater-effingerstr.ch/|url-status=live}}
• Theatre am Käfigturm{{cite web|url=http://www.theater-am-kaefigturm.ch/|title=Theater am Käfigturm|access-date=12 April 2009|archive-date=29 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090129111138/http://theater-am-kaefigturm.ch/|url-status=live}}

Bern has several dozen cinemas. As is customary in German Switzerland, films are generally in German. Some films in select cinemas are shown in their original language with German and French subtitles.

• shnit International Shortfilmfestival, held annually in early October.
• Queersicht – gay and lesbian film festival, held annually in the second week of November.

• BeJazz Summer and Winter Festival
• Buskers Bern Street Music Festival
• Gurtenfestival
• Internationales Jazzfestival Bern
• Taktlos-Festival

The Musikpreis des Kantons Bern is an annual musical event where "Outstanding musicians which styles shape the Bern music scene" are honored.{{cite web

| url=https://www.musikzeitung.ch/de/politik/kantone-und-gemeinden/2019/10/musikpreise-2019-des-kantons-bern.html

| title=Musikpreise 2019 des Kantons Bern

| date=9 October 2019

| publisher=musikzeitung.ch

| language=de

| access-date=23 May 2020

| archive-date=29 September 2020

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929223636/https://www.musikzeitung.ch/de/politik/kantone-und-gemeinden/2019/10/musikpreise-2019-des-kantons-bern.html#.Xsk2VcDgqM8

| url-status=live

}}{{cite web

| url=https://www.erz.be.ch/erz/de/index/kultur/kulturfoerderung/kulturschaffende/musik.html

| title=Musikalische Auszeichnungen

| publisher=www.erz.be.ch/er

| language=de

| quote=Der Kanton Bern verleiht jedes Jahr Musikpreise als Zeichen der Wertschätzung und Anerkennung für das Wirken herausragender Musikschaffender. Ausgezeichnet werden professionelle Musikerinnen und Musiker aus allen künstlerischen und organisatorischen Bereichen des Musiklebens sowie allen musikalischen Stilrichtungen, die die Berner Musikszene entscheidend mitprägen.

| access-date=23 May 2020

| archive-date=22 October 2020

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022130433/https://www.erz.be.ch/erz/de/index/kultur/kulturfoerderung/kulturschaffende/musik.html

| url-status=live

}}

• Zibelemärit – The Zibelemärit (onion market) is an annual fair held on the fourth Monday in November.
• Bernese Fasnacht (Carnival)

File:Stade de Suisse Luftbild 2011.jpg]]

Bern was the site of the 1954 FIFA World Cup Final, in which West Germany upset the Hungarian Golden Team 3–2. The football team BSC Young Boys is based in Bern at the Stadion Wankdorf, which also was one of the venues for the 2008 UEFA European Championship, in which it hosted three matches.

FC Breitenrain Bern, founded in 1994, also play in Bern.{{Cite web |url=http://www.fcbreitenrain.ch/ |title=FC Breitenrain's official website |access-date=29 May 2021 |archive-date=19 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819170806/http://www.fcbreitenrain.ch// |url-status=live }}

SC Bern is the major ice hockey team of Bern which plays in the PostFinance Arena. They compete in the National League (NL), the highest league in Switzerland. The team has ranked highest in attendance for a European hockey team for more than a decade.{{cite news |last=Merk |first=Martin |date=12 March 2015 |title= Swiss stay top: SC Bern number one in European attendance ranking }} PostFinance Arena was the main host of the 2009 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, including the opening game and the final of the tournament.

PostFinance Arena was also the host of the 2011 European Figure Skate Championships.

Bern Cardinals is the baseball and softball team of Bern, which plays at the Allmend.

Bern Grizzlies is the American football club in Bern (since 1985) and plays in the top level Nationalliga A (American football) at Athletics Arena Wankdorf. The Grizzlies have been Swiss Bowl champion six times.

Bern was a candidate to host the 2010 Winter Olympics, but withdrew its bid in September 2002 after a referendum was passed that showed that the bid was not supported by locals. Those games were eventually awarded to Vancouver, British Columbia.

RC Bern is the local rugby club (since 1972) and plays at the Allmend. The ladies team was founded in 1995.

The locality of Bremgartenwald was home to the Bremgarten Circuit, the Grand Prix motor racing course that at one time hosted the Swiss Grand Prix.

Bern Bears is an NGO Basketball Club since 2010 in city of Bern.http://www.basketballbern.ch {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228041027/http://basketballbern.ch/ |date=28 February 2021 }} Bern Bears

The Swiss Grand Prix was held on the Circuit Bremgarten street track from 1950 to 1954, with MotoGP also running their Swiss motorcycle Grand Prix from 1949 to 1954. The circuit eventually fell into disrepair after Switzerland banned motorsports after the 1955 Le Mans Disaster, but they made an amendment in 2015 to host electric racing, which is how the Swiss ePrix happened in 2019.

{{as of|2010|In 2010}}, Bern had an unemployment rate of 3.3%. {{as of|2008}}, there were 259 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 59 businesses involved in this sector. 16,413 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 950 businesses in this sector. 135,973 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 7,654 businesses in this sector.

{{as of|2008|alt=In 2008}} the total number of full-time equivalent jobs was 125,037. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 203, of which 184 were in agriculture and 19 were in forestry or lumber production. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 15,476 of which 7,650 or (49.4%) were in manufacturing, 51 or (0.3%) were in mining and 6,389 (41.3%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 109,358. In the tertiary sector; 11,396 or 10.4% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 10,293 or 9.4% were in the movement and storage of goods, 5,090 or 4.7% were in a hotel or restaurant, 7,302 or 6.7% were in the information industry, 8,437 or 7.7% were the insurance or financial industry, 10,660 or 9.7% were technical professionals or scientists, 5,338 or 4.9% were in education and 17,903 or 16.4% were in health care.[http://www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch/Database/German_06%20-%20Industrie%20und%20Dienstleistungen/06.2%20-%20Unternehmen/06.2%20-%20Unternehmen.asp?lang=1&prod=06&secprod=2&openChild=true Swiss Federal Statistical Office STAT-TAB Betriebszählung: Arbeitsstätten nach Gemeinde und NOGA 2008 (Abschnitte), Sektoren 1–3] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141225013454/http://www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch/Database/German_06%20-%20Industrie%20und%20Dienstleistungen/06.2%20-%20Unternehmen/06.2%20-%20Unternehmen.asp?lang=1&prod=06&secprod=2&openChild=true |date=25 December 2014 }} {{in lang|de}} accessed 28 January 2011

{{as of|2000|alt=In 2000}}, there were 94,367 workers who commuted into the municipality and 16,424 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 5.7 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving.[https://archive.today/20120804043150/http://www.media-stat.admin.ch/stat/pendler/pop.php Swiss Federal Statistical Office – Statweb] {{in lang|de}} accessed 24 June 2010 Of the working population, 50.6% used public transport to get to work, and 20.6% used a private car.

File:Universität Bern Hauptgebäude DSC05758.jpg

The University of Bern, whose buildings are mainly located in the Länggasse quarter, is located in Bern, as well as the University of Applied Sciences (Fachhochschule) and several vocations schools.

In Bern, about 50,418 or (39.2%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 24,311 or (18.9%) have completed additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule). Of the 24,311 who completed tertiary schooling, 51.6% were Swiss men, 33.0% were Swiss women, 8.9% were non-Swiss men and 6.5% were non-Swiss women.

The canton of Bern school system provides one year of non-obligatory kindergarten, followed by six years of primary school. This is followed by three years of obligatory lower secondary school where the pupils are separated according to ability and aptitude. Following the lower secondary pupils may attend additional schooling or they may enter an apprenticeship.{{Cite report |title= Kantonale Schulstrukturen in der Schweiz und im Fürstentum Liechtenstein / Structures Scolaires Cantonales en Suisse et Dans la Principauté du Liechtenstein |url= http://edudoc.ch/record/35128/files/Schulsystem_alle.pdf |author= EDK/CDIP/IDES |year= 2010 |access-date= 24 June 2010 |archive-date= 6 July 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110706224542/http://edudoc.ch/record/35128/files/Schulsystem_alle.pdf |url-status= live }}

During the 2009–10 school year, there were a total of 10,979 pupils attending classes in Bern. There were 89 kindergarten classes with a total of 1,641 pupils in the municipality. Of the kindergarten pupils, 32.4% were permanent or temporary residents of Switzerland (not citizens) and 40.2% have a different mother language than the classroom language. The municipality had 266 primary classes and 5,040 pupils. Of the primary pupils, 30.1% were permanent or temporary residents of Switzerland (not citizens) and 35.7% have a different mother language than the classroom language. During the same year, there were 151 lower secondary classes with a total of 2,581 pupils. There were 28.7% who were permanent or temporary residents of Switzerland (not citizens) and 32.7% have a different mother language than the classroom language.[http://www.erz.be.ch/erz/de/index/direktion/organisation/generalsekretariat/statistik/schul-_und_gemeindetabellen.html Schuljahr 2009/10 pdf document] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120602073606/http://www.erz.be.ch/erz/de/index/direktion/organisation/generalsekretariat/statistik/schul-_und_gemeindetabellen.html |date=2 June 2012 }}{{in lang|de}} accessed 4 January 2012

Notable schools in Bern include Gymnasium Neufeld.

Bern is home to 8 libraries. These libraries include; the Schweiz. Nationalbibliothek/ Bibliothèque nationale suisse, the Universitätsbibliothek Bern, the Kornhausbibliotheken Bern, the BFH Wirtschaft und Verwaltung Bern, the BFH Gesundheit, the BFH Soziale Arbeit, the Hochschule der Künste Bern, Gestaltung und Kunst and the Hochschule der Künste Bern, Musikbibliothek. There was a combined total ({{as of|2008|lc=on}}) of 10,308,336 books or other media in the libraries, and in the same year a total of 2,627,973 items were loaned out.[http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/16/02/02/data.html Swiss Federal Statistical Office, list of libraries] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706231342/http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/16/02/02/data.html |date=6 July 2015 }} {{in lang|de}} accessed 14 May 2010

{{as of|2000}}, there were 9,045 pupils in Bern who came from another municipality, while 1,185 residents attended schools outside the municipality.

File:Bern tram and cathedral.png on the Kirchenfeldbrücke, with the Bern Minster and Casino Bern in the background]]

{{Main|BERNMOBIL|Trams in Bern|Trolleybuses in Bern|Bern S-Bahn}}

Bern is served by a dense network of trains, trams, trolleybuses, and conventional motorbuses. The Bern S-Bahn is Switzerland's second busiest.

Bern is the centre of the Libero tariff network, which covers the cantons of Bern and Solothurn and includes the towns of Biel/Bienne, Solothurn, and Thun. The network allows easy and coordinated travel on all modes of public transport, such as trains, PostAuto buses, trams, buses (trolleybuses and motorbuses) and others, regardless of transport operator. Fares are based on the number of zones in a journey. The central part of Bern, (excluding Bümpliz, Betlehem, Bottigen, Brünnen, and Riedbach in the west of the municipality), is part of the fare zone 100.

File:Bern Hauptbahnhof (2014).jpg]]

The city is well served by railways, with the extensive S-Bahn network and many regional and international connections. Bern's central railway station (Bahnhof Bern) is Switzerland's second busiest station (164,800 passengers per weekday in 2022), and is the main transport hub in the region.{{Cite web |title=Ein- und Aussteigende an Bahnhöfen |url=https://data.sbb.ch/explore/dataset/passagierfrequenz/table/?disjunctive.kt_ct_cantone&disjunctive.isb_gi&sort=dwv_tmjo_tfm&refine.jahr_annee_anno=2022 |access-date=2024-05-26 |website=data.sbb.ch |language=en-GB}}

A funicular railway called the Marzilibahn leads from the Marzili district to the Federal Palace. With a length of {{convert|106|m|0|abbr=on}}, it is the second shortest public railway in Europe after the Zagreb funicular.

Several Aare bridges connect the old parts of the city with the newer districts outside of the peninsula.

Bern is well connected to other cities by several motorways (A1, A12, A6).

Bern Airport (colloquially called Bern-Belp or Belpmoos) located outside the city near the town of Belp, as of March 2021 mostly serves general aviation and charter flights. Zurich Airport, Geneva Airport and EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg serve as gateways for air traffic, all reachable in less than two hours by train or car from Bern.

The city has made efforts to make Bern the "bicycle capital" of Switzerland through the creation of better infrastructure, such as dedicated cycle paths.{{Cite web|title=Velohauptrouten|url=https://www.bern.ch/velohauptstadt/infrastruktur/velohauptrouten|access-date=18 March 2021|website=Stadt Bern|language=de|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414231941/https://www.bern.ch/velohauptstadt/infrastruktur/velohauptrouten|url-status=live}} {{Interlanguage link|PubliBike|lt=PubliBike|de}} operates a bike-sharing system.

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File:Patricia Kopatchinskaja 4 (c) Marco Borggreve.JPG

• Conrad Justinger ({{circa|1360}}–1438) – chronicler, magistrate and notary public of the city of Bern
• Johann Jakob Grynaeus (1540–1617) – Protestant divine, a theologian of the school of Huldrych Zwingli{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Grynaeus, Johann Jakob |volume= 12 | page = 642 |short= 1}}
• Robert Scipio, Freiherr von Lentulus (1714–1786) – military officer, in Austrian and later, Prussian service
• Emmanuel Han (1801–1867) – military officer and philhellene, fought in the Greek War of Independence
• Walter Breisky (1871–1944) – Austrian jurist, civil servant and politician
• Rosalie Dreyer (1895–1987) – naturalized British nurse, pioneer in Britain's public-funded nursing service
• August R. Lindt (1905–2000) – lawyer and diplomat, Chairman of UNICEF 1953–1954 and UN High Commissioner for Refugees 1956–1960
• Marc Hodler (1918–2006) – lawyer, President of the International Ski Federation 1951–1998, exposed the 2002 Winter Olympic bid scandal
• Hans Urwyler (1925–1994) – Christian minister of the New Apostolic Church
• Kofi Annan (1938–2018 in Bern) – UN Secretary-General 1997–2006
• Algirdas Paleckis (born 1971) – Lithuanian diplomat, politician and columnist

• Adrian von Bubenberg ({{circa|1434}}–1479) – Bernese knight, military commander and 3-time mayor (Schultheiss) of Bern, hero of the Battle of Murten
• Niklaus Dachselhofer (1595–1670) – Bernese politician, Schultheiss (mayor) of Bern 1636–1667
• Christoph von Graffenried, 1st Baron of Bernberg (1661–1743) – founder of New Bern, North Carolina
• Susanna Julie von Bondeli (1731–1778) – famous salonist and lady of letters, the salon became the center of intellectual life in Bern.
• Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna of Russia (1781 – Elfenau, near Bern 1860) – German princess of the ducal house of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
• Mikhail Bakunin (1814– 1876 in Bern) – Russian revolutionary anarchist.{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Bakunin, Mikhail |volume= 3 | page = 231 |short= 1}}
• Karl Schenk (1823–1895) – pastor, politician; served on the Swiss Federal Council 1863–1895
• Vladimir Lenin (1870–1924) – lived in Bern 1914–1917
• Louise Elisabeth de Meuron (1882–1980) – aristocrat and eccentric personality in Bern
• Dom Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza (born 1945) – claimant to the defunct Portuguese throne, as the head of the House of Braganza
• Regula Rytz (born 1962) – politician, sociologist and historian{{cite web|url=http://www.woz.ch/1145/regula-rytz/die-pragmatische-brueckenbauerin|title=Die pragmatische Brückenbauerin|publisher=WOZ Die Wochenzeitung 45/2011|author=Noëmi Landolt|language=de|date=10 November 2011|access-date=16 April 2016|archive-date=25 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425005030/http://www.woz.ch/1145/regula-rytz/die-pragmatische-brueckenbauerin|url-status=live}}
• Ursula Wyss (born 1973) – economist and politician
• Min Li Marti (born 1974) – politician, publisher, sociologist and historian

• Albrecht von Haller (1708–1777) – anatomist, physiologist, naturalist, bibliographer and poet{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Haller, Albrecht von |volume= 12 | pages = 855–856 |short= 1 }}
• Carl Adolf Otth (1803–1839) – naturalist
• Gustav Heinrich Otth (1806–1874) – mycologist
• Carl Brunner von Wattenwyl (1823–1914) – entomologist who specialised in Orthoptera
• Ludwig Fischer (1828–1907) – botanist, researched phanerogams and cryptogams
• Adolph Francis Alphonse Bandelier (1840–1914) – American archaeologist.{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Bandelier, Adolph Francis Alphonse |volume= 3 | page = 311 |short= 1}}
• Emil Theodor Kocher (1841–1917) – physician and medical researcher, received the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for work on the thyroid{{Cite Americana|wstitle=Kocher,_Emil_Theodor |short=x}}
• Arnold Klebs (1870–1943) – physician who specialized in the study of tuberculosis
• Anna Tumarkin (1875–1951) – Russian-born, naturalized Swiss academic, the first woman to become a professor of philosophy at the University of Bern
• Albert Einstein (1879–1955) – worked out his theory of relativity while living in Bern, employed as a patent examiner at the patent office
• Ida Hoff (1880–1952) – pioneering doctor, feminist activist, early regular female motorist
• Aimé Félix Tschiffely (1895–1954) – Swiss-born, Argentine professor, writer and equestrian adventurer
• Hans Albert Einstein (1904–1973) – Swiss-American engineer and educator, the second child and first son of Albert Einstein
• Friedrich Tinner (born 1937) – nuclear engineer connected with the proliferation of nuclear materials in Iran, Libya, and North Korea
• Claudia Rosiny (born 1960) – German-Swiss academic in Dance and Media studies, a festival director and cultural manager
• Daniel Mojon (born 1963) – ophthalmologist and ophthalmic surgeon, invented minimally-invasive strabismus surgery
• Peter Jüni (born {{circa|1975}}) – scientific director of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, works at St. Michael's Hospital (Toronto)

• Ulrich Boner or Bonerius (early 14th century) – German-speaking Swiss writer of fable{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Boner,_Ulrich |volume=4 |page= 203|short=x}}
• Hans von Rüte (died 1558) – Bernese dramatist and chronicler of the Swiss Reformation
• Johann David Wyss (1743–1818) – author, best remembered for The Swiss Family Robinson
• Charles Victor de Bonstetten (1745–1832) – liberal writer{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Bonstetten, Charles Victor de |volume=4 |last= Coolidge |first= William Augustus Brevoort |author-link= William Augustus Brevoort Coolidge |page=214|short=x}}
• Daniel Albert Wyttenbach (1746–1820) – German Swiss classical scholar{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Wyttenbach,_Daniel_Albert |volume=28 |last= Reid |first= James Smith |author-link= James Smith Reid |pages = 879–880 |short=x}}
• Johann Rudolf Wyss (1782–1830) – author, writer, and folklorist who wrote the words to the former Swiss national anthem{{Cite Americana|wstitle=Wyss,_Johann_Rudolf |short=x}}
• Charles Monnard (1790–1865) – historian and member of the Helvetic Society
• Vincent O. Carter (1924–1983) – American writer, author of The Bern Book[https://www.literapedia-bern.ch/Carter,_Vincent_O. Vincent O. Carter] entry in the literapedia bern
• Selma Urfer (1928–2013) – author, translator and actress[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0881863/ IMDb Database] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170219181223/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0881863/ |date=19 February 2017 }} retrieved 3 December 2018
• Liselotte Pulver (born 1929) – actress, well known for her hearty and joyful laughter[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0003813/ IMDb Database] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026010359/https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0003813/ |date=26 October 2018 }} retrieved 6 December 2018
• Bigna Francis-von Wyttenbach (1930–2021) – Swiss writer
• Yves Rénier (1942–2021) – French actor, director, screenwriter and voice actor[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0716699/ IMDb Database] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181227172321/https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0716699/ |date=27 December 2018 }} retrieved 3 December 2018
• Lukas Hartmann (born 1944) – children's writer, Switzerland's "first husband" in 2015
• Yang Lian (born 1955) – Swiss-Chinese poet associated with the Misty Poets
• Sibylle Canonica (born 1957) – actress, has appeared in more than forty films since 1981[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0134388/ IMDb Database] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190125144002/https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0134388/ |date=25 January 2019 }} retrieved 6 December 2018
• Georges Delnon (born 1958) – theatre director, artistic director and professor
• Sabine Timoteo (born 1975) – actress[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0863787/ IMDb Database] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181228011653/https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0863787/ |date=28 December 2018 }} retrieved 3 December 2018
• Yangzom Brauen (born 1980) – actress, activist and writer[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1062017/ IMDb Database] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200914094515/https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1062017/ |date=14 September 2020 }} retrieved 6 December 2018
• Cleo von Adelsheim (born 1987) – German-Chilean actress[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7704731/ IMDb Database] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216191120/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm7704731/ |date=16 February 2017 }} retrieved 3 December 2018

• Niklaus Manuel Deutsch ({{circa|1484}}–1530) – artist, writer, mercenary and Reformed politician
• Albrecht Kauw (1621–1681) – still-life painter, cartographer and a painter of vedute
• Gabriel Lory the Elder (1763–1840) – Bernese landscape painter and illustrator
• Ferdinand Hodler (1853–1918) – painter of portraits, landscapes and genre paintings
• Lisa Wenger (1858–1941) – painter and author of children's books
• Adolf Wölfli (1864–1930) – artist associated with Art brut
• Bertha Zuricher (1869–1949) – author, painter and engraver
• Volkmar Andreae (1879–1962) – conductor and composer
• Eric Blom CBE (1888–1959) – British-naturalised music lexicographer, musicologist, music critic and music biographer
• Klaus Huber (1924–2017) – composer and academic
• Margrit Zimmermann (1927–2020) – pianist, composer, conductor and music educator
• Mani Matter (1936–1972) – singer-songwriter[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1272496/ IMDb Database] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315223459/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1272496/ |date=15 March 2017 }} retrieved 3 December 2018
• Roland Zoss (born 1951) – songwriter and novelist, lives on the Aeolian Islands
• Christine Lauterburg (born 1956) – singer, yodeler and actress[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0491606/ IMDb Database] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215123845/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0491606/ |date=15 February 2017 }} retrieved 6 December 2018
• Patricia Kopatchinskaja (born 1977) – Moldovan-Austrian-Swiss violinist
• Zora Slokar, (born 1980) horn player with Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana
• Luca Hänni (born 1994) – singer-songwriter, dancer, and model, Swiss representative at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest
• Giuseppe Bausilio (born 1997) – actor, dancer, and singer[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4545833/ IMDb Database] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190612203552/https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4545833/ |date=12 June 2019 }} retrieved 6 December 2018

• Johann Rudolf Tschiffeli (1716–1780) – agronomist, a wealthy merchant, economist, and lawyer
• Franz Rudolf Frisching (1733–1807) – Bernese patrician, officer, politician, founded the Frisching Faience Manufactory
• Rodolphe Lindt (1855–1909) – chocolate manufacturer, founded the Lindt chocolate factory
• Marianne Alvoni (born 1964) – fashion designer

File:Otto Hess by Carl Horner.jpg

File:Jenni 2013-04-15.JPG

• Elia Alessandrini (1997–2022), footballer, prospect player for the Switzerland national football team, died from drowning in Oman
• Philippe Marie Eugène, Count d'Ursel (1920–2017), was a Swiss-born Belgian alpine skier and a member of the Ursel family, competed at the 1948 Winter Olympics
• Tanja Frieden (born 1976), snowboarder and gold medallist at the 2006 Winter Olympics
• Guerino Gottardi (born 1970), a retired Swiss-Italian footballer, almost 250 club caps
• Otto Hess (1878–1926), pitcher for the Cleveland Bronchos 1902 and 1904–08 and Boston Braves 1912–15
• Maurizio Jacobacci (born 1963), Italian-Swiss football manager and former player
• Roman Josi (born 1990), professional ice hockey player, selected to play for Switzerland at the 2010 Winter Olympics
• Arnold Käch (1914–1998), military officer, skier, ski official and writer
• Christian Kauter (born 1947), fencer, silver medallist in the team épée at the 1972 Summer Olympics and bronze medallist at the 1976 Summer Olympics
• Dominik Märki (born 1990), Swiss curler, living in Fayetteville, Arkansas, bronze medallist in the 2018 Winter Olympics
• Jürg Marmet (1927–2013), mountaineer, part of the first two-man Swiss team which climbed Mount Everest in 1956
• Benoît Musy (1917–1956), racing driver and motorcycle racer
• Maja Neuenschwander (born 1980), long-distance runner who competes in marathon races
• Jennifer Oehrli (born 1989), football goalkeeper, member of the Switzerland women's national football team
• Mirjam Ott (born 1972), retired curler, captain of the Swiss Olympic Curling Team
• Kris Richard (born 1994), racing driver
• Markus Ryffel (born 1955), former long-distance runner, silver medallist in the 5000 metres at the 1984 Summer Olympics
• Akira Schmid (born 2000), professional ice hockey goaltender with the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League
• Ernst Schmied (1924–2002), mountaineer, the second successful summiteer of Mount Everest in 1956
• Esther Staubli (born 1979), football referee, on the FIFA International Referees List since 2006
• Willi Steffen (1925–2005), former fighter pilot and international footballer, won 28 caps for his country
• Christine Stückelberger (born 1947), retired equestrian, gold medallist in dressage at the 1976 Summer Olympics compete at six Olympics: 1972, 1976, 1984, 1988, 1996 and 2000.
• Alain Sutter (born 1968), footballer, 351 club caps, 58 national team caps

• Municipalities of the canton of Bern
• Tourism in Switzerland

{{Reflist|group=note}}

{{reflist|30em}}

{{Commons category|Bern}}

{{wikivoyage}}

• [http://insecam.org/en/view/949856/ Online camera]
• {{cite EB1911|wstitle=Bern (city) |display=Bern |volume= 3 |last= Coolidge |first= William Augustus Brevoort |author-link= William Augustus Brevoort Coolidge |page= 795|short= 1}}

{{AmCyc Poster|Bern}}

• {{official website|www.bern.ch}}
• [http://www.bernmobil.ch/ Bern Public Transportation Website (BernMobil)]
• {{HDS|209|Bern (Gemeinde)|date=10 November 2016}}
• {{cite web|url=http://www.geobern.ch/TBInternet/default.aspx?Show=Bern&Lang=en |title=GIS City of Bern |access-date=23 April 2006 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928152910/http://www.geobern.ch/TBInternet/default.aspx?Show=Bern&Lang=en |archive-date=28 September 2007}}
• [http://www.gurtenfestival.ch/ Gurtenfestival]
• [https://www.buskersbern.ch/ Buskers Bern]

{{Old City of Bern}}

{{Municipalities of the administrative district of Bern-Mittelland}}

{{Cantons of Switzerland}}

{{Cities in Switzerland}}

{{List of European capitals by region}}

{{Capital cities of EFTA member states}}

{{Portal bar|Switzerland}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1191 establishments in Europe

Category:1190s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire

Category:Canton of Bern

Category:Cantonal capitals of Switzerland

Category:Capitals in Europe

Category:Cities in Switzerland

Category:Cultural property of national significance in the canton of Bern

Category:Populated places on the Aare

Category:World Heritage Sites in Switzerland

Category:14th-century establishments in the Old Swiss Confederacy

Category:1350s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire

Category:1353 establishments in Europe

Category:Free imperial cities