Greeting to all Blurtorians! Have a nice day! This small town is located in central Switzerland, north of the Alps, in the picturesque valley of the Aare River. Bern is the political center of Switzerland, where the government, parliament and central bank of the country are located.
Upon arrival in Bern, I immediately became interested in the name of the city. For the first time it was mentioned in the charter of 1208, since then there are several scientific and folk etymological versions of its origin.
One of these versions tells us that
... the founder of the city, Duke Berthold V of Zehringen, decided to name the city after the first animal killed while hunting in the surrounding forests, which turned out to be a bear.
However, the words "Bern" and"bear" in German - "Bär", do not have common roots. The bear, however, is depicted on the coat of arms of the city itself.
The most likely currently considered the origin of the name Bern from the Celtic bren "mountain" or brena "cleft" with the subsequent permutation in Bern, Berne.
Long, curving streets, with regular rows of houses with mansard roofs, stretch from west to east along the banks of a small river called the Aare.
On the streets of Bern, you will find numerous fountains that will come across on your way quite often. The fountains in Bern are amazing, one is not like the other, each has its own story, its own entertaining character.
The chronicles say that people at the end of the 14th century could collect water from five fountains. Of these five, only the Stettbrunnen - the eternal fountain or, since 1885, the stone fountain - remains. Each fountain is decorated with a certain figure, I remember Samson tearing the lion's mouth. There you will also meet the Standard-Bearer, the Rifleman, the Piper, the Messenger, the Justice, and others.
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But the main attraction of Bern is the clock tower Zitglogge, built in the early XIII century, it was even part of the city wall and at the same time the western gate of Bern.
And in the XV century, an astronomical clock appeared on the tower, which somehow reminded me of the Prague chimes, they told me that they even have a similar principle of operation. And just like in Prague, every hour begins a fascinating "puppet show" with the participation of bears and even a rooster.
It was difficult to pull me away from them, I kept looking at the performance, I love everything very unusual. And when I learned that there is a story connected with this watch, in which it plays a special role in the creation of the Theory of Relativity, I would have just settled there:-)
It turns out that back in the early twentieth century, Albert Einstein himself lived in Bern and worked as a clerk in a patent agency, and once
...as he rode in the tram and watched the Zitglogge recede, he imagined that if the speed of the tram was equal to the speed of light, the clock on the tower would show the same time, while his pocket watch would keep going. So, according to legend, he proved that time is relative.
In Bern, a magnificent garden with wonderful roses, after walking in this fragrant paradise, we went down a little lower, and saw the horses that were peacefully waiting for tourists, and we decided to take a ride around the city. The weather just didn't make us happy.
And see for yourself how good the Federal Palace is. It was very difficult to capture it, it is as high as 64 meters, and inside the building the domes reach 33 meters. In the palace of amazing beauty, a mosaic depicting the coat of arms of Switzerland with an inscription in Latin: Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno
— "One for all, and all for one", surrounded by 22 coats of arms of all the cantons of the country as of 1902.
But the bad thing is that it is strictly forbidden to take photos inside the building, except on July 31 and August 1. The palace building itself is open to the public all year round. Even for visitors, there are galleries where those who wish can watch the sessions of the parliament. However, something I did not want to "stare" at their meetings ...
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Some 20 years back I had visited this place and I clearly remember the Clock tower square. It's a beautiful place. Overall Switzerland is a very enchanting land, I love this place very much. I have visited this Country 8 times and still feel there is much more to explore
And I really liked it there. Thank you for your attention, dear!