Bern Old Town, founded in 1191, rises majestically above a loop in the river Aare, bearing witness to the ambitious scale of urban development in medieval Europe. Declared UNESCO World Heritage in 1983, the Old City delights visitors with its pleasant, relaxed charm.

History

The earliest settlements in the Aare Valley date back to the Neolithic period. During the 2nd century BCE the valley was settled by the Helvetii. Following the Roman conquest of Helvetia a small Roman settlement was established near the Old City. This settlement was abandoned during the 2nd century AD. From that time until the founding of Bern the area remained sparsely settled.

Founding

Map of the city from 1638 showing the Old City as well as later defensive fortifications to the east.  The history of the city of Bern proper begins with its founding by Duke Berchtold V of Zähringen in 1191. Local legend has it that the duke vowed to name the city after the first animal he met on the hunt, which turned out to be a bear. Both the name of the city (Bern can stand for Bär(e) n, bears) and its heraldic beast, come from this legend. At that time, much of today's Switzerland (then considered part of southern Burgundy) was under the authority of the house of Zähringen. The Zähringer leaders, although with no actual duchy of their own, were styled dukes by decree of the German king and exercised imperial power south of the Rhine. To establish their position there, they founded or expanded numerous settlements, including Fribourg (in 1157), Bern, Burgdorf and Morat.

The area chosen by Berchtold V was a hilly peninsula surrounded by the Aare river on three sides. This location made the city easy to defend and influenced the later development of the city. The long, narrow shape of the peninsula made the city develop as several long, parallel rows of houses. The only major cross streets (going north and south) developed along the city walls, which were moved to allow the city to expand. Therefore, the cross streets mark the stages of development in the Old City of Bern.

On the eastern end of the peninsula a small fort, called Castle Nydegg, was founded by Berchtold IV in the second half of the 12th century. Either when the fort was built or in 1191, the city of Bern was founded around the eastern end of the peninsula.

• Stroll through the old town, sight seeing the architectural structures in the medieval arcades
• The photo is credited by swiss-image.ch.