The centre of Bern is largely medieval and has been recognised by UNESCO as a Cultural World Heritage Site. Local impressive mostly Gothic remains, romantic crooked streets, spectacular arcades and ambulatories give the city a tremendous atmosphere which is hardly to be found anywhere else.

The Zytglogge tower

The Zytglogge tower represents a nice example of medieval architecture in Switzerland. It was built in the 13th century in order to become the city’s guard tower, gaol, and the centre of urban life in particular.

The tower has gone through many redecorations and refurbishments in the 20th century. It still, however, represents one of the most characteristic symbols of the city and with the 15th century astronomical clock, perfectly making up the structure; it is a major tourist attraction. It is part of the old town of Berne as well as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.

The Münster of Berne

The Münster of Berne is a Gothic cathedral situated in the centre of the city. With its 100 meters, the Münster represents the tallest structure of its kind in Switzerland. The history of the church goes back to 1191 when a small chapel was built at this site. In the course of the 13th century, a vaster three-nave church with a tower was built here.

During the 15th Century, the time of a reasonable prosperity, Bern had aggrandized and become an important trade centre of the sub-alpine region. In order to celebrate the growth of the wealth and importance, proposals to build a new, larger church appeared. In 1421, architect Matthäus Ensinger was entrusted the construction. The cathedral, nevertheless, wasn't completed until 1893 when the last part of the building – the bell tower was at length finished.

The Town hall

Bern’s town hall – medieval 15th building - nowadays represents the seat of the cantonal government, where the local Cantonal Council assembles five times a year. As opposed to various different European metropolises, public is never permitted to partake in sessions of the cantonal governing bodies.

The Garden of Roses

This vast park offering spectacular views of the old town and the river Aare represents a great place for an afternoon stroll, morning jogging or rendezvous. Over 220 different types of roses, 200 types of irises and 28 different types of rhododendrons are found here. In the period of 1765 to 1877, the Rose Garden served as a churchyard.

The Rose Garden has become a public park in 1913 and now is a pearl and a must-see for all visitors of the city, regardless their “fondness of flowers”. In 1962 the park has undergone a reconstruction which gave it the shape it nowadays has. A pavilion and a reading garden render a great chance for repose and relaxation.

Bundeshaus

The Swiss "Bundeshaus" represents the seat of the oldest democracy in the world. It was established in 1848 by a US model of a two-parliamentary system. Before you ever climb up the ostentatious stairs, leading to the rooms of the parliament, you cross the central dome hall with numerous symbolic representations from the Swiss history. The portentous glass dome above displays the federal coats of arms of the 22 cantons. The Canton of Jura’s coat of arms is situated next to the others with the foundation year 1978.

On getting at the top of the stairs you will pass through the antechamber of the room of the national council and you will enter the lobby where the members of parliament take their breaks during meetings. This hall leads to the big National Council room, wherein a painting by Ch. Giron is found, which shows the Rütli meadow, representing the cradle of the Swiss confederation.

The seats at the back wall, resembling choir chairs, are appropriate for the members of the Upper Chamber when the united federal assembly is held. Three high arched windows light a rather smaller room of the Upper Chamber, situated just above the main entrance towards the Bundesplatz (Federal Square). One can enter it through a series of arcades, above which the stands for the audience are built.

The Museum of Fine Arts

Works by such authors as Paul Klee, Pablo Picasso or Ferdinand Hodler have unequivocally secured the museum renown of an institution with an international reputation. Nowadays, the ceaselessly proliferating and evolving collection comprises more than 3,000 paintings and sculptures as well as 48,000 drawings, prints, photographs, videos and films.

The Museum of Fine Arts in Bern also represents the oldest art museum in Switzerland with permanent collections covering the art for a period of over eight centuries. It’s located just 5 minutes from the main station; opening hours are as follows: Tuesday 10am to 9pm, Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm.

Museum of Psychiatry

The museum is situated in the Baroque "Pfründerhaus" on the site of the former Waldau Clinic (today the University Psychiatric Services UPD Bern). The first incentive of establishing such an institution goes as far back as 1914, when a Bernese psychiatrist Walter Morgenthaler aggregated an archive devoted to the history, development and contemporary state of psychiatry in his day.

The permanent exhibition "Bernese Psychiatry before and after the Construction of the Waldau" is interpreted as a tour guiding the tourists from the late middle Ages through the Reformation era all the way to the construction of the "madhouse" (1749) and the establishment of the notorious "Waldau Insane Asylum and Mental Hospital” and in the end to here and now university clinic.

Einstein’s House

The famous physicist Albert Einstein is well-known among the Swiss for rather close ties he kept with the Swiss capital. On restoration in 1977 the Albert Einstein Society, opened the site to the public as a tribute to the scientific achievements of this great scientist.

The Einstein House is situated at Kramgasse 49, in the hub of the Old City, about 200 metres from the Clock Tower. The pictures in the flat provide tourists with an insight into Einstein’s “Bernese years”. Copies of documents and some of his writings purvey information on his scientific work. It is right here that Einstein developed his famous theory of relativity.