Zytglogge
Astronomical clock and moving figures.
Chrisfisch — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Martin Abegglen from Bern, Switzerland — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Geri340 — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Geri340 — CC BY-SA 3.0 · FrDr — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Old City of Bern is the medieval heart of the Swiss capital, built on a narrow hill wrapped on three sides by the Aare river, about 95 km southwest of Zurich and 130 km northeast of Geneva in a straight line. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983. Duke Berthold V of Zähringen founded the city in 1191, and legend says he vowed to name it after the first animal caught on his hunt; it was a bear, which gave Bern its name and its coat of arms. The compact layout has stayed almost unchanged since it was built between the 12th and 15th centuries, and much of it was rebuilt in sandstone after a great fire in 1405. The Old City holds the tallest minster in Switzerland and a large set of Renaissance fountains. Long streets are lined with arcades, about 6 km of them in all, with painted fountains topped by figures standing in the middle of the road. The Zytglogge clock tower at the centre has an astronomical clock and moving figures that perform before each hour, and from the bridges the red roofs rise above the turquoise Aare. Visitors walk under the arcades past shops, cafés and cellar doors, watch the clock tower's show, then climb to the Rose Garden for a view over the whole Old City. In summer some locals swim in the river.
Astronomical clock and moving figures.
A view over the Old City.
Painted, topped with figures.
Central Bern, Switzerland
A few minutes before each hour.
From the Rose Garden.
