View source for Bern

{{Short description|Federal city of Switzerland}}
{{Redirect|Berne|3=Bern (disambiguation)|4=and|5=Berne (disambiguation)}}
{{pp-move-vandalism |small=yes}}
{{use British English |date=January 2014}}
{{use dmy dates |date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox Switzerland municipality
|subject_name   = Bern
|other_name     = Berne
|image_photo    = {{Multiple image|
  | total_width            = 280
  | border                 = infobox
  | perrow                 = 2/2/2
  | caption_align          = center
  | image1                 = Bundeshaus_Bern_2009,_Flooffy.jpg
  | caption1               = [[Federal Palace of Switzerland]]
  | image2                 = Kramgasse mit Zähringerbrunnen und Zytgloggeturm in Bern (2014).jpg
  | caption2               = [[Zytglogge]]
  | image3                 = Hauptgebäude der Universität Bern an der Hochschulstrasse Pano HQ.jpg
  | caption3               = [[University of Bern]]
  | image4                 = Bern Zentrum Paul Klee DSC06133.jpg
  | caption4               = [[Zentrum Paul Klee]]
  | image5                 = Bern Panorama von Rosengarten 20211007.jpg
  | caption5               = [[Old City (Bern)|Old City]] panorama
 }}
|municipality_type = municipality and city
|image_caption  = Aerial view of the [[Old City (Bern)|Old City]] and the [[Aare]]
|imagepath_flag = CHE Bern BE Flag.svg
|imagepath_coa  = CHE Bern BE COA.svg
|canton         = Bern
|iso-code-region = CH-BE
|district       = [[Bern-Mittelland (administrative district)|Bern-Mittelland administrative district]]
|motto          = 
|coordinates    = {{coord|46|56|53|N|7|26|51|E|type:city(134,000)_region:CH-BE|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code    = 3000–3030
|municipality_code = 0351
|area           = 51.6
|elevation      = 540 
|elevation_description = Bahnhofplatz
|highest        = Könizberg 
|highest_m      = 674 
|lowest         = [[Aare]] near to Eymatt 
|lowest_m       = 481
|population     = {{Swiss populations NC|CH-BE|0351}} |populationof = {{Swiss populations YM|CH-BE}} |popofyear = {{Swiss populations Y|CH-BE}}
|mayor          = {{ill|Marieke Kruit|de}} |mayor_party = SP
|mayor_title    = Stadtpräsidentin |mayor_asof = January 2025
|list_of_mayors = List of mayors of Bern
|parliament_name = [[#Parliament|Stadtrat]]
|parliament_number_of_members = 80
|executive_name = [[#Government|Gemeinderat]]
|executive_number_of_members = 5 
|places         = Altenberg, Aaregg, Bümpliz, Bethlehem, Beundenfeld, Bottigen, Breitenrain, Breitfeld, Brunnadern, Dählhölzli, Engeried, Gäbelbach, Grosser Bremgartenwald, Gryphenhübeli, Felsenau, Holligen, Innere Stadt, Kirchenfeld, Könizbergwald, Länggasse, Lorraine, Muesmatt, Murifeld, Neufeld, Sandrain, Schosshalde, Spitalacker, Stöckacker, Tiefenau, Wankdorf, Weissenbühl, Weissenstein
|demonym        = <br/>{{langx|en|Bernese}}<br/>{{langx|de|Berner(in)}}<br/>{{langx|fr|Bernois(e)}}<br/>{{langx|it|Bernese}}
|neighboring_municipalities = [[Bremgarten bei Bern]], [[Frauenkappelen]], [[Ittigen]], [[Kirchlindach]], [[Köniz]], [[Mühleberg]], [[Muri bei Bern]], [[Neuenegg]], [[Ostermundigen]], [[Wohlen bei Bern]], [[Zollikofen]]
|website        = www.bern.ch
}}

'''Bern''' ({{IPA|de-CH|bɛrn|lang|De-Bern.ogg}}), or '''Berne''' ({{IPA|fr|bɛʁn|lang|LL-Q150 (fra)-DSwissK-Berne.wav}}),<ref group=note>{{langx|gsw|Bärn}} {{IPA|gsw|b̥æːrn|}}; {{langx|frp|Bèrna}} {{IPA|frp|ˈbɛʁna||frp-greverin-Bêrna.ogg}}; {{langx|it|Berna}} {{IPA|it|ˈbɛrna|}}; {{langx|rm|Berna}} {{IPA|rm|ˈbɛrnɐ||Roh-Berna.ogg}}.</ref> is the ''[[de facto]]''{{refn|name=DeFacto|group=note|Switzerland has no ''[[de jure]]'' capital}} [[Capital city|capital]] of [[Switzerland]], referred to as the "[[federal city]]".<ref group=note>{{langx|de|Bundesstadt|link=no}}; {{langx|fr|ville fédérale|link=no}}; {{langx|it|città federale|link=no}}; {{langx|rm|citad federala|link=no}}. According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has governmental institutions such as the [[Federal Assembly (Switzerland)|Federal Assembly]] and [[Federal Council (Switzerland)|Federal Council]]. However, the [[Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland|Federal Supreme Court]] is in [[Lausanne]], the [[Federal Criminal Court of Switzerland|Federal Criminal Court]] is in [[Bellinzona]] and the [[Federal Administrative Court (Switzerland)|Federal Administrative Court]] and the [[Federal Patent Court (Switzerland)|Federal Patent Court]] are in [[St. Gallen]], exemplifying the federal nature of the Confederation.</ref><ref name="deFacto">{{citation |title=Die Hauptstadt existiert nicht |trans-title=The capital does not exist |last=Holenstein |first=André |work=UniPress - Forschung und Wissenschaft an der Universität Bern |issue=UniPress 152: Die Hauptstatdtregion |series=UniPress |publisher=[[University of Bern]]|location=Bern|year=2012 |pages=16–19 |doi=10.7892/boris.41280 |s2cid=178237847 |language=de |quote=Als 1848 ein politisch-administratives Zentrum für den neuen Bundesstaat zu bestimmen war, verzichteten die Verfassungsväter darauf, eine Hauptstadt der Schweiz zu bezeichnen und formulierten stattdessen in Artikel 108: «Alles, was sich auf den Sitz der Bundesbehörden bezieht, ist Gegenstand der Bundesgesetzgebung.» Die Bundesstadt ist also nicht mehr und nicht weniger als der Sitz der Bundesbehörden.}}</ref> With a population of about 146,000 ({{as of|2024|lc=y}}), Bern is the [[List of cities in Switzerland|fifth-most populous city in Switzerland]], behind [[Zürich]], [[Geneva]], [[Basel]] and [[Lausanne]].<ref name="StatBern">{{cite web |url=https://www.bern.ch/themen/stadt-recht-und-politik/bern-in-zahlen/in_kuerze |title=Bern in Zahlen: Aktuelles |publisher=City of Bern|type=official site |location=Bern, Switzerland |language=de |access-date=28 January 2025}}</ref> The Bern agglomeration, which includes 36 municipalities, had a population of 406,900 in 2014.<ref name=Agglomeration>{{cite web |url=http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/01/02/blank/key/raeumliche_verteilung/agglomerationen.html |type=Statistics |title=Population size and population composition – Data, indicators – Agglomerations: Permanent resident population in urban and rural areas |publisher=Federal Statistical Office, Neuchâtel, Swiss Federal Administration |date=2015 |access-date=1 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090504233724/http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/01/02/blank/key/raeumliche_verteilung/agglomerationen.html |archive-date=4 May 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[metropolitan area]] had a population of 660,000 in 2000.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.are.admin.ch/themen/agglomeration/00641/03373/index.html?lang=fr |title=Office fédéral du développement territorial ARE&nbsp;– B3: Les aires métropolitaines |format=PDF |page=4 |publisher=Federal Office for Spatial Development ARE |date=7 June 2006 |language=fr, de, it |access-date=17 April 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012094859/http://www.are.admin.ch/themen/agglomeration/00641/03373/index.html?lang=fr |archive-date=12 October 2013}}</ref>

Bern is also the capital of the [[canton of Bern]], the second-most populous of [[Cantons of Switzerland|Switzerland's cantons]]. The city’s official language is [[German language|German]].<ref group=note>The official language in any municipality in German-speaking Switzerland is always German. In this context, the term 'German' is used as an umbrella term for any variety of German. So, according to law, people are allowed to communicate with the authorities by using any kind of German, in written or oral form. However, the authorities will always use [[Swiss Standard German]] (aka the Swiss variety of [[Standard German]]) in documents, or any written form. And orally, it is either ''Hochdeutsch'' (i.e., Swiss Standard German or what the particular speaker considers as ''High German''), or then it depends on the speaker's origin, which dialectal variant they are using.</ref> The main spoken language is the local variant of the [[Alemannic German|Alemannic]] [[Swiss German]] dialect, [[Bernese German]]. In 1983, the [[Old City (Bern)|historic old town]] (in {{langx|de|Altstadt}}) in the centre of Bern became a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Old City of Berne |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/267 |website=UNESCO World Heritage List |publisher=UNESCO |access-date=4 January 2019 |archive-date=2 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302170808/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/267 |url-status=live }}</ref> It is notably surrounded by the [[Aare]], a major river of the [[Swiss Plateau]].

Although fortified settlements were established since antiquity, the medieval city proper was founded by the [[Zähringer]] ruling family, probably in 1191 by [[Berthold V, Duke of Zähringen]]. Bern was made a [[free imperial city]] in 1218 and, in 1353, it joined the [[Old Swiss Confederacy|Swiss Confederacy]], becoming one of its eight early cantons. Since then, Bern became a large [[city-state]] and a prominent actor of Swiss history by pursuing a policy of sovereign territorial expansion. Since the 15th century, the city was progressively rebuilt and acquired its current characteristics. Bern was made the [[Federal City]] in 1848. From about 5,000 inhabitants in the 15th century, the city passed the 100,000 mark in the 1920s.

== Etymology ==
{{Hatnote|See also [[Names of European cities in different languages: B|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 ([[Middle High German]] {{lang|gmh|bër}}). 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]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Deutsches Ortsnamenbuch|editor-last=Niemeyer|editor-first=Manfred|date=2012|location=Berlin|publisher=De Gruyter|isbn=978-3-11-025802-8|pages=60 f|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=olXnBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA60}}</ref> The city was sometimes referred to as ''Bern im [[Üechtland]]'' to distinguish it from Verona.<ref>{{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 }}</ref> 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".<ref>Andres Kristol (ed.): Lexikon der schweizerischen Gemeindenamen. Huber, Frauenfeld 2005, {{ISBN|3-7193-1308-5}}, p. 143.</ref> The bear was the heraldic animal of the [[Coat of arms of Bern|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.

== History ==
{{Main|History of Bern}}
{{For timeline}}

=== Early history ===
[[File:Untertorbrücke Tschachtlanchronik.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Construction of the [[Untertorbrücke]] (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 [[Celts|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 [[Commentarii de Bello Gallico|Caesar]]. During the [[Germania Superior|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, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]].

=== Old Swiss Confederacy ===
In 1353, Bern joined the [[Old Swiss Confederacy|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|thumb|left|Bern in 1638]]
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 [[Bubonic plague|pestilence]] that hit Europe in the 14th century, the city continued to grow, mainly due to [[immigration]] from the surrounding countryside.<ref>{{HDS|209|Bern: Development of the settlement and the population}}</ref>

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]].<ref>{{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}}</ref> From 1689 to 3 March 1798 in the town was printed, in [[French language|French]], the biweekly newspaper ''[[Gazette de Berne]]'', which reflected the opinions of Bern,<ref>{{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}}</ref> usually hostile to the politics of [[Pre-revolutionary France]].<ref>{{HDS|043041|author=Ernst Bollinger|Gazette de Bern}}</ref>

=== Modern history ===
[[File:Johann Heinrich Müller, 1825-1894 H01b Bern.JPG|thumb|View of Bern and the [[Bernese Alps]] from "Schänzli", c.&nbsp;1870.<br>Etching by [[commons:Category:Johann Heinrich Müller (1825-1894)|Heinrich Müller]]]]
Bern was occupied by [[First French Republic|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 (Switzerland)|Restoration]] and until the secession of the [[canton of Jura]] in 1979.

On 28 November 1848, during the [[Revolutions of 1848|revolutions that year]], a majority of the new Swiss [[Federal Assembly of Switzerland|Federal Assembly]] deputies chose Bern as the [[Federal City]] (seat of the government) of the newly created [[Switzerland as a federal state|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 War|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.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

A number of congresses of the [[socialist]] [[First International|First]] and [[Second International]]s 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]].<ref>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}}</ref>

== Geography and climate ==

=== Topography ===
{{Further|List of parks in Bern}}
[[File:Bern luftaufnahme.png|thumb|Aerial view of the [[Old City of Bern]] and the [[Aare]]]]
[[File:Bern 2.jpg|thumb|The Old City with the Minster and its platform above the lower ''Matte'' quarter and the [[Aare]]]]
[[File:Aareschlaufe Bern-East.svg|thumb|The Aare flows in a wide loop around the Old City.]]
[[File:Bern, Switzerland.JPG|thumb|View of Bern from the [[International Space Station|ISS]]. 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 (mountain)|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 [[Swiss coordinate system|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 [[List of Aar bridges in Bern|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 ([[Mattequartier|Matte]], [[Marzili, Bern|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.<ref name=BFS_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</ref>

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.<ref name=BFS_land/>

=== Climate ===
According to the [[Köppen Climate Classification]], Bern has an [[oceanic climate]] (''Cfb'')<ref name=":0">{{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}}</ref> 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}}.<ref name=":0"/> The highest temperature recorded at Bern / Zollikofen is {{convert|37.0|C|F}},<ref>{{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}}</ref> recorded in [[2003 European heat wave|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,<ref name=":0"/> and the warmest day reaches an average of {{convert|32.1|C|F}}.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

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}}.<ref name=":0"/> 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}}.<ref name=":0"/> The lowest temperature ever recorded at Bern (Zollikofen) was {{convert|-23.0|C|F}},<ref>{{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}}</ref> recorded in February 1929, and typically the coldest temperature of the year reaches an average of {{convert|-12.8|C|F}}<ref>{{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}}</ref> 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 = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]]<ref name=NOAA1>{{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}}</ref>
|source 2 = [[MeteoSwiss]]<ref name=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}}</ref>[[Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute|KNMI]]<ref>{{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 (institute)|KNMI]] }}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

}}

== Politics ==

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

=== Government ===
[[File:Erlacherhof.jpg|thumb|Erlacherhof]]
[[File:Rathaus (Bern).jpg|thumb|right|Rathaus]]
{{See also|List of mayors of Bern}}
{{See also|Gemeinderat (Bern)}}

The Municipal Council (de: '''Gemeinderat''', fr: '''conseil municipal''') constitutes the [[executive (government)|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 [[Proportional representation|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 [[Junkerngasse|Erlacherhof]], built by architect Albrecht [[Sturler|Stürler]] after 1747.

{{As of|2025}}, Bern's Municipal Council is made up of two representatives of the SP ([[Social Democratic Party of Switzerland|Social Democratic Party]]), and one each of GFL (''Grüne Freie Liste'' a.k.a. Green Free List), GB ([[Grünes Bündnis Bern|Green Alliance of Bern]]) and GLP ([[Green Liberal Party of Switzerland|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.<ref name=election>{{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}}</ref>
<ref name=GR>{{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}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable"
|+ The Municipal Council (''Gemeinderat'') of Bern for the mandate period 2025-2028<ref name=GR/>
! Municipal Councillor<br/ >(''Gemeinderat/-rätin'') !! Party !! Head of Directorate (''Direktion'', since) of !! elected since
|-
| '''{{ill|Marieke Kruit|de}}'''<ref group=GR>Mayor (''Stadtpräsidentin'')</ref> || {{Color box|{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Switzerland}}|border=darkgray}} SP || Mayor's Office (''Präsidialdirektion (PRD)'', 2025) || 2021
|-
| {{ill|Alec von Graffenried|de}}<ref group=GR>Vice-Mayor (''Vizepräsident'')</ref> || {{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'').<ref>{{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}}</ref> She was elected by the Municipal Council in 2021.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

=== Parliament ===
{{Pie chart
| thumb =right
| caption =The ''Stadtrat'' of Bern for the mandate period of 2021–2024:<ref name=SR/>
| 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 of Switzerland|Social Democratic Party (SP/PS)]] including two seats by the junior party ''JUSO'', 11 (+3) [[Green Liberal Party of Switzerland|Green Liberal Party (glp/pvl)]] including two member of its junior party ''jglp'', 10 (+1) [[Grünes Bündnis Bern|Green Alliance of Bern (GB)]], 8 (-1) [[FDP.The Liberals|The Liberals (FDP/PLR)]] including one seat by its junior partner ''JF / DL'', 7 (-2) [[Swiss People's Party|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 Left|Alternative Linke Bern (AL)]], 2 (-1) [[Conservative Democratic Party of Switzerland|Conservative Democratic Party (BDP/PBD)]], 2 (-) [[Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland|Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP/PDC)]], 2 (-) [[Evangelical People's Party of Switzerland|Evangelical People's Party (EVP/PEV)]], 1 (-) [[Swiss Party of Labour|Swiss Party of Labour (PdA)]], and 1 ''Grüne alternative Partei (GaP)'' (or Green alternative Party).<ref name=election/><ref name=SR>{{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}}</ref>

=== National elections ===

==== National Council ====
In the [[2019 Swiss federal election|2019 federal election]] for the [[National Council (Switzerland)|Swiss National Council]] the most popular party was the [[Social Democratic Party of Switzerland|PS]] which received 28.7% (-5.6) of the vote. The next five most popular parties were the [[Green Party of Switzerland|Green Party]] (25.2%, +7.9), the [[Green Liberal Party of Switzerland|pvl]] (13.5%, +4.1), the [[Swiss People's Party|UDC]] (9.5%, -2.9), [[FDP.The Liberals|PLR]] (4.2%, -2.8), and the [[Conservative Democratic Party of Switzerland|BDP/PBD]] (7.0%).<ref>{{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 }}</ref> In the federal election a total of 49,030 votes were cast, and the [[voter turnout]] was 56%.<ref>{{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 }}</ref>

In the [[2015 Swiss federal election|2015 federal election]] for the [[National Council (Switzerland)|Swiss National Council]] the most popular party was the [[Social Democratic Party of Switzerland|PS]] which received 34.3% of the vote. The next five most popular parties were the [[Green Party of Switzerland|Green Party]] (17.4%), the [[Swiss People's Party|UDC]] (12.4%), and the [[FDP.The Liberals|FDP/PLR]] (9.9%), [[Green Liberal Party of Switzerland|glp/pvl]] (9.4%), and the [[Conservative Democratic Party of Switzerland|BDP/PBD]] (7.0%). In the federal election, a total of 48,556 voters were cast, and the [[voter turnout]] was 56.0%.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

=== International relations ===

==== Twin and sister cities ====
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 [[Austria]]n city [[Salzburg]].<ref>{{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 }}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref>

== Demographics ==
[[File:Bern population pyramid.svg|thumb|Bern population pyramid in 2021]]
{| class="wikitable floatright"
|+ Largest groups of foreign residents 2012
|-
!Nationality || Number || % total<br/ >(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=<ref>{{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 (Switzerland)|Federal Statistical Office]]}}</ref><ref>{{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 (Switzerland)|Federal Statistical Office]]}}</ref>}}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%.<ref name=SFSO>[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</ref>

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 language|Romansh]].<ref name=STAT2000/>

{{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.<ref name=BE_Stat>[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</ref> 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.<ref name=STAT2000/>

{{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%.<ref name=SFSO/>

{{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.<ref name=STAT2000>[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&nbsp;– 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</ref>

{{as of|2000}}, there were 67,115 private households in the municipality, and an average of 1.8 persons per household.<ref name=SFSO/> 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.<ref name=Housing>[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&nbsp;– Datenwürfel für Thema 09.2&nbsp;– 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</ref> {{as of|2009}}, the construction rate of new housing units was 1.2 new units per 1000 residents.<ref name=SFSO/>

{{as of|2003}} the average price to rent an average apartment in Bern was 1108.92 [[Swiss franc]]s (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.<ref name=BFS_rent>[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</ref> The vacancy rate for the municipality, {{as of|2010|alt=in 2010}}, was 0.45%.<ref name=SFSO/>

=== Historical population ===
The historical population is given in the following chart:<ref name=HDS>{{HDS|209|Bern}}</ref>
<timeline>
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
</timeline>
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|-
! colspan="12" | Historical population data<ref name=HDS/>
|-
! 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
|}

=== Religion ===
[[File:Heiliggeistkirche Bern 2.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Church of the Holy Ghost, Bern|Church of the Holy Ghost]]]]
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 [[Orthodoxy#Christianity|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 [[Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland|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 [[Buddhism|Buddhist]], 1,430 persons who were [[Hinduism|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 [[Atheism|atheist]], and 7,855 persons (or about 6.11% of the population) did not answer the question.<ref name=STAT2000/> On 14 December 2014 the [[Haus der Religionen]] was inaugurated.

== Main sights ==
[[File:Bundeshaus_Bern_2009,_Flooffy.jpg|thumb|The central building of the Federal Palace of Switzerland]]
[[File:4377 - Bern - Kindlifresserbrunnen am Kornhausplatz.JPG|thumb|upright|The ogre of the Kindlifresserbrunnen has a sack of children waiting to be devoured.]]

The structure of Bern's [[Old City (Bern)|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 architecture|Gothic]] cathedral, the ''[[Münster (Bern)|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.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

The Federal Palace ([[Federal Palace of Switzerland|Bundeshaus]]), built from 1857 to 1902, which houses the [[Swiss Federal Assembly|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|''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 [[List of fountains in Bern|eleven Renaissance allegorical statues]] on public fountains in the Old Town. Nearly all the 16th-century fountains, except the [[Zähringerbrunnen|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,<ref>[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}}</ref> the Greek god [[Chronos]], or a [[Swabian-Alemannic-Fastnacht|Fastnacht]] figure meant to frighten disobedient children.<ref>{{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 }}</ref>

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.

=== Heritage sites of national significance ===
[[File:The Zytglogge clock tower.jpg|thumb|The [[Zytglogge]] clock tower and the city's medieval covered shopping promenades (''Lauben'')]]
Bern is home to 114 Swiss [[Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance|heritage sites of national significance]].<ref>{{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}}</ref>

The list includes the entire [[Old Town of Bern|Old Town]], which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and many sites within and around it. Among the most notable within the Old Town are the [[Bern Minster|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, the [[Church of the Holy Ghost, Bern|Holy Ghost Church]], which is one of the largest [[Swiss Reformed Church|Swiss Reformed]] churches in Switzerland, and eleven [[List of fountains in Bern|16th-century fountains]], most attributed to [[Hans Gieng]].

Outside the Old Town, the heritage sites include the [[Bärengraben]] (Bear Pit), 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 [[Swissmint|Federal Mint]] building, the [[Swiss Federal Archives|Federal Archives]], the [[Swiss National Library]], the [[Historical Museum of Bern|Historical Museum]] (1894), [[Alpine Museum of Bern|Alpine Museum]], [[Museum of Communication Bern|Museum of Communication]] and [[Natural History Museum of Bern|Natural History Museum]].

== Culture ==
[[File:Zentrum Paul Klee Bern 15.JPG|thumb|[[Zentrum Paul Klee]]]]
[[File:Stadttheater Bern in 2022.jpg|thumb|Stadttheater]]
{{See also|List of museums in Bern}}

=== Theatres ===
* [[Bern Theatre]]<ref>{{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}}</ref>
* Narrenpack Theatre Bern<ref>{{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}}</ref>
* Schlachthaus Theatre<ref>{{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}}</ref>
* [[Tojo Theater]]
* The Theatre on the Effinger-Street<ref>{{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}}</ref>
* Theatre am Käfigturm<ref>{{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}}</ref>

=== Cinemas ===
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.

===Film festivals===
* [[Shnit international shortfilmfestival|shnit International Shortfilmfestival]], held annually in early October.
* [[Queersicht]]&nbsp;– gay and lesbian film festival, held annually in the second week of November.

=== Festivals ===
* [[BeJazz]] Summer and Winter Festival
* Buskers Bern [[Street performance|Street Music]] Festival
* [[Gurtenfestival]]
* Internationales Jazzfestival Bern
* Taktlos-Festival

=== Music events ===
The ''Musikpreis des Kantons Bern'' is an annual musical event where "Outstanding musicians which styles shape the Bern music scene" are honored.<ref>{{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
}}</ref><ref>{{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
}}</ref>

=== Fairs ===
* [[Zibelemärit]]&nbsp;– The Zibelemärit (onion market) is an annual fair held on the fourth Monday in November.
* [[Bernese Fasnacht (Carnival)]]

== Sports ==
[[File:Stade de Suisse Luftbild 2011.jpg|thumb|[[Stadion Wankdorf]]]]
Bern was the site of the [[1954 FIFA World Cup Final]], in which [[West Germany national football team|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 [[UEFA Euro 2008|2008 UEFA European Championship]], in which it hosted three matches.

[[FC Breitenrain Bern]], founded in 1994, also play in Bern.<ref>{{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 }}</ref>

[[SC Bern]] is the major ice hockey team of Bern which plays in the [[PostFinance Arena]]. They compete in the [[National League (ice hockey)|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.<ref name=SCBernAttendence>{{cite news |last=Merk |first=Martin |date=12 March 2015 |title= Swiss stay top: SC Bern number one in European attendance ranking }}</ref> PostFinance Arena was the main host of the [[2009 IIHF World Championship|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|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.<ref>http://www.basketballbern.ch {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228041027/http://basketballbern.ch/ |date=28 February 2021 }} Bern Bears</ref>

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|1955 Le Mans Disaster]], but they made an amendment in 2015 to host electric racing, which is how the [[Swiss ePrix]] happened in 2019.

== Economy ==
{{as of|2010|In 2010}}, Bern had an unemployment rate of 3.3%. {{as of|2008}}, there were 259 people employed in the [[Primary sector of the economy|primary economic sector]] and about 59 businesses involved in this sector. 16,413 people were employed in the [[Secondary sector of the economy|secondary sector]] and there were 950 businesses in this sector. 135,973 people were employed in the [[Tertiary sector of the economy|tertiary sector]], with 7,654 businesses in this sector.<ref name=SFSO/>

{{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.<ref>[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</ref>

{{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.<ref name=commuter>[https://archive.today/20120804043150/http://www.media-stat.admin.ch/stat/pendler/pop.php Swiss Federal Statistical Office&nbsp;– Statweb] {{in lang|de}} accessed 24 June 2010</ref> Of the working population, 50.6% used public transport to get to work, and 20.6% used a private car.<ref name=SFSO/>

== Education ==
[[File:Universität Bern Hauptgebäude DSC05758.jpg|thumb|Main building of the University of Bern]]
The [[University of Bern]], whose buildings are mainly located in the ''Länggasse'' quarter, is located in Bern, as well as the [[Bern University of Applied Sciences|University of Applied Sciences]] (''Fachhochschule'') and several vocations schools.

In Bern, about 50,418 or (39.2%) of the population have completed non-mandatory [[Education in Switzerland#Secondary|upper secondary education]], and 24,311 or (18.9%) have completed additional higher education (either [[List of universities in Switzerland|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.<ref name=STAT2000/>

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]].<ref>{{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 }}</ref>

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.<ref name=School>[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</ref>

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.<ref>[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</ref>

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

== Transport ==
[[File:Bern tram and cathedral.png|thumb|right|[[Trams in Bern|Tram]] on the Kirchenfeldbrücke, with the [[Bern Minster]] and Casino Bern in the background]]
{{Main|BERNMOBIL|Trams in Bern|Trolleybuses in Bern|Bern S-Bahn}}

=== Public transport ===
Bern is served by a dense network of trains, [[Trams in Bern|trams]], [[Trolleybuses in Bern|trolleybuses]], and conventional motorbuses. The [[Bern S-Bahn]] is Switzerland's second busiest.

Bern is the centre of the [[Libero-Tarifverbund|Libero tariff network]], which covers the cantons of Bern and [[Canton of Solothurn|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, [[PostBus Switzerland|PostAuto buses]], [[Trams in Bern|trams]], buses ([[Trolleybuses in Bern|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|thumb|[[Bern railway station]]]]
The city is well served by railways, with the extensive S-Bahn network and many regional and international connections. [[Bern railway station|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.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

A [[funicular railway]] called the [[Marzili Funicular|Marzilibahn]] leads from the ''Marzili'' district to the [[Federal Palace of Switzerland|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]].

=== Road traffic ===
[[List of Aar bridges in Bern|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 [[Autobahns of Switzerland|motorways]] ([[A1 (Switzerland)|A1]], [[A12 motorway (Switzerland)|A12]], [[A6 motorway (Switzerland)|A6]]).

=== Airport ===
[[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 [[SBB CFF FFS|train]] or car from Bern.

=== Bicycle transport ===
The city has made efforts to make Bern the "bicycle capital" of Switzerland through the creation of better infrastructure, such as dedicated cycle paths.<ref>{{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}}</ref> {{Interlanguage link|PubliBike|lt=PubliBike|de}} operates a bike-sharing system.

== Notable people ==
[[File:Grynaeus.jpg|thumb|140px|J J Grynaeus]]
[[File:BubenbergDenkmal 8406.jpg|140px|thumb|Statue of Adrian von Bubenberg]]
[[File:Anna Fedorovna by unknown.jpg|140px|thumb|Anna Feodorovna, early 1800s]]
[[File:Albrecht von Haller 1736.jpg|140px|thumb|Albrecht von Haller, 1736]]
[[File:Einstein 1921 by F Schmutzer - restoration.jpg|140px|thumb|Albert Einstein, 1921]]
[[File:Johann Rudolf Wyss (der Jüngere).jpg|140px|thumb|Johann Rudolf Wyss]]
[[File:Daniel Albert Wyttenbach - Imagines philologorum.jpg|thumb|140px|Daniel Albert Wyttenbach]]
[[File:Lukas Hartmann.jpg|140px|thumb|Lukas Hartmann, 1985]]
[[File:NiklausManuel1530.jpg|140px|thumb|Niklaus Manuel, 1530]]
[[File:ManiMatter1970.jpg|140px|thumb|Mani Matter, 1970]]
[[File:Patricia Kopatchinskaja 4 (c) Marco Borggreve.JPG|140px|thumb|Patricia Kopatchinskaja, 2012]]

=== Public servants, the military and the church ===
* [[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]]<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Grynaeus, Johann Jakob |volume= 12 | page = 642 |short= 1}}</ref> 
* [[Robert Scipio von Lentulus|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 [[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees|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

=== Politicians and the landed gentry ===
* [[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]]
* [[Julie Bondeli|Susanna Julie von Bondeli]] (1731–1778) – famous salonist and lady of letters, the salon became the center of intellectual life in Bern. 
* [[Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld|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.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Bakunin, Mikhail |volume= 3 | page = 231 |short= 1}}</ref> 
* [[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<ref name="woz-20111110">{{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}}</ref>
* [[Ursula Wyss]] (born 1973) – economist and politician
* [[Min Li Marti]] (born 1974) – politician, publisher, sociologist and historian

=== Science and academia ===
* [[Albrecht von Haller]] (1708–1777) – anatomist, physiologist, naturalist, bibliographer and poet<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Haller, Albrecht von |volume= 12 | pages = 855&ndash;856 |short= 1 }}</ref>
* [[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 (botanist)|Ludwig Fischer]] (1828–1907) – botanist, researched [[phanerogams]] and [[cryptogams]]
* [[Adolph Francis Alphonse Bandelier]] (1840–1914) – American archaeologist.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Bandelier, Adolph Francis Alphonse |volume= 3 | page = 311 |short= 1}}</ref> 
* [[Emil Theodor Kocher]] (1841–1917) – physician and medical researcher, received the 1909 [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine]] for work on the thyroid<ref>{{Cite Americana|wstitle=Kocher,_Emil_Theodor |short=x}}</ref>
* [[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 [[Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property|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)]]

=== Writing and acting ===
* [[Ulrich Boner]] or Bonerius (early 14th century) – German-speaking Swiss writer of fable<ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Boner,_Ulrich |volume=4 |page= 203|short=x}}</ref>
* [[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<ref>{{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}}</ref>
* [[Daniel Albert Wyttenbach]] (1746–1820) – German Swiss classical scholar<ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Wyttenbach,_Daniel_Albert |volume=28 |last= Reid |first= James Smith |author-link= James Smith Reid |pages = 879&ndash;880 |short=x}}</ref>
* [[Johann Rudolf Wyss]] (1782–1830) – author, writer, and folklorist who wrote the words to the former Swiss national anthem<ref>{{Cite Americana|wstitle=Wyss,_Johann_Rudolf |short=x}}</ref>
* [[Charles Monnard]] (1790–1865) – historian and member of the [[Helvetic Society]]
* [[Vincent O. Carter]] (1924–1983) – American writer, author of ''The Bern Book''<ref>[https://www.literapedia-bern.ch/Carter,_Vincent_O. Vincent O. Carter] entry in the ''literapedia bern''</ref> 
* [[Selma Urfer]] (1928–2013) – author, translator and actress<ref>[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</ref>
* [[Liselotte Pulver]] (born 1929) – actress, well known for her hearty and joyful laughter<ref>[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</ref>
* [[Bigna Francis-von Wyttenbach]] (1930–2021) – Swiss writer
* [[Yves Rénier]] (1942–2021) – French actor, director, screenwriter and voice actor<ref>[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</ref>
* [[Lukas Hartmann]] (born 1944) – children's writer, Switzerland's "first husband" in 2015
* [[Yang Lian (poet)|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<ref>[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</ref>
* [[Georges Delnon]] (born 1958) – theatre director, artistic director and professor
* [[Sabine Timoteo]] (born 1975) – actress<ref>[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</ref>
* [[Yangzom Brauen]] (born 1980) – actress, activist and writer<ref>[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</ref>
* [[Cleo von Adelsheim]] (born 1987) – German-Chilean actress<ref>[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</ref>

=== Artists, painters and musicians ===
* [[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 [[The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians|biographer]] 
* [[Klaus Huber]] (1924–2017) – composer and academic 
* [[Margrit Zimmermann]] (1927–2020) – pianist, composer, conductor and music educator
* [[Mani Matter]] (1936–1972) – singer-songwriter<ref>[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</ref>
* [[Roland Zoss]] (born 1951) – songwriter and novelist, lives on the [[Aeolian Islands]]
* [[Christine Lauterburg]] (born 1956) – singer, yodeler and actress<ref>[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</ref>
* [[Patricia Kopatchinskaja]] (born 1977) – Moldovan-Austrian-Swiss violinist
* [[:de:Zora Slokar|Zora Slokar]], (born 1980) horn player with [[Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana]]
* [[Giuseppe Bausilio]] (born 1997) – actor, dancer, and singer<ref>[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</ref>

=== Business ===
* [[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 & Sprüngli|Lindt chocolate factory]]
* [[Marianne Alvoni]] (born 1964) – fashion designer

=== Sport ===
[[File:Otto Hess by Carl Horner.jpg|140px|thumb|Otto Hess, c.&nbsp;1906]]
[[File:Jenni 2013-04-15.JPG|140px|thumb|Jennifer Oehrli, 2013]]
* [[Elia Alessandrini]] (1997–2022), footballer, prospect player for the [[Switzerland national football team]], died from drowning in Oman
* [[Philippe d'Ursel|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 [[History of the Boston Braves|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 (racing driver)|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

== See also ==
*[[Municipalities of the canton of Bern]]
*[[Tourism in Switzerland]]

== Notes and references ==

=== Notes ===
{{Reflist|group=note}}

=== References ===
{{reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{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]

{{Districts and quarters of 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:Bern| ]]
[[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:Free imperial cities]]