24 Facts About Bern

1.

Bern is the capital of the canton of Bern, the second-most populous of Switzerland's cantons.

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2.

Bern was made a free imperial city in 1218 and, in 1353, it joined the Swiss Confederacy, becoming one of its eight early cantons.

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3.

Since then, Bern became a large city-state and a prominent actor of Swiss history by pursuing a policy of sovereign territorial expansion.

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4.

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.

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5.

In 1353, Bern joined the Swiss Confederacy, becoming one of the eight cantons of the formative period of 1353 to 1481.

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6.

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.

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7.

Bern was occupied by French troops in 1798 during the French Revolutionary Wars, when it was stripped of parts of its territories.

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8.

Bern was made the Federal City within the new Swiss federal state in 1848.

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9.

The countryside around Bern was formed by glaciers during the most recent ice age.

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10.

The site of the old observatory in Bern is the point of origin of the CH1903 coordinate system at.

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11.

Closest weather station near Bern is located in the municipality of Zollikofen, about 5 kilometres north of the city centre.

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12.

Any resident of Bern allowed to vote can be elected as a member of the Municipal Council.

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13.

Any resident of Bern allowed to vote can be elected as a member of the City Council.

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14.

Municipal Council of the city of Bern decided against having twinned cities except for a temporary cooperation with the Austrian city Salzburg.

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15.

Bern is home to 114 Swiss heritage sites of national significance.

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16.

Musikpreis des Kantons Bern is an annual musical event where "Outstanding musicians which styles shape the Bern music scene" are honored.

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17.

SC Bern is the major ice hockey team of Bern which plays in the PostFinance Arena.

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18.

Bern Cardinals is the baseball and softball team of Bern, which plays at the Allmend.

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19.

Bern Grizzlies is the American football club in Bern and plays in the top level Nationalliga A at Athletics Arena Wankdorf.

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20.

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.

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21.

Bern Bears is an NGO Basketball Club since 2010 in city of Bern.

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22.

Bern is served by a dense network of trains, trams, trolleybuses, and conventional motorbuses.

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23.

Bern is well connected to other cities by several motorways .

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24.

Bern Airport located outside the city near the town of Belp, as of March 2021 mostly serves general aviation and charter flights.

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