Editing Bern (section)

{{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
|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 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> but 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.