Bern / Innere Stadt

Bern is the capital of Switzerland and is located in the German speaking part of the country. Settlement existed here since ancient times, but medieval Bern was founded in the late 12th century CE. The city is located inside a sharp U-bend in the River Aare, downstream from Interlaken (see another post). So the city is surrounded on 3 sides by water. Also, during floods, the Aare cut channels across the peninsula, for lack of a better word. 3 of these became the moat at the city wall at each expansion of the city.
The 1st picture looks down from the top level of the Zytglogge (see another post) into the old town. Bern was destroyed by fire in the early 15th century, and the town required that reconstruction be done with stone. Hence the sandstone architecture visible throughout the old town.
The 2nd picture is if one of many fountains in town, each different. This one is the Child Eater fountain or Kindlifresserbrunnen. (Don't you just love German words?) This is the Swiss equivalent of the bogey man that misbehaving kids were threatened with.
The 3rd picture is another of the fountains, most of which are intended to give positive messages, such as here with its emphasis on music.
The 4rd picture is of the Church of the Hy Ghost, the 1st church in Bern built specifically as a protestant church. Roman ruins were found underneath, suggesting that this might have been the site of a Roman temple The 5th picture is the entrance to the Münster or cathedral in Bern. My visit here was on Easter, arriving Sunday afternoon. So many places, including churches were closed.
The 6th picture is the guard tower at the 2nd wall that once served as a prison. The moat/ river channel is now a boulevard.
The 7th picture looks down the street to the Swiss Parliament building. The 7th picture is a building opposite the parliament. Windows and glass were taxed back in the day. So to minimize taxes on the one hand and provide a visually harmonious building on the other, some of this window are not real. They are painted on. Can you tell which are which?Baca lagi