People who see Bern for the first time will be stunned by the beauty of its new buildings. The city of Switzerland is built on a sandy ridge of a mountain. High bridges connect the upland part of the city with newer parts in the lowlands. The houses and shops, with their arcaded streets and protruding roofs, reflect the prosperity of the citizens of Bern in the 17th and 18th centuries. The charming character of the well-preserved old town is integrated into the daily life of the new one.
Bern has been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
Old city
This amazing place is more than worthy of its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Perched on a cliff surrounded on three sides by the stunning turquoise waters of the Aare River, the old town has retained its medieval character. Streets lined with old stones, arcade sidewalks create an atmosphere of the Middle Ages. The lower floors of the buildings house shops, cafes, bookstores and restaurants, while the apartments occupy the upper floors. The old town is home to the city's best tourist attractions, including all the bridges over the Aare, public fountains, old statues, towers and of course the famous clock tower.
Kunstmuseum
West of Waisenhausplatz, on Hodlerstrasse, is the famous Kunstmuseum (art museum). This massive and impressive museum is home to over 51,000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs and films. It is the oldest art museum in Switzerland, built in 1879, and has a reputation for international importance. The collection includes pieces of art from the Italian movement, the Swiss movement and international painting with a particular focus on Paul Klee and Kandinsky.
Einstein Museum and Bern Historical Museum
The building was designed on the basis of 15th century castles. The Bern Historical Museum was merged with the Einstein Museum to form the second largest museum in Switzerland. More than half a million objects from the Stone Age, Celts, Romans, the Middle Ages to the 20th century.
The Einstein Museum illuminates the life of the great scientist, showing how he lived through dozens of old films, his personal items and letters. Einstein made some of his most impressive discoveries while living in Bern in the early 1900s, including life-changing work for the photoelectric effect, Brownian motion, and special relativity. You can even see his Nobel Prize certificate here. And for those of us outside of physics, animated films will help us understand Einstein's pioneering theories. The museum is located on Helveziaplatz near the Old Town.
