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Bern

Capital of SwitzerlandBern lies slightly west of the centre of Switzerland, on the Swiss Plateau between the Jura Mountains and the Alps. Its old town was built on a hilly peninsula almost surrounded by the river Aare.

Why it's the capital

On 28 November 1848, the deputies of the new Swiss Federal Assembly chose Bern as the federal city, the seat of government, ahead of Zürich and Lucerne. The constitution calls Bern the seat of government rather than the official capital.

Fun facts

  1. Legend says Duke Berthold V of Zähringen, who founded the city in 1191, named it after the first animal he met on a hunt: a bear.
  2. The Zytglogge, whose name means 'Time Bell', is a medieval clock tower with moving puppets.
  3. Albert Einstein lived in a flat at Kramgasse 49 from 1903 to 1905, the year his famous 'miracle year' papers were published.

Finding it on the globe

Stay away from the borders: Bern is close to the middle of Switzerland, just a little to the west of the centre.

Easy to mix up

Players often pick Zürich or Geneva, which are bigger cities, but the Swiss government sits in Bern.

Sources: Wikipedia: Bern, Wikipedia: Swiss Plateau