Old City of Berne

A tour through the centuries

The city, founded in 1191, is enthroned on a peninsula high above the Aare and still bears witness today to the ambitious scale of urban development in medieval Europe. It is a positive example of how a medieval city structure can be retained and yet adapted to also meet contemporary requirements. With its impressive closed rows of houses, its attractive roof landscape, arcades, cellars, towers and fountains, which have largely retained their original form, the federal capital city invites you to go on a tour through the centuries.