Bern

Sitting on a hilly peninsula formed by the meandering nature of the Aare River, Bern serves as the medium-sized administrative capital city of Switzerland. The historic Old Town area featuring over 6 kilometers of arcaded walkways alongside streets decked with fountains and clock-towers of Bern is now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Founded by Duke Berthold V von Zahringen in 1191, Bern was originally a part of the Holy Roman Empire.

Bernese-German is the main language widely spoken in this town along with English, which seems to be fast replacing French as a favorite second language. Built on uneven ground, Bern has outgrown to expand far beyond the Aare River. Scenically sprawled over a 51.6 square kilometer area, Bern is well connected through a number of bridges that were specifically built so as to serve this purpose.