Audio Guide: Bern Introduction Walking Tour (Self Guided), Bern

During his visit in 1779, German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe did not hesitate to call Bern the most beautiful city he had ever seen.

Bern, the capital of Switzerland, was founded in 1191 by Duke Berchtold V of Zähringen, who established the city on a narrow peninsula formed by a bend in the Aare River. According to local legend, the duke vowed to name his new settlement after the first animal he hunted in the surrounding forest. That animal turned out to be a bear, giving rise to the name Bern. Bears have appeared on the city’s coat of arms for centuries and remain closely associated with Bern today, most visibly at the famous Bear Park.

Thanks to its naturally defensible position and strategic location along important trade routes, Bern prospered rapidly. After the Zähringen dynasty died out in 1218, the city became a Free Imperial City within the Holy Roman Empire, gaining considerable autonomy. Bern’s influence continued to expand, and in 1353 it joined the Old Swiss Confederacy as its eighth canton, eventually becoming one of its most powerful members.

A defining moment in Bern’s history came in 1405, when a devastating fire destroyed much of the medieval town. During the subsequent rebuilding, many timber houses were replaced with the distinctive sandstone buildings that still characterize the Old Town today.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, Bern developed into one of the largest city-states north of the Alps, controlling extensive territories in present-day Switzerland. The city embraced the Protestant Reformation in 1528, profoundly reshaping its religious and political life. Following the French invasion of Switzerland in 1798, Bern lost much of its territorial power but retained its importance within the Swiss Confederation.

When the modern Swiss federal state was established in 1848, Bern was chosen as the country’s Federal City, becoming the seat of the Swiss government and parliament.

Today, Bern’s UNESCO-listed Old Town is a delightful maze of medieval streets lined with elegant sandstone buildings and nearly six kilometers of covered arcades filled with boutiques, cafés, and historic cellars. Along the way, visitors encounter the animated Clock Tower, the soaring Gothic Cathedral of Bern, and the imposing Federal Palace overlooking the Aare River. Colorful Renaissance fountains, lively squares, flower-filled terraces, medieval towers, and scenic river views complete a walk through one of Europe’s finest and best-preserved historic centers.

As you set off through Bern’s arcaded streets and timeworn squares, you can decide for yourself whether Goethe was right. By the end of the walk, however, you may find that calling Bern the most beautiful city he had ever seen was not such an exaggeration after all.