If you type “What is the capital of Switzerland?” into a search engine, you can find the answer. , we may see the following related entries.
“Is Zurich the capital of Switzerland?”
“Is Geneva the capital of Switzerland?”
“Is the capital of Switzerland Zurich or Geneva?”
▲Views of Zurich
The international reputation of Geneva is much higher than that of Berne, as many international organizations are headquartered there.
This kind of sudden confusion is quite common, just as we occasionally lose track of New York and Washington, Sydney and Canberra, Mumbai and New Delhi.
But Bern, the real capital of Switzerland, cries out, as the capitals of the aforementioned countries are still in the two or three options; Bern, on the other hand, is so often in the middle of Zurich, Geneva and Lucerne that it doesn’t even deserve a name.
The distribution of major cities in Switzerland (please view in landscape on cell phones)
What kind of city is Berne, and how did it stand out as the federal capital of Switzerland?
The beautiful scenery of Berne
- A veritable bear town
Berne, the name is not like Zurich, which, like the city, has a hint of a long and sober history, or like Geneva, which, although it is hard to pronounce, gives one a sense of seriousness and inviolability. Bern, by contrast, seems unimpressive, and one has to read it several times to remember it.
In the past few years, we have seen an increase in the number of people in the city who are interested in the city.
In the past, the city of Bern has been a place where the bears have been kept since 1480, and for the city and its inhabitants, the bear has become an irreplaceable mascot and symbol.
Since it’s called Bear Town, it’s only natural that its history has something to do with bears.
Bern is located on a loop of the Aare River, a tributary of the Rhine, close to the junction of the French and German language regions, where ancient ruins such as the old Niederöge Castle remain.
In 1191, the Duke of Berthold of Zähringen happened to pass by and was inspired by the fortress, so he decided to build a city to serve as a military outpost on the border between the German-speaking Alemanni and the French-speaking Burgundians.
This is the first time that a city has been built in Switzerland, and the first time that a city has been built in Switzerland.
The Duke of Berne was not yet called Berne, and the Duke of Berthold wanted to give the new city a good name, but lacking in originality, he went out hunting and named it after the first animal he shot.
In the past few years, we have seen a lot of people who are interested in the city of Bern.
In the past few years, the city has been a major attraction for the public.
Although the selection process was arbitrary and random, it is interesting to note that when people evaluate Bern, they always cite its strengths as prudence and pragmatism, and its negative traits as dullness, listlessness, and lack of education – which seems to be quite relevant to the Bear City?
On the face of it, Bern is indeed as silly as a bear. It is a small city with much smaller population centers and a much simpler life than the spatially advantageous metropolises of Zurich and Basel, which seem to be calm and gentle.
In the past, the city has been a major focus of the city.
A satellite view of the old city of Bern
The bones of Berne had the blood and strength of a fierce beast in them.
In 1218, the Zaringen dynasty fell due to the death of their heir, and Bern became an imperial free city (an imperial free city was a special city in the Holy Roman Empire, not under the jurisdiction of any imperial noble, but under the authority of the Holy Roman Emperor).
It was a special city of the Holy Roman Empire (the Imperial Free City was a special city of the Holy Roman Empire, not under any imperial nobility, but under the Holy Roman Emperor). It is worth mentioning that the last heir of the family was the Duke who built Bern, Berthold V!
Bern began to have frequent disputes with the surrounding feudal landlords, but relying on the defense of its borders and the courage of its people, it not only defeated all the marauders, but also succeeded in expanding its territory and power.
In 1353, Bern officially joined the Swiss Confederation as an independent state and soon became the most powerful canton of the Confederation.
While retaining enough men to expand agricultural production and ensure military needs, some Bernese would be sent to serve in other countries, such as the Netherlands or France. In return, Bern received financial rewards, tariff concessions, and bargaining advantages – the historically famous Swiss mercenaries.
Of course, Berne was not the only provider of mercenary services, but it was a particularly active one. Because of its distance from the main land routes and its geographical disadvantage to trade, the city and its inhabitants sought to use mercenaries to gain greater wealth.
During the Italian wars in the early 16th century, Bern formed an alliance with the French king and the Pope, with whom it provided military support, including mercenaries, and to whom it gave various resources and favors, as well as generous cash advances, or “pensions.
The Swiss mercenaries fighting the war with spears
It was thanks to the military power and the wealth and status it brought that Bern grew steadily and prosperously for a long period of time, and gradually built up its credentials as a candidate for the capital.
Berne in 1638
- Unexpected Choices
In 1847, after a brief civil war, the new Swiss Confederation began the search for a permanent capital.
There were three main cities on the short list: Zurich, Bern, and Lucerne, all of which were identified as large cities that could immediately provide the necessary infrastructure.
Zurich is the most populous city in Switzerland and the de facto economic capital. Thanks to its location at the heart of Europe’s trade routes, it is well-connected and has thrived since its founding. In addition, the city has been a major center of culture, education and science since its founding, with the establishment of several universities, museums and galleries.
The ETH Zurich, ranked 6th in the QS world, is the most powerful university in Switzerland.
Lucerne was originally a small fishing village in the Middle Ages, but the rise of tourism soon led to its development into a widely acclaimed historical and cultural city.
It was the capital of the Helvetic Republic from 1798 to 1803, and was one of the only cities with the right to hold political meetings in the 1815 Federal Treaty.
The city of Lucerne, the most ideal and beautiful city to visit in Switzerland, is also the most popular tourist destination for Chinese people.
In the end, the jury chose Berne.
Lucerne’s defeat is understandable, as it does not dominate in terms of city size or population, and is also considered a conservative, Catholic stronghold that might be viewed with suspicion and suspicion by the new federal government.
But Zurich’s loss is somewhat intriguing. As an important financial center and cultural and educational center, with convenient transportation, a developed economy, a large population, and a rich daily cultural life, Zurich seems to have all the qualities of a capital city, so why did it end up somewhere else?
This area is the center of Switzerland’s financial district, housing more than 200 financial institutions, the world’s largest stockpile of gold bullion, and a variety of billionaires, known as the “Billionaire City of Europe.
Many believe that Zurich made a concession by voluntarily ceding the capital to Bern, a factor that is not entirely absent, but not dominant – like all countries that choose a “secondary capital city”, the Swiss Confederation’s first consideration in choosing a capital should be balance.
Street View of Zurich
The term “secondary capital city” refers to a capital city that is not the main economic center of the country. When studying different types of capitals, some foreign scholars often distinguish between “capital as the dominant economic city” and “capital as a secondary city”. Political center with a diversified economic base.
Zurich was already too economically powerful for the Swiss Confederation, so they had to compromise and try to balance power relations by locating the capital in a secondary city in order to achieve a geographical separation of political and economic power.
In addition, Berne has the advantage of being on the border between German and French speaking areas, and very close to the French speaking areas of Switzerland compared to Zurich and Lucerne, which can reflect an inclusive posture.
This is a gesture of tolerance. In the past few years, there have been a lot of people from different parts of the world who have been living in Switzerland.
Thus, in order to “check and balance the harem”, the Swiss Confederation gave up the rich and powerful favorite, Zurich, and made the unattractive Bern the first empress, hoping to balance and stabilize all parties.
In the past few years, the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has been promoting the development of the Chinese economy.
The first is the “Berne” of 1919.
- Capital in name only
Although secondary capital cities are not uncommon around the world – Canberra, Ottawa, and Washington are among its sympathetic bedfellows – Bern is unusual in that it is not only unpopular, but it is also particularly bad at using its political position to generate spillover effects.
Of the five largest agglomerations in Switzerland, Bern has the lowest rate of new business formation, which means that it has very little innovative energy and momentum. The city government always prioritizes interaction with federal or other authorities over cooperation with business actors and offers its residents numerous stable and well-paid job opportunities.
At the same time, Bern has also set high tax rates for individuals and companies, with the result that many potential entrepreneurs would forego taking the risk of starting their own business in a favorable government work environment.
As a result, although Bern has sought ways to promote development and to increase its importance in the Swiss urban system, it has had limited success, especially in the economic sphere, where it has consistently underperformed.
What is even more sobering is the fact that these efforts and disadvantages have been carried out with a lack of interest on the part of the Confederation.
As the nominal capital, Bern is the seat of government and parliament, but it is no different from any other city in terms of power, finance, and political representation.
The Swiss Confederation is even constraining Bern in order to avoid the centralization of all government functions in the capital: many federal government agencies and organizations are gradually being moved elsewhere, such as the communication office to Bell, the statistics office to Neuchâtel, and the housing office to Görlösung.
The Federal Assembly building in Bern, also known as the Parliament building, is the seat of the Swiss government and parliament.
This is not how other cities are treated. The two largest Swiss banks, UBS and Credit Suisse, both headquartered in Zurich, are not only one of the driving forces behind Switzerland’s economic growth, but have also established Zurich as a financial center.
Not to mention Geneva, which hosts the headquarters of more than 20 international organizations, including the United Nations, the International Labor Organization, and the European Trade Association.
In the past few years, we have seen an increase in the number of companies that have been able to develop their products and services in the United States.
In the past few years, we have seen a growing number of companies in the field of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.
Only Bern, wearing the crown, was under increasing pressure from internal failures and external neglect.
At the end of the 20th century, the decision of the Swiss parliament to transform the Swiss Federal Railways and Swiss Post, which had been monopolies of the national government, into state-owned limited liability companies, was another shock to the capital, Bern.
The local government in Bern finally came to the realization that the federal government did not care and that it could only succeed on its own.
Since the beginning of the 21st century, the government has shifted to a strategy of promoting development and has begun to cooperate more intensively with private companies in order to increase its economic attractiveness.
At the same time, Bern realized that it was unrealistic to compete with Zurich economically, so it focused on exaggerating the capital’s uniqueness and repositioning itself as the political center of the country to differentiate itself from the three economically more developed metropolises.
This is the first time in the history of the company.
In 2010, a non-profit organization called Capital Region of Switzerland (CRS) was founded in Bern, an organization dedicated to strengthening regional cooperation between Bern and other cities. The founding members stressed that the capital should not be measured only by its economic success, but also by its local function as a place to negotiate and implement political decisions. This is precisely the aspiration and goal of Berne.
Berne at night
Today, Bern is a beautiful and gentle city that, despite its small size, is rich in history and culture. Bern’s old town has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the city is known as a fountain city and a watch capital.
In the past, it was not only the city’s reputation, but also its reputation as a capital city, which was not taken seriously.
The city center of Bern is also known as the city of fountains because of its many fountains.
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