Thecanton of Bern, orBerne (German:Kanton Bern;French:canton de Berne;Romansh:Chantun Berna;Italian:Canton Berna), is one of the26 cantons forming theSwiss Confederation. Its capital city,Bern, is also thede facto capital of Switzerland. The bear is the heraldic symbol of the canton, displayed on a red-yellow background.

Canton of Bern Kanton Bern (German) Canton de Berne (French)
Canton
Flag Coat of arms Brandmark
Location in Switzerland Map of Bern
Coordinates:46°50′N7°36′E / 46.84°N 7.60°E /46.84; 7.60
Country	Switzerland
Capital	Bern
Subdivisions	388 municipalities,10 districts
Government
• President	Evi Allemann
• Executive	Regierungsrat, Conseil exécutif (7)
• Legislative	Grosser Rat, Grand conseil (160)
Area [1]
• Total	5,959.59 km2 (2,301.01 sq mi)
Population  (December 2020)[2]
• Total	1,043,132
• Density	180/km2 (450/sq mi)
GDP [3]
• Total	CHF 80.209 billion (2020)
• Per capita	CHF 77,027 (2020)
ISO 3166 code	CH-BE
Highest point	4,274 m (14,022 ft):Finsteraarhorn
Lowest point	401.5 m (1,317 ft):Aare atWynau
Joined	1353
Languages	German, French
Website	www.be.ch

Comprisingten districts, Bern is the second-largest canton by both surface area and population. Located in west-central Switzerland, it is surrounded by eleven cantons. It borders the cantons ofJura andSolothurn to the north. To the west lie the cantons ofNeuchâtel,Fribourg, andVaud. To the south lies the cantons ofValais. East of the canton of Bern lie the cantons ofUri,Nidwalden,Obwalden,Lucerne andAargau. The geography of the canton includes a large share of all three natural regions of Switzerland: theJura Mountains (theBernese Jura), theSwiss Plateau (the Bernese Mittelland) and theAlps (theBernese Oberland).

The canton of Bern isbilingual, officiallyGerman- andFrench-speaking, and has a population (as of 31 December 2020) of 1,043,132.^[2] The largest city, Bern, is also the seat of the federal government of Switzerland. Other major cities areThun andBiel/Bienne. The canton is also renowned for its numerous Alpine resort towns, notablyInterlaken andGstaad.

Formerly part of theHoly Roman Empire, the canton of Bern entered an alliance with the Swiss Forest Cantons in 1323 and joined theOld Swiss Confederacy in 1353.

Bern joined theOld Swiss Confederation in 1353. Between 1803 and 1814 it was one of the sixdirectorial cantons of theNapoleonic Swiss Confederation.

The earliest traces of a human presence in the area of the modern Canton is found in three caves in theSimmental region; Schnurenloch nearOberwil, Ranggiloch aboveBoltigen and Chilchlihöhle aboveErlenbach. These caves were used at various times during thelast ice age. The first open-air settlement in the area is an UpperPaleolithic settlement at Moosbühl in Moosseedorf. During the warmer climate of theMesolithic period, increasing forest cover restricted the movement of hunters, fishers and gatherers. Their temporary settlements were built along lake and marsh edges, which remained free of trees due to fluctuations in water level. Important Mesolithic sites in the Canton are at Pieterlenmoos and Burgäschisee lake along with alpine valleys at Diemtig and Simmental. During theNeolithic period, there were a number of settlements on the shores ofLake Biel, the Toteisbecken (Lobsigensee, Moossee, Burgäschisee and Inkwilersee) and along rivers (Aare,Zihl).^[4] Several of these sites are part of thePrehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps, aUNESCO World Heritage Site.^[5]

One of the best exploredNeolithic sites is atTwann (nowTwann-Tüscherz). In the Twannbach delta there were about 25Cortaillod culture andHorgen culture villages that existed between 3800 and 2950 BC. One of the oldest examples of bread from Switzerland, asourdough from 3560 to 3530 BC, came from one of these villages.^[4] A preservedBronze Agedugout boat has been found on the dried out lake bed, it was part of lake village near Twann, a stone-linedwell had been dug near the preserved boat in 1874.^[6]

During theEarly Iron Age changes in climate forced theHallstatt culture (800–450 BCE) to abandon settlements along many waterways and in the valley floors and move to the plateaus and hills. With increased trade contacts across the Alps, the cultural influence of theMediterranean region grew in the area. Evidence of this trade include ahydria which was discovered in Grächwil. Burial rituals and social classes became more developed during this time. The so-calledprincely graves became more common, many of the burial mounds were over 30 m (98 ft) in diameter and 4 m (13 ft) high and richly outfitted with grave goods. In a grave mound in Bützberg the first burial in the mound was followed by several later burials. Often, several grave mounds combined to become a necropolis, such as atGrossaffoltern,Ins,Bannwil,Langenthal and Bützberg. Most of the knowledge about the Hallstatt culture in the Canton comes from graves. The only discovered settlement is around Blanche Church inLa Neuveville.

The grave goods show that iron was forged into swords, daggers, spearheads, knives and wagon accessories. Gold, which was probably collected from river sand, was made into diadems, rings and pendants. Thin bronze arm, leg and neck plates with geometric designs were often buried, especially in the graves at Allenlüften in Mühleberg, at Ins and at Bützberg. The jewelry that was buried included bracelets and rings which were also made ofjet andlignite coal. At Münchringen, the grave pottery was both shaped by hand or thrown on a potter's wheel, and was painted with multi-colored ornamentation.

The transition to theLate Iron Age of theLa Tène culture (450−1st century BCE) is indicated by a sudden change of style in the metalworking and ceramic industries. Numerous graves (from unknown settlements), along with the twooppida at Bern-Engehalbinsel and Jensberg byStuden, mark the population centers during the lateIron Age. Gold coins (fromMelchnau) along with silver and bronze coins first start to appear during this era. A sword withGreek characters that saidKorisios was found at the Port site. At theoppidum at Bern-Engehalbinsel, there were studios for glass and ceramic production, and iron working achieved a high level of skill, along with craftsmen who worked in wood, leather and goldsmithing. There was a nearby place of worship in the Bremgarten wood, and cemeteries atMünsingen and Bern-Engehalbinsel.^[4]

After theRoman era victory atBattle of Bibracte in 58 BCE, theHelvetii were forced to return to their homes asfoederati of the Romans. Under increasing Roman influence, the local economy and trade flourished. The main settlements lay at the foot of theJura Mountains and on theCentral Plateau.

The existing roads were expanded, especially theAventicum-Vindonissa and thePetinesca-Augusta Raurica roads. A fourth alpine pass, theRawil pass, was added to the traditional three; theGrimsel,Brünig andSusten passes. In the Bernese Jura theMont Raimeux andPierre Pertuis passes opened.

Under the Romans, many of the old fortified places were expanded and refortified. The old Helvetii oppidum at the Engehalbinsel became a Romanvicus, which was probably known as Brenodor or Brenodurum. At the foot of the Jens mountain, the fort Petinesca was built to guard the roads over the Jura Mountains. This was reinforced in the late-Roman era (368–369 CE) by a fortified bridge over theThielle/Zihl river between Aegerten and Brügg.

A number of Roman villas were built around the Canton. AtOberwichtrach both the main building (pars urbana) and the industrial section (pars rustica) of a Roman villa have been discovered. The villas at Münsingen,Toffen andHerzogenbuchsee have richly detailedRoman mosaics that are still partly visible.

The religious practices of the local population merged with Roman beliefs and the Canton of Bern is home to a number of unique cult centers. They include the larger than life statues of gods (including enthroned Jupiter) at Petinesca, Engehalbinsel, and Thun-Allmendingen; and a number of stone inscriptions. At the beginning of the 5th century CE, Rome withdrew its troops from the Rhine garrisons, but allowed theBurgundians to settle on Helvetii lands in 443 CE.^[4]

East of theAare, the transition from the Gallo-Roman dominated population to aGermanic population in theEarly Middle Ages happened relatively peacefully. One exception was the Battle of Wangen in 610, but elsewhere it generally was a slow process of cultural infiltration. By the 7th century, theAlamannic settlers had already taken most of the good locations southeast of the Aare and they began moving up the Aare to the regions of Lake Thun andLake Brienz. All areas west of the Aare belonged to the romanised Burgundian kingdom, which became part of theMerovingianFrankish kingdom in the 534. During theCarolingian era, the political structure of the Franks had spread into parts of what became Switzerland. In 762/778 the County of Aargau was founded, followed in 861 by the County of Oberaargau and in 965 the County of Bargen. TheTreaty of Verdun in 843 put the border between Central and Eastern Frankish Empires at the Aare, and divided the Aare region in half. The population west of the Aare generally spoke aRomance language, while those to the east spoke aGermanic language. The region between the rivers Saane and Aare became the language border.

Christianity spread slowly into the Aare valley. The dioceses ofLausanne,Basel,Sion,Chur andConstance were all established before the new faith made inroads into the valley. The Aare valley was bordered by three dioceses; Lausanne, Constance and Basel. However, the first Christian missionaries came into the valley fromAlsace and other western areas. In 630 theAbbey of Luxeuil established the Abbey ofMoutier-Grandval along the old transit route through the Pierre Pertuis Pass. By the 9th or 10th century, this abbey had property and influence all the way to Lake Biel and into the Balsthal valley. The first monastic cells of what would become the Abbey ofSaint-Imier was also founded in 600. In the Seeland and Aare valleys, wooden churches were first built during the Merovingian period. The current churches in Kirchlindach, Oberwil bei Buren and Bleibach were all built above the ruins of these early churches. About 30 churches in the Bern and Solothurn portions of the Aare valley were created over ruins of Roman villas and subsequent burial grounds in the 7th century (including Meikirch and Oberbipp). In Mett, the church was built over a 5th-century mausoleum, which was built over a 4th-century tomb. In 700, six sarcophagi were buried onSt. Peter's Island next to a Roman temple complex. A wooden monastery was built over the complex in the 8th–9th century.^[4]

During the 10th century, the Aare valley came fully under theSecond Kingdom of Burgundy. Under KingRudolph I and his sonRudolph II Burgundy's influence reached across most of modern Switzerland. They established royal courts at Bümpliz, Münsingen, Uetendorf, Wimmis, Kirchberg and Utzenstorf to allow them to govern the Aare valley. Later, the Aare valley moved toward closer ties with theHoly Roman Empire during theOttonian andSalian dynasties.

The succession dispute following the death ofRudolph III in 1032 allowed the Salian kings to acquire the Kingdom of Upper Burgundy and with it the Aare valley. As a part of the Holy Roman Empire, the valley was involved when theInvestiture Controversy broke out in 1056. In 1077, the Regent of Burgundy, CountRudolf of Rheinfelden, declared himself as an anti-king against KingHenry IV. The Bishops of Basel and Lausanne remained loyal to King Henry IV, and took the Rheinfelden lands in Oberaargau and the upper Aare valley. After Rudolf's death in 1090, his lands went to his son,Berchtold II of Zähringen. He and his son, Berchtold III, tried to use these lands to expand their power. In 1127 theZähringer were appointed Rector or delegate of the king in Burgundy. Their hopes for a new, independent Burgundy were dashed in 1156, and the last Zähringen count, Berchtold V, embarked on a program of city founding. The cities ofBurgdorf,Murten,Thun and Bern were all founded by Berchtold V. When he died without an heir, the Zähringen lands went to theHouse of Kyburg, while the offices andfiefs reverted to the empire.^[4]

During theHigh Middle Ages both the Aare valley and theBernese Oberland were divided into a number of small counties, each with their ownbaron. Nobles from the Holy Roman Empire began to marry into the local noble families and a number of the ZähringenMinisterialis families (unfree knights in the service of afeudal overlord) moved into the Oberland. The nobles also began to found monasteries to spread their power into the Oberland. During the period between 1070 and 1150, at least ten large monasteries were founded by local nobles. These include; theCluniacPriory ofRüeggisberg (Lords of Rümligen in 1072), Münchenwiler (Wiler family in 1080),St. Peter's Island (Count of Hochburgund-Mâcon in the late 11th century), Hettiswil (1107), Röthenbach im Emmental (Lords of Rümligen or Signau), theBenedictine monastery atSt. Johannsen in Erlach (Fenis family in 1100), Trub (Lords of Lützelflüh before 1130) and Rüegsau (possibly also the Lords of Lützelflüh in first half of the 12th century), theAugustinianCollegiate church in Interlaken (Oberhofen family in 1130) and theCistercianFrienisberg Abbey (Count Saugern around 1130). However, in 1191 the Oberland barons revolted against Berchtold V of Zähringen and many of the Oberland barons were killed in the battle of Grindelwald.

During the 13th century a number of the cities near Bern were granted thecity right and appointed mayors and city councils. Bern became animperial city. During the mid-13th century, the Empire's presence weakened in the Aare valley, forcing the local nobles to find allies to protect themselves. Bern entered into a number of treaties with its neighbors in the 13th century. In 1274, the EmperorRudolph I of Habsburg, confirmed Bern's imperial immediacy. However, in 1285 he imposed an imperial tax which drove the city to support Rudolph's enemies. Although it withstood two sieges by the Emperor in 1288, after the defeat at Schosshalde in 1289 it had to pay taxes and a penalty.

In 1298 Bernese forces won a victory atOberwangen inKöniz against theCounty of Savoy and the Habsburg Austrian nobility. In 1300, the city acquired the four surrounding parishes of Bolligen, Vechigen, Stettlen and Muri, destroyed the threatening castles of Bremgarten and Belp and gave the Baron of Montenach Bernese citizenship. After the victory ofLouis IV of Bavaria over the HabsburgFrederick the Fair in the battle of Mühldorf (Bavaria) in 1322, Bern entered an alliance with the anti-Habsburg SwissForest Cantons in 1323.

Bern joined theOld Swiss Confederation in 1353.

In 1310Emperor Henry VIIpledgedLaupen Castle,Laupen and the surrounding lands as collateral for a loan. In 1324, Bern acquired the pledged castle and lands. When the Emperor was unable to repay the loan, Laupen became the firstbailiwick of Bern.^[7]

In 1322, the brothers Eberhard II ofNeu-Kyburg and Hartmann II of Neu-Kyburg started fighting with each other over who would inherit the family's lands around Thun. The fighting led to the "fratricide atThun Castle" where Eberhard killed his brother Hartmann. To avoid punishment by his Habsburg overlords, Eberhard fled toBern. In the following year, he sold the town ofThun, its castle and the land surrounding Thun to Bern. Bern then granted the land back to Eberhard as afief.^[8] Bern's support of Eberhard, their resulting expansion into the Oberland and their alliance with the Forest Cantons brought the city into conflict with the Habsburgs during the 14th century. TheGümmenenkrieg in 1333 between Bern andFribourg over rights and influence in theSense/Singine area ended without resolving anything.

In 1334, Bern fought with the Barons of Weissenburg and occupiedWimmis andUnspunnen in the Oberland. Bern's victory allowed them to bring theOberhasli region, its capital ofMeiringen and Weissenburg under their control. Bern's continued expansion was at the expense of the feudal lords in the surrounding lands. In 1339 the Habsburgs, Kyburgs and Fribourg, marched against Bern with 17,000 men and besieged the border town of Laupen. To raise the siege, Bern raised a force of 6,000, consisting of Bernese, supported by the Forest Cantons, and other allies (Simmental, Weissenbur and Oberhasli).^[9] The allied Bernese forces were victorious at theBattle of Laupen and Bern drew closer to the Swiss Forest Cantons. It entered into a permanent or eternal alliance with Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden in 1353. This date is usually considered the date of Bern's entrance into the Swiss Confederation; however, the alliance only indirectly tied Bern to Zürich and Lucerne.

In 1358 the cash-strapped Count Peter II of Aarberg pawned the County ofAarberg to Bern. However, in 1367 he sold it, without repaying Bern, to his cousin Rudolf IV of Nidau. After Rudolf's death (1375) Bern acquired clear right to the Aarberg lands from the other heirs.^[10]

Throughout the 14th century, Bern entered into alliances and treaties with many of its neighbors, including members of theSwiss Confederation. Bern entered into a series of agreements withBiel/Bienne, which led to a conflict with Biel's ruler,Jean de Vienne, thePrince-Bishop of Basel, in 1367–68. The bishop marched south and destroyed Biel along with a number of towns in the southernJura Mountains. During theGugler war in 1375, there were several battles between Bernese troops and English mercenaries underEnguerrand de Coucy.

By the 1370s, the Kyburgs (which still held Thun as a fief for Bern) were deeply in debt to Bern. On 11 November 1382, Rudolf II of Neu-Kyburg made an unsuccessful raid onSolothurn. The ensuing conflict with theOld Swiss Confederacy (known as theBurgdorferkrieg orKyburgerkrieg) allowed Bern to move against the Habsburgs in Aargau. After the Bernese laid siege to Burgdorf, Neu-Kyburg was forced to concede an unfavourable peace.^[11] Bern bought Thun and Burgdorf, the most important cities of Neu-Kyburg, and their remaining towns passed to Bern and Solothurn by 1408. The last of the Neu-Kyburgs, Berchtold, died destitute in Bern in 1417.^[8]

In 1386, theAustrians underLeopold of Habsburg invaded eastern Switzerland. When they besieged the city ofSempach, troops from Zürich, Lucerne and the Forest Cantons marched out and defeated the Austrians at theBattle of Sempach. While Bern was not involved at Sempach they took advantage of the Austrian weakness to march into the Oberland in 1386, followed by theSeeland (the region south of the Jura Mountains containing theMorat (Murten),Neuchâtel andBienne (Biel) lakes) in 1388 and theAargau in 1389. In the peace agreement of 1389 Bern gotUnterseen and the Upper Simme valley (Simmental) from the Habsburgs. In the same year, Fribourg accepted Berns acquisition of the Iselgaus, i.e. the area between Lake Biel and the Seeland. Over the next several decades Bern continued to expand to the detriment of the Habsburgs and Fribourg. They acquired the following towns: 1391 Simmenegg, 1399Signau, 1400Frutigen, 1407Wangen, 1408Trachselwald andHuttwil, 1412 Oltigen and in 1413 (together with Solothurn) Bipp and Bechburg.^[4]

By 1400, Bern controlled the entire Bernese Oberland. Under their control, the five valleys of the Oberland enjoyed extensive rights and far-reaching autonomy in theBäuerten (farming cooperative municipalities) andTalverbänden (rural alpine communities). However, throughout the Late Middle Ages, the Oberland, as a whole or in part, revolted several times against Bernese authority. The Evil League (Böser Bund) in 1445 fought against Bernese military service and taxes following theOld Zürich War,^[12] in 1528 the Oberland rose up in resistance to the ProtestantReformation and in 1641Thun revolted.^[13]

In the Bernese Oberland during the 13th and the beginning of the 14th centuryInterlaken Monastery grew to become the largest landholder in the region. The Monastery controlled the towns ofGrindelwald,Lauterbrunnen and numerous farms alongLake Brienz. However, in 1350 a period of crises and conflicts led to a decline in the number of monks and nuns and increasing debt. In 1348, the people ofGrindelwald andWilderswil joined a mutual defense league withUnterwalden. Bern responded with a military expedition to theBernese Oberland, which ended in defeat for Unterwalden and its allies. By 1472, Bern was the patron of the Monastery. During the ProtestantReformation, the Monastery was secularized in 1528. Thecanons received a financial settlement and the properties were now managed by a Bernesebailiff. The tenants of the Monastery who had expected the abolition of all owed debts, responded by rioting, which was suppressed by Bern.^[14]

The lands around the northern shore ofLake Geneva and betweenLake Neuchâtel were the next area into which Bern expanded. The region had originally been part of theCarolingian Empire. Then, in 1032 the Zähringens of Germany defeated the Burgundians, who were then replaced by the counts ofSavoy in 1218. Under the counts of Savoy the area was given political unity, and established as theBarony of Vaud. However, as the power of the Savoys declined at the beginning of the 15th century the land was occupied by troops fromBern. By 1536 the area was completely annexed. Reformation was started by co-workers ofJohn Calvin, includingViret, who engaged in a famous debate at the cathedral of Lausanne; but it was only decisively implemented when Bern put its full force behind it. Vaud was another French-speaking region in the mostly German-speaking canton, which caused several uprisings.

Both Château-d'Œx and Saanen were part of the county ofGruyère. Both districts had quite a bit of independence and often entered into treaties against the will and best interests of the Counts. In 1340 the Saanen valley concluded a peace treaty with theSimmental, which provided for arbitration in disputes. They entered into another treaty in 1393 with the Valais. In 1401, Count Rudolph of Gruyère entered into a treaty with Bern which included Saanen. Two years later Saanen^[15] and Château-d'Œx^[16] negotiated their own alliances with Bern. Due to the Bernese alliance, Saanen sent troops, under their own banner, to support the Bernese invasions of Aargau in 1415 and Valais in 1418. The military losses and taxes following the Old Zürich War led Saanen to support the Evil League (Böser Bund) in 1445 against Bern.

In 1475, during theBurgundian Wars, the mountain regions ofSaanen andPays-d'Enhaut, who were allied with Bern, attacked and burned the tower ofAigle Castle. They then gaveAigle town and the surrounding district to Bern in exchange for not having to pay one-third of their income to Bern. In the treaty of Fribourg from 1476, Fribourg received rights over the Aigle district, which they gave up to Bern in 1483. Bern rebuilt Aigle Castle in 1489 and made it the seat of thebailiwick of Aigle.^[17] Also in 1475, the Confederation attacked and capturedGrandson Castle. In the next year,Charles the Bold retook the castle and executed the Bernese garrison. In 1476, at theBattle of Grandson, Charles' forces retreated and the Bernese retook Grandson. After Charles' defeat at theBattle of Murten, Grandson became a shared territory between Bern and Fribourg. Each city appointed avogt for five-year periods.^[18] Aigle and Grandson were the first French speaking regions in the Canton of Bern.

During the Burgundian War in 1475, Saanen, together with troops from Château-d'Œx and the Simmental captured the Savoy district of Aigle for Bern. Saanen and the surrounding district enjoyed a great deal of independence during the 16th century. However, in 1555 the lastCount of Gruyère lost both districts to Bern when his county went bankrupt. Bern took over the entire Saanen valley in the following year and introduced the Protestant Reformation.^[15] They incorporated thePays-d'Enhaut with Château-d'Œx into the new Bernese district of Saanen.^[16]

The area of the canton of Bern consists of lands acquired by the city of Bern mostly between the 14th and the 16th century during the originalSwiss Confederacy period, both by conquest and purchase.
Acquired districts, with dates of acquisition, include:

• Laupen (1324)
• Oberhasli (1334)
• Aarberg (1375)
• Thun and Burgdorf (1384)
• Unterseen and the Upper Simme valley (1386)
• Frutigen and other towns in the Bernese Oberland (1400)
• Aargau (1415)
• Lower Simme valley (1439–1449)
• Aigle andGrandson (1475)
• Interlaken, with Grindelwald,Lauterbrunnen andBrienz (1528, all the suppression of theAugustinian Canons atInterlaken Monastery)
• Vaud (1536)
• Saanen or Gessenay (1555)
• thePays d'En-Haut includingChâteau-d'Œx (1555)
• Köniz (1729).

In the Middle Ages, upwards mobility and access to public offices was relatively easy for successful traders and craftsmen, but Bernese society became ever more stratified and aristocratic as the power and wealth of the city grew.

By the 17th century in theEarly Modern period, citizenship had become an inherited prerogative, all political bodies elected one another and officials were elected for life.^[4] In effect, public offices were now the exclusive prerogative of thegnädige Herren, the "merciful lords", as the small number of noble families now ruling Bern came to be called. In 1605 there were 152 families that were qualified to rule, by 1691 that number was only 104, while towards the end of the 18th century there were only 69 such families. Meanwhile, the land ruled by the town was extending over more and more territory, so that finally it governed 52 bailiwicks.^[19] These offices became very lucrative as the Bernese territories grew. PatricianLandvögte,sheriffs, ruled the politically powerless countryside, often using armed force to put downpeasant revolts.

In Vaud the Bernese occupation was not popular amongst the population. In 1723, MajorAbraham Davel led a revolt against Bern, in protest at what he saw as the denial of political rights of the French-speaking Vaudois by the German-speaking Bernese, and was subsequently beheaded.^[20]

Inspired by theFrench Revolution, the Vaudois drove out the Bernese governor in 1798 and declared theLemanic Republic. Vaud nationalists likeFrédéric-César de La Harpe had called for French intervention in liberating the area and French Revolutionary troops moved in, taking over the whole of Switzerland itself in the process and setting up theHelvetic Republic.

In 1798, with the establishment of the Helvetic Republic, Bern was divided, thecanton of Oberland withThun as its capital and thecanton of Léman withLausanne as its capital were detached from what was left of the Canton of Bern.

Within the new canton of Oberland, historic borders and traditional rights were not considered. As there had been no previous separatist feeling amongst the conservative population, there was little enthusiasm for the new order.^[13] The situation in the canton of Léman was quite different. The French-speaking Vaudois had never felt like part of the German-speaking Canton of Bern. When they joined the Swiss Confederation in 1803, it was as the Canton of Vaud.

Under the Helvetic Republic, Pays-d'Enhaut with Château-d'Œx became part of theCanton of Léman while Saanen and the rest of the district became part of theCanton of Oberland. When the Helvetic Republic collapsed in 1803, Saanen and its district became a district in the new Canton of Bern^[15] while Château-d'Oex and its district joined Vaud.

The 1801Malmaison Constitution proposed reuniting the Oberland with Bern, but it was not until theAct of Mediation, two years later, with the abolition of the Helvetic Republic and the partial restoration of theancien régime, that the two cantons were reunited.^[21]

Between 1803 and 1814 Bern was one of the sixdirectorial cantons of theNapoleonic Swiss Confederation.

With the post−NapoleonicRestoration of 1815, Bern acquired theBernese Jura withBiel/Bienne from thebishopric of Basel, while the canton of Léman became thecanton of Vaud and remained separate from Bern.

Bern still remained the largest canton of the confederacy from 1815 to 1979, when parts of the Bernese Jura broke away to form thecanton of Jura. In 1994 theLaufen District was transferred to thecanton of Basel-Landschaft.

The canton of Bern is mainly drained by the riverAare and its tributaries. The area of the canton is commonly divided into six regions.^[22] The most populated area is theBernese Mittelland on the plateau north of the Alps, with the capital city of Bern. The northmost part of the canton is theBernese Jura bordering theCanton of Jura. TheBernese Oberland is the mountainous region which lies in the south of the canton.

The area of the canton is 5,959 km² (2,301 sq mi). Of this area, 6.9% is occupied with houses, businesses or roads. 42.6% of the canton is agricultural land, and 31.3% is forested. Less than 19.2% is considered non-productive, which includes glaciers, cliffs and lakes.^[23]

The Bernese Mittelland (Bernese Midlands) is made up of the valley of the rivers Aare, the(Grosse) Emme, some of the foothills of the Bernese Alps, as well as the plain around the capital Bern, and has many small farms and hilly forested regions with small to mid-sized towns scattered throughout. It is perhaps best known by foreigners and visitors for theEmmental. The classic Swiss cheese with holesEmmentaler comes from this region's forests and pastures, of hilly and low mountainous countryside in the 1,000 to 2,000 m (3,300 to 6,600 ft) range.

In the north of the canton lies the predominantly French-speaking Three Lakes Region (Seeland), concentrated aroundLake Biel,Neuchâtel, andMurten, which rises from the plain up to the northernmost Swiss mountain chain of theJura. This area, culminating at theChasseral, has more relaxed geography, although still some lower mountains and some waterfalls, and large lakes.

The Bernese Oberland (German:Berner Oberland) constitute the north side of theBernese Alps and the west side of theUrner Alps within the canton of Bern. The highest mountain in the Bernese Alps is theFinsteraarhorn at 4,274 m (14,022 ft), but the best known mountains areEiger,Mönch, andJungfrau.

The well known hiking and ski resorts in the eastern Oberland are located aroundInterlaken and the Jungfrau, such as car-freeMürren andWengen in theLauterbrunnen valley, andGrindelwald. Further east, in theHaslital are theAareschlucht and the town ofMeiringen, famous for the fateful scene ofSherlock Holmes's 'death' at the hands ofProfessor Moriarty on the nearbyReichenbach Falls. In the Western Bernese Oberland there are many other resorts and small villages catering to visitors. These are accessed from the lake town ofThun, and the most notable of them areKandersteg with theOeschinensee andAdelboden. Further west is theSimmental withLenk andZweisimmen and the Saanenland with the famous resortsGstaad andSaanen.

The whole area is very mountainous, with steep cliffs, many glaciers, and countless waterfalls. It is renowned for its scenic beauty and the charm of the small Swiss villages that dot the area. As a result of this, tourism is one of the main sources of income in the Bernese Oberland. The region also has an extensive train network as well as manycable cars andfuniculars, with the highest train station in Europe at theJungfraujoch and the longestgondola cableway in the world from Grindelwald to theMännlichen.

Mountains in the Bernese Oberland include:

TheGrand Council of Bern (German:Grosser Rat/French:Grand conseil) is the parliament of the canton of Bern. It consists of 160 representatives elected byproportional representation for four-year terms of office. The French-speaking part of the canton, theBernese Jura, has 12 seats guaranteed and 3 seats are guaranteed for the French-speaking minority of the bilingual district of Biel/Bienne.

TheExecutive Council of Bern (German:Regierungsrat/French:Conseil-éxecutif) is thegovernment of the canton of Bern. This seven-member collegial body is elected by the people for a period of four years. The cantonal constitution reserves one seat in the Executive Council for a French-speaking citizen from the Bernese Jura.

The canton has a two-tiered court system, consisting of district courts and a cantonal Supreme Court (German:Obergericht, French:Cour suprême). There is also an administrative court (German:Verwaltungsgericht; French:Tribunal administratif) as well as other specialised courts and judicial boards.^[24]

On 1 January 2010, the 26 districts (Amtsbezirke) were combined into 10 new districts (Verwaltungskreise):^[25]

• Bern-Mittelland with capitalOstermundigen, made up of all or part of the former districts ofBern,Fraubrunnen,Konolfingen,Laupen,Schwarzenburg andSeftigen
• Biel/Bienne with capitalBiel/Bienne, made up of all of the former district ofBiel and about half of the former district ofNidau
• Emmental with capitalLangnau im Emmental, made up of all or part of the former districts ofBurgdorf,Signau andTrachselwald
• Frutigen-Niedersimmental with capitalFrutigen, made up of all or part of the former districts ofFrutigen andNiedersimmental
• Interlaken-Oberhasli with capitalInterlaken, made up of all or part of the former districts ofInterlaken andOberhasli
• Jura bernois with capitalCourtelary, made up of all or part of the former districts ofCourtelary,Moutier andLa Neuveville
• Oberaargau with capitalWangen an der Aare, made up of all or part of the former districts ofAarwangen andWangen
• Obersimmental-Saanen with capitalSaanen, made up of all of the former districts ofObersimmental andSaanen
• Seeland with capitalAarberg, made up of all or part of the former districts ofAarberg,Büren,Erlach andNidau
• Thun with capitalThun, made up of all of the former district ofThun

The canton of Bern isbilingual: (as of 2014^[update]) both German (85.1% of the population) and French (10.4%) are spoken.^[26] The German-speaking majority speaksBernese German, aSwiss German dialect. French-speakers live in the western and northern part of the canton, theBernese Jura. Both German and French are spoken in the bilingual district ofBiel/Bienne. In the cantonal government and administration, both languages are official languages of equal standing.

In December 2020, Bern had a population of 1,043,132.^[2] In 2014, 15.0% of the population were resident foreign nationals. From 2010 to 2014, the population increased at a rate of 3.0% annually. In 2000, most of the population spoke German (804,190 or 84.0%) as their first language; French was the second most common (72,646 or 7.6%) native language and Italian was the third (18,908 or 2.0%). There were 688 people who speakRomansh.^[27] Using different methodology, the2014 census found that the proportion of German native speakers to be 85.1%, that of French speakers 10.4%, and that 3.1% were Italian speakers. The number of Romansh speakers was too small to accurately estimate, but was around 0.1%. The census also reported that 2.9% of the population spoke English as their native language. Respondents could choose up to three native languages, leading to a total above 100%.^[26]

In 2008, the population was 47.5% male and 52.5% female. The population was made up of 44,032 Swiss men (35.4% of the population) and 15,092 (12.1%) non-Swiss men. There were 51,531 Swiss women (41.4%) and 13,726 (11.0%) non-Swiss women.^[28] Of the population in the canton, 292,559 or about 30.6% were born in Bern and lived there in 2000. There were 339,659 or 35.5% who were born in the same canton, while 154,709 or 16.2% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 129,864 or 13.6% were born outside of Switzerland.^[27]

The age distribution of the canton in 2014 was as follows: those from 0–19 years old made up 19.1% of the population, while those aged 20–64 years old were 60.9%, and those 65 and older comprised.^[26] The 2000 census had found these groups to represent 22%, 60.9% and 17.1% of the total, respectively.

In 2000, there were 397,095 people who were single and never married in the canton. There were 449,014 married individuals, 61,206 widows or widowers and 49,882 individuals who are divorced.^[27]

There were 454,000 private households in the canton in 2014, and an average of 2.2 persons per household.^[26] As of 2013^[update], the construction rate of new housing units was 4.4 new units per 1000 residents.^[26]

In 2003, the average price to rent an average apartment in Bern city was 1108.92Swiss francs (CHF) per month (US$890, £500, €710 approx. exchange rate from 2003). The average rate for a one-room apartment was 619.82 CHF (US$500, £280, €400), a two-room apartment was about 879.36 CHF (US$700, £400, €560), a three-room apartment was about 1040.54 CHF (US$830, £470, €670) and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 2094.80 CHF (US$1680, £940, €1340). The average apartment price in Bern was 99.4% of the national average of 1116 CHF.^[29] The vacancy rate for the canton, in 2010^[update], was 1.19%.^[26]

The historical population is given in the following chart:^[30]

In the2011 federal election, the most popular party was theSVP which received 29.0% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were theSP/PS (19.3%), theBDP (14.9%) and theGreen Party (9.4%).^[31] The SVP received about the same percentage of the vote as they did in the2007 Federal election (33.6% in 2007 vs 29.0% in 2011). The SPS retained about the same popularity (21.2% in 2007), the BDP moved from below fourth place in 2007 to third and the GPS moved from below fourth place in 2007 to fourth.^[32]

^a FDP before 2009, FDP.The Liberals after 2009

^b "*" indicates that the party was not on the ballot in this canton.

^c Part of a coalition with Separatist Party

^d Part of a coalition with the FGA

^e Party fragmented, part remained in a coalition with the FGA and the remainder formed the Green Party of Bern

^f Part of a coalition with the Green Party

Theblazon of thecoat of arms isGules, on a bend or, a bear passant sable, langued, armed and vilené of the field. The official blazon specifies that the tongue, claws and penis are red—and by extension it is important to always depict the bear as male.^[35]

Most Bernese are Protestant (as of 2000^[update], 67%),^[36] and most Protestants belong to theSwiss Reformed Church, which is officially recognised as astate church (German:Landeskirche), although it is autonomous in its governance and is organised along democratic principles. The canton is also home to a great number of smallEvangelical Christian denominations unaffiliated with the state church. Bernese evangelical groups are mostly found in theEmmental andBerner Oberland, where they have a long tradition; several contemporary North American religious groups, such as theAmish andMennonites, were founded or co-founded by Bernese emigrants to the United States. Two small Evangelical political parties are represented in theBernese cantonal parliament.

Bern features substantial Roman Catholic (16%)^[36] andChristian Catholic minorities. These churches also have state church status, and the small Jewish community is similarly recognised by law. As everywhere in Switzerland, there are also significant religious communities of immigrants, includingSikhs (who have a prominentGurdwara, or temple, inLangenthal),The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (who have built theBern Switzerland Temple) andMuslims. As of 2006^[update], the plans to expand a backyard mosque in Langenthal with a symbolicminaret have, as elsewhere in Switzerland, caused a public stir due to vocal opposition from local conservative and evangelical leaders.^[37]

From the 2000 census^[update], 607,358 or 63.5% belonged to theSwiss Reformed Church, while 153,357 or 16.0% were Roman Catholic. Of the rest of the population, there were 9,153members of an Orthodox church (or about 0.96% of the population), there were 1,064 individuals (or about 0.11% of the population) who belonged to theChristian Catholic Church, and there were 71,233 individuals (or about 7.44% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 807 individuals (or about 0.08% of the population) who were Jewish, and 28,377 (or about 2.96% of the population) who were Muslims. There were 2,662 individuals who wereBuddhist, 5,991 individuals who wereHindu and 913 individuals who belonged to another church. 74,162 (or about 7.75% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic oratheist, and 37,059 individuals (or about 3.87% of the population) did not answer the question.^[27]

Tourism is the main source of income in the Bernese Oberland. Other important sectors are agriculture (especially cattle breeding), cheese making, and hydroelectric power generation. The Bernese cheeseEmmentaler is known around the world. In the Bernese Midlands the lands are more fertile. Agriculture is of great importance, but this part of the canton is also the most industrialized. Small and middle-sized businesses are important employers in this part of the canton of Bern. There is a nuclear power plant atMühleberg; however, it is no longer operational.

The area around Lake Biel is renowned for its wine production. The 3 French-speaking districts of the Bernese Jura and the bilingual district ofBiel/Bienne are renowned for their watch industry and its mechanical industry (high precision machine tools, automation and machining).

As of 2015^[update], Bern had an unemployment rate of 2.58%, compared to the Swiss national average of 3.3%. As of 2013^[update], there were 34,200 people employed in theprimary economic sector and about 11,563 businesses involved in this sector. About 132,800 people were employed in thesecondary sector and there were 11,925 businesses in this sector. Approximately 453,800 people were employed in thetertiary sector, with 55,347 businesses in this sector.^[26] Of the working population, 31.0% used public transportation to get to work, and 51.0% used a private car.^[26]

In Bern about 385,640 or (40.3%) of the population have completed non-mandatoryupper secondary education, and 121,749 or (12.7%) have completed additional higher education (eitheruniversity or aFachhochschule). Of the 121,749 who completed tertiary schooling, 65.0% were Swiss men, 24.8% were Swiss women, 6.2% were non-Swiss men and 4.0% were non-Swiss women.^[27]

• Municipalities of the canton of Bern
• Canton of Bern castles and fortresses
• List of mountains of the canton of Bern
• Berner Zeitung
• Bernese March
• Bieler Tagblatt
• Der Bund

• Official website