Old City of Berne

Wrapped in a tight loop of the Aare River, Bern has grown since its 12th-century founding with rare urban discipline. Arcades from the 15th century shelter kilometres of shopping streets, painted fountains of the 16th century punctuate them, and an extensive 18th-century rebuilding managed to renew the medieval town without erasing its character. UNESCO inscribed the Old City of the Swiss capital in 1983.