Bärengraben
The Bärengraben, or Bear Pit, is a tourist attraction in the Swiss capital city of Bern. It is a bear pit, or enclosure housing bears, situated at the eastern edge of the old city of Bern, next to the Nydeggbrücke and the River Aar. Although still in use, the Bärengraben has been supplemented since 2009 by the adjacent BärenPark, a larger and more natural enclosure alongside the River Aar. The Bärengraben and BärenPark are administered as a geographically discrete part of the city's Dählhölzli Zoo. The Bärengraben is a Swiss heritage site of national significance, and is of particular significance in Bern because the bear is a symbol of both the city and surrounding canton, and is featured in their coat of arms. History The bear has long served as symbol of Bern. Legend has it that, in 1191, Duke Berthold V of Zähringen vowed to choose as namesake the first animal his hunt met in the wood that was to be chopped down for his new city. As Konrad Justinger’s chr ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Old City Of Bern
The Old City () is the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. Built on a narrow hill bordered on three sides by the river Aare, its compact layout has remained essentially unchanged since its construction during the twelfth to the fifteenth century. Despite a major fire in 1405, after which much of the city was rebuilt in sandstone, and substantial construction efforts in the eighteenth century, Bern's old city has retained its medieval character. The Old City is home to Switzerland's tallest minster as well as other churches, bridges and a large collection of Renaissance fountains. In addition to many historical buildings, the seats of the federal, cantonal and municipal government are also situated in the Old City. It is a UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site since 1983 due to the compact and generally intact medieval core and is an excellent example of incorporating the modern world into a medieval city. Numerous buildings in the Old City have been designated as Swiss Cu ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bern
Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has governmental institutions such as the Federal Assembly (Switzerland), Federal Assembly and Federal Council (Switzerland), Federal Council. However, the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland, Federal Supreme Court is in Lausanne, the Federal Criminal Court of Switzerland, Federal Criminal Court is in Bellinzona and the Federal Administrative Court (Switzerland), Federal Administrative Court and the Federal Patent Court (Switzerland), Federal Patent Court are in St. Gallen, exemplifying the federal nature of the Confederation. With a population of about 146,000 (), Bern is the List of cities in Switzerland, fifth-most populous city in Switzerland, behind Zürich, Geneva, Basel and Lausanne. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 36 municipalities ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bear Pit
A bear pit is an enclosure historically used to display bears, typically for entertainment and especially bear-baiting. The pit area was normally surrounded by a high fence, above which the spectators would look down on the bears. The most traditional form of maintaining bears in captivity (animal), captivity is keeping them in pits, although many zoos have replaced these by more elaborate and spacious enclosures that attempt to replicate their natural Habitat (ecology), habitats, for the benefit of the animals and the visitors. History Bear pits originated as a place to keep bears used in bear-baiting. These pits were temporary structures, typically used just once. After the sport's popularity waned, bear pits continued to exist as a way to display bears for the public to see, and often, feed. In contrast to the ones used in baiting, these pits were permanent structures built with sturdy materials; the pit in Rosherville Gardens, for example, was made of brick. Bear pits peak ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bärenplatz
The Bärenplatz (Bear Plaza) is a plaza in the Old City of Bern, the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. It is part of the Innere Neustadt which was built during the second expansion from 1255 to 1260. It is located north of Bundesplatz, west of Käfigturm and south of Waisenhausplatz. It is part of the UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site that encompasses the Old City. History In 1256, the area that became Bärenplatz was a ditch that was part of the second city wall. In 1513 the northern section was walled off to become the Bärengraben The Bärengraben, or Bear Pit, is a tourist attraction in the Swiss capital city of Bern. It is a bear pit, or enclosure housing bears, situated at the eastern edge of the old city of Bern, next to the Nydeggbrücke and the River Aar. Although ... (Bear Pits). In 1578 the bridge into the Käfigturm was demolished and in the next year, the southern section was filled in. The southern part of the plaza was used for the hay ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mary Plain
''Mary Plain'' is a fictional bear character in British children's literature who figures in a series of novels based on her adventures. The character was created by the Welsh author Gwynedd Rae and first appeared in the book ''Mostly Mary'' in 1930. The last original book, ''Mary Plain's Whodunnit'', was published in 1965. The books were reissued as paperbacks in the 1970s, and new editions of ''Mostly Mary'' and ''All Mary'' were published in the 1990s. In 2017, further editions of four of the books were issued by Egmont. Characters and story Mary Plain and her bear family feature in the stories, but the main characters are Mary and her human friend, the Owl Man. (The name refers to his spectacles.) He is kind and indulgent to Mary. He often takes her on outings. Mary and her friends can speak, but although anthropomorphic in that respect and in other aspects of their behaviour, the author is careful to point out that she is not a teddy bear. Similarly, although Mary learns to ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Coat Of Arms Of Bern
The coat of arms of Bern, along with the associated flag and heraldic colours, are used both by the Swiss city of Bern and by the canton of the same name. They were also used by the former district of Bern until its abolition in 2009. The coat of arms of Bern is on a red field a yellow diagonal band charged with a black bear with a red tongue, claws and penis walking upwards toward the hoist. The heraldic blazon reads: ''Gules, on a bend or, a bear passant sable, langued, armed and vilené of the field.'' The flag of Bern is square and depicts the coat of arms. The heraldic colours of Bern are red and black. Heraldic beast The heraldic beast of Bern is the bear. It has long served as namesake, emblem, mascot and — at times — personification of Bern. The founding legend has it that Duke Berthold V of Zähringen vowed to choose as namesake the first animal his hunt met in the wood that was to be chopped down for the new city. Then, as Konrad Justinger's chronicle puts ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Nydeggbrücke
The Nydeggbrücke is a bridge in Bern, Switzerland, which connects the eastern part of the old city to the new part. It crosses over the Aare and is located very close to the Bärengraben. It was built in parallel to the Untertorbrücke in 1840, which until then had been the only bridge crossing the Aare. The Nydeggbrücke is in total 190 meters long and took three years to build. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance. History Following a three-year planning phase on 7 July 1840 the city appointed Karl Emanuel Müller as the lead engineer on the Nydegg Bridge project. Starting in August 1840, crews worked throughout the winter of 1840/41 to build coffer dams and prepare the foundations for the bridge pillars. Despite severe floods and other delays by May 1841 the pillars were in place and above water level. The cornerstone ceremony took place in early June of the same year. In the fall of 1841 construction began on the eastern side arch and by the following fall b ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Tourism In Switzerland
Tourists are drawn to Switzerland's diverse landscape as well as the available activities, which take advantage of the Alpine climate and Alpine region, landscapes, in particular Alpine skiing, skiing and Alpinism, mountaineering, but also due to the many Altstadt, old town centers, with their Architecture of Switzerland, historic buildings that often preserve parts of their medieval List of castles and fortresses in Switzerland, fortifications, and Switzerland in the Roman era, Roman sites. Switzerland is also popular for tourism-oriented railways. tourism accounted for an estimated 2.6% (Swiss franc, CHF 16.8 billion) of Switzerland's gross domestic product, GDP, compared to 2.6% (CHF 12.8 billion) in 2001. History Tourism began in Switzerland with United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British Mountaineering, mountaineers climbing the main peaks of the Bernese Alps in the early 19th century. The Alpine Club (UK), Alpine Club in London was founded in 1857. Reconvale ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Zoos In Switzerland
A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility where animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoology, the study of animals. The term is derived from the Ancient Greek , , 'animal', and the suffix , , 'study of'. The abbreviation ''zoo'' was first used of the London Zoological Gardens, which was opened for scientific study in 1828, and to the public in 1847."Landmarks in ZSL History" , Zoological Society of London and Princess Margareta Hohenzolern Duda move in Zoo withK kinga Tanajewska ( daughter,n 1981 ). The first modern zoo was the Tierpark Hagenbeck ...
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Marc-Ange Draco
This is a list of allies of James Bond who appear throughout the film series and novels. MI6 M M is a Rear Admiral of the Royal Navy, and the head of the Secret Intelligence Service. Ian Fleming based the character on a number of people he knew who commanded sections of British intelligence. M has appeared in the novels by Fleming and seven continuation authors, as well as 24 films. M has been portrayed by Bernard Lee, Robert Brown, Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, John Huston and Edward Fox. Miss Moneypenny Miss Moneypenny is the secretary to M. The films depict her as having a reserved romantic interest in James Bond, although Fleming's novels do not imply such a relationship while the John Gardner and Raymond Benson novels emphasise it more. In the film series, Moneypenny has been portrayed by Lois Maxwell, Barbara Bouchet, Pamela Salem, Caroline Bliss, Samantha Bond and Naomie Harris. Q Q (standing for Quartermaster) is the head of Q Branch (or later Q Division ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Tracy Bond
Teresa "Tracy" Bond (''née'' Draco, formerly Contessa Teresa di Vicenzo) is a fictional character and the main Bond girl in the 1963 James Bond novel '' On Her Majesty's Secret Service'', where she becomes the first Bond girl to marry 007. In the novel’s 1969 film adaptation, Tracy is played by the actress Diana Rigg. It is suggested that the inspiration for Tracy Bond came from Ian Fleming's wartime romance with Muriel Wright, whom he met whilst skiing in Kitzbühel. Wright's sudden death in her London flat in 1944 from a bombing raid during The Blitz and Fleming's subsequent grief are reflected in Tracy's own unexpected death and its effect on Bond, evident in the succeeding novels and film adaptations. Biography Born Teresa Draco in 1943 (1937 in the novel), she is the only child of Marc-Ange Draco, the head of a powerful Unione Corse, or Corsican mafia crime family – not quite as large as SPECTRE, but with substantially larger "legal" operations, including Dr ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |