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Ever seen this guy?
A total superstar of science.
That's young Albert Einstein.
And I'm sure this looks familiar.
The most famous formula in the world.
And guess what?
Einstein came up with that formula
right here in this city:
Bern in Switzerland.
A tranquil city with just under 150,000 inhabitants.
Bern lies the German-speaking part of the country.
Many people think that Zurich
is the capital of Switzerland.
Not so–
Bern is the seat of the
parliament and government.
Today we're exploring Bern, following
in the footsteps of Albert Einstein.
Where did he live and work?
What does his signature formula
mean, and why is it so famous?
And how many of these Einstein
benches can be found in Bern?
Don't worry though, you don't need
a physics degree for our little tour.
Albert Einstein came to Bern in 1902.
At that time, the Old Town looked
almost exactly as it does today.
It's hardly changed since the
12th century and has been declared
a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Einstein, too, would have
stood in front of the Minster.
At 100 meters, it's the
tallest church in Switzerland.
There's another landmark here
that's been a key part of the cityscape
since the Middle Ages.
Einstein probably stood
right here at some point
in front of the so-called
Zytglogge, the Clock Tower.
Time was something that
totally fascinated him.
At the top of every hour, tourists
flock to the Zytglogge tower
to watch the medieval
clockwork performance.
Einstein came to Bern in search of a job.
Here, at the patent office,
he finally found a well-paid permanent position.
He was 22 years old and already
had completed his physics degree.
But nobody wanted to hire him as a scientist.
At the patent office the genius had to
evaluate other people's inventions.
Unfortunately, the desk he
stood at and his office aren't open
to the public.
Instead, you might like to
visit Einstein's apartment.
He lived on the second floor
of this building from 1903 to 1905,
along with his first wife,
Mileva, and their son.
He'd climbed these
stairs every day after work.
Paul Burkhart from
the Einstein Society of Bern
shows me the apartment.
Bedroom, kitchen, children's room, living room.
This was Albert Mileva and
Hans' little kingdom of their own.
It had no study and yet
it was in this apartment
that the famous formula was born.
Supported by his wife Mileva.
She was a mathematician, and Albert could
discuss his ideas with her,
developing them further.
Then in 1905, the hour was nigh:
Einstein published not just one,
but five groundbreaking articles
on light, matter and energy.
Among them was his
special theory of relativity.
The formula: Energy equals mass
times the speed of light squared.
From 1905 onward, Einstein's scientific
career slowly gained momentum.
But he only became a
universally known superstar
when he received the
Nobel Prize for Physics in 1922.
Time for a break.
My destination is a
location called Altes Tramdepot.
There is also an Einstein bench here.
He looks to be about
in his mid to late 20s,
I would guess, so in the
age of his years in Bern.
The Altes Tramdepot scores points for its view,
its home brewed beer
and its delicious Rösti,
a thick potato pancake
typically served with fried bacon.
I go for the vegetarian
option, which is served with egg.
This is really good.
By the way, Einstein didn't eat meat.
But only later in life, on his doctor's advice.
When he was younger, he
actually enjoyed hearty meat dishes.
Now that we've fortified
ourselves, the tour continues.
Bern is really putting
on a great show today.
It has a flare that feels almost
Mediterranean, don't you think?
All throughout the Old Town,
you'll find fountains topped
with beautiful figurines.
The water is safe for drinking.
The historic cellars here are also fascinating.
Once used for food storage,
today they house bars,
restaurants and shops.
Also particular to burn
are the six kilometers of arcades,
which provide wonderful shade in the summer.
I'm making a short stop
at the University of Bern.
Here we find our third Einstein bench.
In 1908, Einstein rose to
the rank of lecturer at the University,
working for a time there.
Then came the offers from Zurich, Berlin
and later from Princeton in the USA.
You can learn more about Einstein's
life story at the Einstein Museum.
The wall of mirrors introduces
you to Einstein's world of thought.
Where does light come from?
What is an original?
What is a reproduction?
What could infinity mean?
Room by room, you are taken through
the stations of Einstein's biography.
His childhood in Ulm and Munich.
His Jewish family background.
His years in Switzerland, where
he gradually made a name for himself
in scientific circles.
In 1914 he moved to Berlin.
At the Prussian Academy of Sciences,
he was able to devote himself
entirely to his research.
He would divorce Maleva and get
married again to his cousin Elsa.
As the Nazis grew ever stronger in
Germany, Einstein raised his voice
against militarism and war.
In 1933, he emigrated to the USA.
Throughout his life, Einstein changed
his nationality several times.
German, Swiss, Austrian, American.
At one point he was even stateless.
I call that a true citizen of the world.
He retained his Swiss
citizenship until his death in 1955.
The dropping of the atomic bomb on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945
was a life changing event for him.
Einstein was deeply shaken by
the scale of destruction and death.
More on that in a moment.
The museum also lets you
get to know Einstein a little
as a private person.
He loved sailing and playing the violin.
He was a passionate smoker and
he obviously had a sense of humour.
This photo was seen around the world.
It's more than enough material
to strike up a conversation
with Alina Minda of the Einstein Museum Bern.
I've always wondered why is
Einstein sticking his tongue out?
Is he making fun of me?
Fun of us?
Well, the photo is taken on
Einstein's 72nd birthday in Princeton.
And right after the party, photographers
were waiting for him outside the venue.
And he got annoyed with time
and instead of smiling he stuck out his tongue.
The fun thing is that he really liked this picture.
So he used it then later as a greeting card.
This museum also talks about the
atomic bomb, a pretty dark topic.
In what way is Einstein's theory
of relativity connected to the bomb?
The formula E=mc² says
that even tiny amounts of mass
can be converted into huge amounts of energy.
So that is the principle behind nuclear fission,
which is the basis for the atomic bomb.
But Einstein himself was never
directly involved in this program.
And after the bombings of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945
Einstein was deeply shaken.
And he was devastated and really regretted
the use of that bomb.
Back then he became an even stronger advocate
for peace and disarmament.
And he kept on warning
the world of the devastating power
of nuclear weapons.
Is there any peaceful use to the formula?
Well, it allows us to use
nuclear energy in a peaceful way,
for example, for generating electricity.
But I think more importantly,
it reminds us that every scientific
discovery can bring a lot of progress
and very interesting knowledge,
but on the same time, it can also
bring a lot of destruction and harm.
So I think it reminds us how
scientists or science cannot be seen
deconnected from ethics
or social responsibility.
In front of the Einstein Museum we
find the 4th bench dedicated to the
superstar of physics.
And this is where our tour ends.
So, whose footsteps should we follow next?
Where do you want us to go?
Tell us in the comments.
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