ABSTRACT
From the 14th century onwards, the city state of Bern became an expanding power. This process was still underway in the 16th century. Bit by bit, the state embraced different types of terrain in regions such as the rather densely populated districts in the Swiss Plateau or borderlands in Alpine valleys and mountains. In these unequal areas, environmental and economic conditions were very different. Amongst these were climatic and weather conditions, different types of agricultural production and demographic development, as well as access to trade routes and markets which interacted in different ways. This paper will examine the impact of climate variability and weather conditions on societies in these different areas of Bern between the 14th and the 16th centuries. The focus lies on two different types of short-term climate impacts: first, the destruction of bridges by floods, and second, weather-related subsistence crises. Regarding the floods, it will be demonstrated how floods repeatedly destroyed bridges in the territory of Bern. These bridges were rebuilt and often improved with the objective of reducing flood vulnerability. Simultaneously with the expansion of Bern’s power, the costs for the maintenance of bridges in its also territory rose. The three examples of subsistence crises presented here show that the city’s authorities implemented different measures in the respective areas in the Bernese territory in order to ensure food supply.
