Bern
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The flag of Bern features a black bear walking diagonally upward on a red diagonal band, set against a gold (yellow) background. The bear has been the heraldic symbol of Bern since the city's founding legend, in which Duke Berchtold V of Zähringen vowed to name the city after the first animal killed in a hunt — a bear. The bear is depicted with red claws and tongue, a detail known as 'armed and langued' in heraldry.
Bern has maintained a bear pit (Bärengraben) since 1513, and today the bears live in a modern park along the Aare River.
Adopted: 1224
