At the end of 1848, Bern became the seat of the country's government. Switzerland's federal structure meant that for this to happen, some discussions were necessary.

Technically, Switzerland has no official capital defined by its constitution. However, Bern is the de facto capital, serving as the "Federal City" (Bundesstadt) and the seat of the government and parliament since 1848. The confusion about "two capitals" often arises because the Federal Supreme Court—the highest judicial authority—is located in Lausanne, while the Federal Criminal Court is in Bellinzona. This distribution of power is a deliberate feature of Swiss federalism, intended to prevent any single city from becoming too dominant and to respect the country's different linguistic regions. While Bern handles the political and executive functions, Lausanne is the judicial heart of the nation. Therefore, while Bern is the city most people recognize as the capital, Switzerland effectively functions with its core administrative and judicial powers split between two different linguistic hubs, German-speaking Bern and French-speaking Lausanne.