Beatenberg
Encyclopedia
Beatenberg is a municipality
in the Interlaken
district of the canton
of Bern in Switzerland
.
on a steppe beneath the Niederhorn
and high above Lake Thun
. Beatenberg affords good views of the Jungfrau Group (Eiger, Mönch
and Jungfrau
).
Beatenberg is linked to Beatenbucht on Lake Thun by the Thunersee–Beatenberg Bahn funicular
, which connects with shipping services on the lake. The Seilbahnen Beatenberg-Niederhorn
, a gondola lift
, runs to the summit of the Niederhorn.
Beatenberg has an area, , of 29.23 km² (11.3 sq mi). Of this area, 9.62 km² (3.7 sq mi) or 32.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while15.68 km² (6.1 sq mi) or 53.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.23 km² (0.474905655068818 sq mi) or 4.2% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.1 km² (24.7 acre) or 0.3% is either rivers or lakes and 2.59 km² (1 sq mi) or 8.9% is unproductive land.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 2.1% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.5%. 46.6% of the total land area is heavily forested and 6.7% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 9.5% is pastures and 23.2% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 5.6% is unproductive vegatation, 3.3% is too rocky for vegatation, .
It includes the farming coops of Schmocken, Spirenwald, Waldegg and several scattered independent farms as well as the village of Sundlauenen am See.
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
which received 50.7% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the local small left-wing parties (11.6%), the Green Party
(10.4%) and the SPS
(9.7%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 22.6% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 56.5% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 21%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Beatenberg about 76.6% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule
).
Beatenberg has an unemployment rate of 1.36%. , there were 102 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 38 businesses involved in this sector. 84 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 22 businesses in this sector. 423 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 63 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
. According to legend, Beatus was a missionary who came from Ireland
to Lake Thun and who there expelled a dragon from the caves above Sundlauenen. His domicile in the dragon's cave has become a place of pilgrimage. Even today, the kilometre-long limestone cave with its subterranean lakes is a main tourist attraction of the locality.
Municipalities of Switzerland
Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...
in the Interlaken
Interlaken (district)
Interlaken District in the canton of Bern with administrative capital Interlaken comprised 23 municipalities over 724 km²:*CH-3803 Beatenberg*CH-3806 Bönigen*CH-3855 Brienz*CH-3856 Brienzwiler*CH-3707 Därligen*CH-3818 Grindelwald...
district of the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Bern in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
History
Beatenberg is first mentioned in 1275 as super rupes. In 1281 it was mentioned as ob den fluen and in 1357 as Sant Beaten berge.Geography
Beatenberg is located in the Bernese OberlandBernese Oberland
The Bernese Oberland is the higher part of the canton of Bern, Switzerland, in the southern end of the canton: The area around Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, and the valleys of the Bernese Alps .The flag of the Bernese Oberland consists of a black eagle in a gold field The Bernese Oberland (Bernese...
on a steppe beneath the Niederhorn
Niederhorn
The Niederhorn is a peak in the Swiss Alps in the Bernese Oberland near Beatenberg. It is the peak farthest west in the Güggis ridge. From its summit you can see Lake Thun and the entire Bernese Alps....
and high above Lake Thun
Lake Thun
Lake Thun is an Alpine lake in the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland. It took its name from the city of Thun, on its northern shore.Lake Thun's approximately 2,500 km² large catchment area frequently causes local flooding after heavy rainfalls...
. Beatenberg affords good views of the Jungfrau Group (Eiger, Mönch
Mönch
The Mönch is a mountain in the Bernese Alps, in Switzerland. Together with the Eiger and the Jungfrau it forms a highly recognisable group of mountains visible from far away....
and Jungfrau
Jungfrau
The Jungfrau is one of the main summits in the Bernese Alps, situated between the cantons of Valais and Bern in Switzerland...
).
Beatenberg is linked to Beatenbucht on Lake Thun by the Thunersee–Beatenberg Bahn funicular
Funicular
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...
, which connects with shipping services on the lake. The Seilbahnen Beatenberg-Niederhorn
Seilbahnen Beatenberg-Niederhorn
The Seilbahnen Beatenberg-Niederhorn is a pulsed movement gondola lift in the Swiss Canton of Berne. It links the village of Beatenberg with the summit of the Niederhorn...
, a gondola lift
Gondola lift
A gondola lift is a type of aerial lift, normally called a cable car, which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal,...
, runs to the summit of the Niederhorn.
Beatenberg has an area, , of 29.23 km² (11.3 sq mi). Of this area, 9.62 km² (3.7 sq mi) or 32.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while15.68 km² (6.1 sq mi) or 53.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.23 km² (0.474905655068818 sq mi) or 4.2% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.1 km² (24.7 acre) or 0.3% is either rivers or lakes and 2.59 km² (1 sq mi) or 8.9% is unproductive land.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 2.1% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.5%. 46.6% of the total land area is heavily forested and 6.7% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 9.5% is pastures and 23.2% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 5.6% is unproductive vegatation, 3.3% is too rocky for vegatation, .
It includes the farming coops of Schmocken, Spirenwald, Waldegg and several scattered independent farms as well as the village of Sundlauenen am See.
Demographics
Beatenberg has a population (as of ) of . , 10.8% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -12.3%. Most of the population speaks German (92.7%), with Serbo-Croatian being second most common ( 1.6%) and Dutch being third ( 1.2%).In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
Swiss People's Party
The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...
which received 50.7% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the local small left-wing parties (11.6%), the Green Party
Green Party of Switzerland
The Green Party of Switzerland is the fifth-largest party in the National Council of Switzerland, and the largest party that is not represented on the Federal Council.-History:...
(10.4%) and the SPS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(9.7%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 22.6% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 56.5% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 21%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Beatenberg about 76.6% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule
Fachhochschule
A Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences is a German type of tertiary education institution, sometimes specialized in certain topical areas . Fachhochschulen were founded in Germany and later adopted by Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Greece...
).
Beatenberg has an unemployment rate of 1.36%. , there were 102 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 38 businesses involved in this sector. 84 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 22 businesses in this sector. 423 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 63 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1764 | 547 |
| 1850 | 1,075 |
| 1900 | 1,082 |
| 1950 | 1,323 |
| 1990 | 1,373 |
| 2000 | 1,279 |
Points of interest
The local saint is Saint BeatusBeatus of Lungern
Beatus of Lungern, known also by the honorific Apostle of Switzerland or as Beatus of Beatenberg or Beatus of Thun, was a probably legendary monk and hermit of early Christianity, and is revered as a saint...
. According to legend, Beatus was a missionary who came from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
to Lake Thun and who there expelled a dragon from the caves above Sundlauenen. His domicile in the dragon's cave has become a place of pilgrimage. Even today, the kilometre-long limestone cave with its subterranean lakes is a main tourist attraction of the locality.
Famous Inhabitants
- Albert Samuel GatschetAlbert Samuel GatschetAlbert Samuel Gatschet was a Swiss-American ethnologist who trained as a linguist in Europe but worked most of his career in the United States, where he studied Native American languages and cultures.-Early life and education:Albert Samuel Gatschet was born in Beatenberg, Switzerland...
(1832–1907), ethnologue and linguist, born in Beatenberg - Erich von DänikenErich von DänikenErich Anton Paul von Däniken is a Swiss author best known for his controversial claims about extraterrestrial influences on early human culture, in books such as Chariots of the Gods?, published in 1968...
(1935), author, currently living in Beatenberg
External links
- Offizielle Website der Municipality of Beatenberg
- Private Homepage with pictures and information