Bätterkinden
Encyclopedia
Bätterkinden is a municipality
in the administrative district of Emmental
in the canton
of Bern in Switzerland
. It is about 20 km north of Bern.
Bätterkinden lies in the lower section of the Fraubrunnen district, west of the Emme and Urtenen, and on the Limpach. It consists of the settlement areas of Bätterkinden and Kräiligen, the Weilern Alp, Holzhäusern Berchtoldshof, Aussenhöfen Berchtoldshof, Buuchi, Studenacher, upper and lower Löffelhof, Neumatt, Niedermatt and Rütti. The municipality is runs about 7.4 km (4.6 mi) north to south.
.
The municipal council is the executive
, and consists of seven members chosen by proportional representation
. In the current term (2004–2007), there are three members from the Swiss People's Party
(SVP), three from the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
(SPS), and one from the Free Democratic Party of Switzerland
(FDP). The mayor, Rosmarie Habegger-Scheidegger, is in the SVP.
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the Swiss People's Party (SVP) which received 32.5% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland (SPS) (26.3%), the Free Democratic Party of Switzerland (FDP) (13.8%) and the Green Party
(12.4%).
Of the built up area, industrial buildings make up 1.7% of the total area while housing and buildings make up 7.6% and transportation infrastructure make up 2.8%, while parks, green belts and sports fields make up 2.9%. 24.0% of the total land area is heavily forested. Of the agricultural land, 50.7% is used for growing crops and 6.4% is pastures. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams.
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 27.4% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 61.1% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 11.5%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Bätterkinden about 77.8% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule
).
Bätterkinden has an unemployment rate of 0.95%. , there were 81 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 28 businesses involved in this sector. 209 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 29 businesses in this sector. 445 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 64 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
In Bätterkinden two canton roads cross, the T12 Solothurn
-Bern (north-south) and the Lyss
-Utzenstorf
-Koppigen
/Burgdorf road (east-west). There is also the canton road which connects Bätterkinden to Bucheggberg via Kyburg
.
The A1
entrances Kirchberg (in the direction of Bern) and Kriegstetten
(in the direction of Basel
and Zurich
) can each be reached in about a 10 minutes' drive.
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 administrative district of Emmental
Emmental (administrative district)
Emmental District in the Canton of Bern was created on 1 January 2010. It is part of the Emmental-Oberaargau administrative region. It contains 42 municipalities with an area of and a population of 93,082....
in 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....
. It is about 20 km north of Bern.
Bätterkinden lies in the lower section of the Fraubrunnen district, west of the Emme and Urtenen, and on the Limpach. It consists of the settlement areas of Bätterkinden and Kräiligen, the Weilern Alp, Holzhäusern Berchtoldshof, Aussenhöfen Berchtoldshof, Buuchi, Studenacher, upper and lower Löffelhof, Neumatt, Niedermatt and Rütti. The municipality is runs about 7.4 km (4.6 mi) north to south.
Politics
The municipal assembly, which consists of all Swiss residents aged 18 and older living in the municipality for at least 3 months, forms the legislatureLegislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
.
The municipal council is the executive
Executive (government)
Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...
, and consists of seven members chosen by proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
. In the current term (2004–2007), there are three members from the Swiss People's Party
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...
(SVP), three from the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(SPS), and one from the Free Democratic Party of Switzerland
Free Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Free Democratic Party was a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It was one of the major parties in Switzerland until its merger with the smaller classical liberal Liberal Party, to form FDP.The Liberals on 1 January 2009....
(FDP). The mayor, Rosmarie Habegger-Scheidegger, is in the SVP.
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the Swiss People's Party (SVP) which received 32.5% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland (SPS) (26.3%), the Free Democratic Party of Switzerland (FDP) (13.8%) and 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:...
(12.4%).
Geography
Bätterkinden has an area, , of 10.17 km² (3.9 sq mi). Of this area, 5.88 km² (2.3 sq mi) or 57.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while 2.45 km² (0.945950288551711 sq mi) or 24.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.57 km² (0.60618038899028 sq mi) or 15.4% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.21 km² (0.0810814533044324 sq mi) or 2.1% is either rivers or lakes.Of the built up area, industrial buildings make up 1.7% of the total area while housing and buildings make up 7.6% and transportation infrastructure make up 2.8%, while parks, green belts and sports fields make up 2.9%. 24.0% of the total land area is heavily forested. Of the agricultural land, 50.7% is used for growing crops and 6.4% is pastures. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams.
Demographics
Bätterkinden has a population (as of ) of . , 5.7% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 9%. Most of the population speaks German (94.9%), with Albanian being second most common ( 0.8%) and Italian being third ( 0.6%).The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 27.4% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 61.1% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 11.5%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Bätterkinden about 77.8% 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...
).
Bätterkinden has an unemployment rate of 0.95%. , there were 81 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 28 businesses involved in this sector. 209 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 29 businesses in this sector. 445 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 64 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1764 | 598 |
| 1850 | 1,216 |
| 1900 | 1,401 |
| 1950 | 1,782 |
| 2000 | 2,700 |
Transportation
The city is a stop on the Regionalverkehr Bern-Solothurn (RBS), which runs on a synchronized timetable, generally every half-hour. The time required to reach Solothurn is 12 minutes and Bern 26. There are also bus connections.In Bätterkinden two canton roads cross, the T12 Solothurn
Solothurn
The city of Solothurn is the capital of the Canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. The city also comprises the only municipality of the district of the same name.-Pre-roman settlement:...
-Bern (north-south) and the Lyss
Lyss
Lyss is a municipality in the Seeland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. On 1 January 2011, the former municipality of Busswil bei Büren was merged with Lyss.-Geography:...
-Utzenstorf
Utzenstorf
Utzenstorf is a municipality in the administrative district of Emmental in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is regionally famous for its medieval castle, Schloss Landschut.-Geography:...
-Koppigen
Koppigen
-External links:*...
/Burgdorf road (east-west). There is also the canton road which connects Bätterkinden to Bucheggberg via Kyburg
Kyburg
Kyburg may refer to:*Henry E. Kyburg, Jr., the philosopher/logician*The castle Kyburg in the Canton of Zurich*The municipality surrounding the castle, Kyburg, Zurich*The noble House of Kyburg that took their name from the castle....
.
The A1
A1 (Switzerland)
The A1 is a motorway in Switzerland. It follows Switzerland's main east-west axis, from St. Margrethen in northeastern Switzerland's canton of St. Gallen through to Geneva in southwestern Switzerland...
entrances Kirchberg (in the direction of Bern) and Kriegstetten
Kriegstetten
Kriegstetten is a municipality in the district of Wasseramt in the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland.-Geography:Kriegstetten has an area, , of . Of this area, or 43.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 8.8% is forested...
(in the direction of Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
and Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
) can each be reached in about a 10 minutes' drive.
Notable people
- Florian Ast (born 1975 in SolothurnSolothurnThe city of Solothurn is the capital of the Canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. The city also comprises the only municipality of the district of the same name.-Pre-roman settlement:...
), rock musician - Jeremias Lorza (born 1757 in SilvaplanaSilvaplanaSilvaplana is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden and the name of a lake in the municipality.-History:...
, died 1837 in Bätterkinden), theologian - Benedictus AretiusBenedictus AretiusBenedictus Aretius was a Swiss Protestant theologian and natural philosopher.-Life:...
(born 1522 in Bätterkinden, died 1574 in Bern), theologian, teacher, geographer, and reformer