Gsteigwiler
Encyclopedia
Gsteigwiler is a municipality
in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district
in the canton
of Bern in Switzerland
.
at the foot of the Schynige Platte
in the valley of the Lütschine
River.
Gsteigwiler has an area, , of 7.02 km² (2.7 sq mi). Of this area, 1.58 km² (0.610041410576205 sq mi) or 22.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 4.57 km² (1.8 sq mi) or 65.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.31 km² (0.119691669163686 sq mi) or 4.4% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.1 km² (24.7 acre) or 1.4% is either rivers or lakes and 0.47 km² (0.181468014538491 sq mi) or 6.7% is unproductive land.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 2.3% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.0%. 59.0% of the total land area is heavily forested and 5.4% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 10.3% is pastures and 11.7% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 2.4% is unproductive vegetation and 4.3% is too rocky for vegetation.
The original name of the town was "Wiler," which goes back to the Old High German
wilari (small town). The prefix Gsteig- was added to distinguish it from the many other Wilers, and means "abrupt mountain slope that one cannot drive a wagon on."
The municipality contains the church Gsteig bei Interlaken, which is the center of the parish for this and eight nearby municipalities, one of the largest parishes in the canton. The church is noted for its murals.
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
which received 30.4% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the Green Party
(16.8%), the SPS
(13.4%) and the FDP
(12.2%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 34.6% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 50.9% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 14.5%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Gsteigwiler about 78.8% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
Gsteigwiler has an unemployment rate of 1.82%. , there were 37 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 13 businesses involved in this sector. 8 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 4 businesses in this sector. 118 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 14 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
The Interlaken
-Zweilütschinen
railway line goes along the valley, but the nearest station is in Wilderswil
. In Gsteigwiler there is an interstation for the tourist road of the Schynige Platte.
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-Oberhasli administrative district
Interlaken-Oberhasli (administrative district)
Interlaken-Oberhasli District in the Canton of Bern was created on 1 January 2010. It is part of the Oberland administrative region. It contains 29 municipalities with an area of and a population of 48,763....
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....
.
Geography
Gsteigwiler lies 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...
at the foot of the Schynige Platte
Schynige Platte
The Schynige Platte is a Swiss mountain region near Wilderswil where the Schynige Platte Railway ends .In good weather conditions the summit offers spectacular views to many surrounding mountains, including Jungfrau, Eiger, Silberhorn and others, as well as Thunersee and Brienzersee...
in the valley of the Lütschine
Lütschine
The Lütschine is a river in the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland.It flows from Zweilütschinen, where its two tributaries join, on a length of 8.6 km through the Bödeli and into Lake Brienz at Bönigen....
River.
Gsteigwiler has an area, , of 7.02 km² (2.7 sq mi). Of this area, 1.58 km² (0.610041410576205 sq mi) or 22.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 4.57 km² (1.8 sq mi) or 65.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.31 km² (0.119691669163686 sq mi) or 4.4% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.1 km² (24.7 acre) or 1.4% is either rivers or lakes and 0.47 km² (0.181468014538491 sq mi) or 6.7% is unproductive land.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 2.3% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.0%. 59.0% of the total land area is heavily forested and 5.4% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 10.3% is pastures and 11.7% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 2.4% is unproductive vegetation and 4.3% is too rocky for vegetation.
The original name of the town was "Wiler," which goes back to the Old High German
Old High German
The term Old High German refers to the earliest stage of the German language and it conventionally covers the period from around 500 to 1050. Coherent written texts do not appear until the second half of the 8th century, and some treat the period before 750 as 'prehistoric' and date the start of...
wilari (small town). The prefix Gsteig- was added to distinguish it from the many other Wilers, and means "abrupt mountain slope that one cannot drive a wagon on."
The municipality contains the church Gsteig bei Interlaken, which is the center of the parish for this and eight nearby municipalities, one of the largest parishes in the canton. The church is noted for its murals.
Demographics
Gsteigwiler has a population (as of ) of . , 6.4% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -8.3%. Most of the population speaks German (96.9%), with Portugu`ese being second most common ( 0.8%) and French being third ( 0.6%).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 30.4% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were 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:...
(16.8%), the SPS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(13.4%) and the FDP
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....
(12.2%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 34.6% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 50.9% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 14.5%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Gsteigwiler about 78.8% 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...
).
Gsteigwiler has an unemployment rate of 1.82%. , there were 37 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 13 businesses involved in this sector. 8 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 4 businesses in this sector. 118 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 14 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1764 | 129 |
| 1850 | 425 |
| 1900 | 451 |
| 1930 | 328 |
| 1950 | 359 |
| 2000 | 477 |
Transportation
Interlaken
Interlaken is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the Canton of Bern in Switzerland, a well-known tourist destination in the Bernese Oberland.-History:...
-Zweilütschinen
Zweilütschinen
Zweilütschinen is a hamlet in the district of Interlaken of the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland. It gets its name because of the confluence of the two Lütschinen rivers,the White and the Black. It is about 4 miles south of Interlaken. The village is part of the municipality of Gündlischwand.It...
railway line goes along the valley, but the nearest station is in Wilderswil
Wilderswil
Wilderswil is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.It is situated at the southern border of the Bödeli watershed, where the Saxetenbach joins the Lütschine, south of Interlaken. The village is situated at the foot of the mountains...
. In Gsteigwiler there is an interstation for the tourist road of the Schynige Platte.
Further reading
- Heinz Häsler: Gsteigwiler: Bilder einer kleinen Gemeinde. Gsteigwiler, 1995, ISBN 3-85884-052-1