Huttwil
Encyclopedia
Huttwil is a municipality
in the Oberaargau administrative district in the Swiss
canton
of Bern.
During the Swiss peasant war of 1653
, Huttwil was a center of the rebellion. On April 23, 1653, representatives of the people of the countryside of Lucerne, Bern, Basel, and Solothurn met at Sumiswald
and concluded an alliance to help each other to achieve their goals. A week later, they met again at Huttwil, where they renewed that alliance and elected Niklaus Leuenberger
from Rüderswil
in the Emmental as their leader.
On May 14, 1653, the peasants met again at a Landsgemeinde at Huttwil and formalized their alliance as the "League of Huttwil" by signing a written contract in the style of the old Bundesbriefe of the Old Swiss Confederacy. The treaty clearly established the league as a separate political entity that considered itself equal to and independent from the cities. The tax revolt had become an independence movement, based ideologically on the traditional Swiss founding legends, especially on the legend of William Tell
. Legally, the peasants justified their assemblies and their union by the rights of old and in particular the Stanser Verkommnis
of 1481, one of the important coalition treaties of the Old Swiss Confederacy.
Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 1.7% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 6.4% and transportation infrastructure made up 4.6%. 19.9% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.1% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 29.9% is used for growing crops and 32.0% is pastures, while 2.6% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams.
It is situated in the lower Emmental
between Eriswil
, Wyssachen
, Dürrenroth
and Walterswil.
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
which received 42% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS
(18.7%), the FDP
(14.7%) and the local small left-wing parties (9%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 23.8% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 56.3% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 19.9%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Huttwil about 71.4% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
Huttwil has an unemployment rate of 1.21%. , there were 277 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 92 businesses involved in this sector. 878 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 77 businesses in this sector. 1440 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 188 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
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 Oberaargau administrative district in the Swiss
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....
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.
History
Huttwil is first mentioned in the 9th Century as Huttiwilare.During the Swiss peasant war of 1653
Swiss peasant war of 1653
The Swiss peasant war of 1653 was a popular revolt in the Old Swiss Confederacy at the time of the Ancien Régime. A devaluation of Bernese money caused a tax revolt that spread from the Entlebuch valley in the Canton of Lucerne to the Emmental valley in the Canton of Bern and then to the cantons of...
, Huttwil was a center of the rebellion. On April 23, 1653, representatives of the people of the countryside of Lucerne, Bern, Basel, and Solothurn met at Sumiswald
Sumiswald
Sumiswald is a municipality in the district of the Emmental administrative district in the canton of Bern, Switzerland.-Geography:Sumiswald has an area, , of . Of this area, or 47.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 46.3% is forested...
and concluded an alliance to help each other to achieve their goals. A week later, they met again at Huttwil, where they renewed that alliance and elected Niklaus Leuenberger
Niklaus Leuenberger
thumbNiklaus Leuenberger was a leader of the Swiss peasant war of 1653.He signed the Treaty of Mellingen along with Christian Schybi on June 4, 1653....
from Rüderswil
Rüderswil
Rüderswil is a municipality in the administrative district of Emmental in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.-Geography:Rüderswil has an area, , of . Of this area, or 68.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 23.7% is forested...
in the Emmental as their leader.
On May 14, 1653, the peasants met again at a Landsgemeinde at Huttwil and formalized their alliance as the "League of Huttwil" by signing a written contract in the style of the old Bundesbriefe of the Old Swiss Confederacy. The treaty clearly established the league as a separate political entity that considered itself equal to and independent from the cities. The tax revolt had become an independence movement, based ideologically on the traditional Swiss founding legends, especially on the legend of William Tell
William Tell
William Tell is a folk hero of Switzerland. His legend is recorded in a late 15th century Swiss chronicle....
. Legally, the peasants justified their assemblies and their union by the rights of old and in particular the Stanser Verkommnis
Stanser Verkommnis
In the Stanser Verkommnis of 1481 the Tagsatzung solved the latent conflict between the rural and urban cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy, averting the breaking of the Confederacy, and triggering its further expansion from 8 to 13 members until 1513.The tensions between the cantons had arisen...
of 1481, one of the important coalition treaties of the Old Swiss Confederacy.
Geography
Huttwil has an area, , of 17.24 km² (6.7 sq mi). Of this area, 11.13 km² (4.3 sq mi) or 64.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 3.79 km² (1.5 sq mi) or 22.0% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 2.35 km² (0.907340072692457 sq mi) or 13.6% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.01 km² (2.5 acre) or 0.1% is either rivers or lakes.Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 1.7% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 6.4% and transportation infrastructure made up 4.6%. 19.9% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.1% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 29.9% is used for growing crops and 32.0% is pastures, while 2.6% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams.
It is situated in the lower Emmental
Emmental
For the cheese made in the region, see Emmental .The Emmental is a region in west central Switzerland, forming part of the canton of Bern. It is a hilly landscape comprising the basins of the Emme and Ilfis rivers. The region is mostly devoted to farming, particularly dairy farming...
between Eriswil
Eriswil
Eriswil is a municipality in the Oberaargau administrative district in the Swiss canton of Bern.-Geography:Eriswil has an area, , of . Of this area, or 67.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 26.1% is forested...
, Wyssachen
Wyssachen
Wyssachen is a municipality in the Oberaargau administrative district in the Swiss canton of Bern.-Geography:Wyssachen has an area of . Of this area, 70.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 22.5% is forested...
, Dürrenroth
Dürrenroth
Dürrenroth is a municipality in the district of Trachselwald in the Swiss canton of Bern.-History:Dürrenroth is first mentioned in 1275 as Rota. In 1326 it was mentioned as Durren Rot.-Geography:...
and Walterswil.
Demographics
Huttwil has a population (as of ) of . , 8.9% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -0.7%. Most of the population speaks German (93.6%), with Italian being second most common ( 1.1%) and Albanian being third ( 1.1%).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 42% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(18.7%), 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....
(14.7%) and the local small left-wing parties (9%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 23.8% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 56.3% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 19.9%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Huttwil about 71.4% 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...
).
Huttwil has an unemployment rate of 1.21%. , there were 277 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 92 businesses involved in this sector. 878 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 77 businesses in this sector. 1440 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 188 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1764 | 1,678 |
| 1850 | 3,398 |
| 1900 | 3,916 |
| 1950 | 4,661 |
| 2000 | 4,825 |