Iseltwald
Encyclopedia
Iseltwald is a municipality
in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district
in the canton
of Bern in Switzerland
.
The village lies on a delta at the south bank of Lake Brienz
in the Bernese Oberland
. It is 14 km (8.7 mi) from Interlaken, the road mostly running along Lake Brienz. It consists of the village of Iseltwald and the hamlets
of Furen, Sengg and Isch as well as scattered farm houses through the woods and into the alps. The village includes the Faulhorn which is 2680 m (8,792.7 ft).
Iseltwald has an area, , of 21.85 km² (8.4 sq mi). Of this area, 6.85 km² (2.6 sq mi) or 31.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 10.44 km² (4 sq mi) or 47.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.51 km² (0.196912100882193 sq mi) or 2.3% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.08 km² (19.8 acre) or 0.4% is either rivers or lakes and 3.97 km² (1.5 sq mi) or 18.2% is unproductive land.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 1.0% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.1%. 42.5% of the total land area is heavily forested and 3.2% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 4.6% is pastures and 26.7% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 7.9% is unproductive vegetation and 10.3% is too rocky for vegetation.
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
which received 47.4% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP
(12.6%), the SPS
(11.6%) and the local small left-wing parties (11.2%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 22.8% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 58.3% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 18.9%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Iseltwald about 74.7% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
Iseltwald has an unemployment rate of 1.68%. , there were 28 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 12 businesses involved in this sector. 13 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 6 businesses in this sector. 129 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 17 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 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
Lake Brienz
Lake Brienz is a lake just north of the Alps, in the Canton of Berne in Switzerland. The lake took its name from the village Brienz on its northern shore. Interlaken and the villages Matten and Unterseen lie to the south west of the lake. The shores are steep, and there is almost no shallow water...
in the Bernese Oberland
Bernese 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...
. It is 14 km (8.7 mi) from Interlaken, the road mostly running along Lake Brienz. It consists of the village of Iseltwald and the hamlets
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Furen, Sengg and Isch as well as scattered farm houses through the woods and into the alps. The village includes the Faulhorn which is 2680 m (8,792.7 ft).
Iseltwald has an area, , of 21.85 km² (8.4 sq mi). Of this area, 6.85 km² (2.6 sq mi) or 31.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 10.44 km² (4 sq mi) or 47.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.51 km² (0.196912100882193 sq mi) or 2.3% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.08 km² (19.8 acre) or 0.4% is either rivers or lakes and 3.97 km² (1.5 sq mi) or 18.2% is unproductive land.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 1.0% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.1%. 42.5% of the total land area is heavily forested and 3.2% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 4.6% is pastures and 26.7% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 7.9% is unproductive vegetation and 10.3% is too rocky for vegetation.
Transportation
For a long time, the only access to the village was through a small regional road or by ferry. Since the building of the A8 Autobahn in 1988, the village has its own junction. . Bus service 3 operates on a half hourly frequency and connects Iseltwald to Interlaken from Interlaken West and Interlaken Ost stations. During summers, a ferry service operates from Interlaken Ost to Iseltwald starting on River Aare and ending at Iseltwald on Lake Brienz.Demographics
Iseltwald has a population (as of ) of . , 6.8% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -9.9%. Most of the population speaks German (97.2%), with French being second most common ( 0.7%) and Italian being third ( 0.7%).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 47.4% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were 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....
(12.6%), the SPS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(11.6%) and the local small left-wing parties (11.2%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 22.8% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 58.3% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 18.9%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Iseltwald about 74.7% 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...
).
Iseltwald has an unemployment rate of 1.68%. , there were 28 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 12 businesses involved in this sector. 13 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 6 businesses in this sector. 129 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 17 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1764 | 254 |
| 1850 | 562 |
| 1900 | 585 |
| 1930 | 479 |
| 1950 | 537 |
| 2000 | 434 |