Kirchberg, Berne
Encyclopedia
Kirchberg is a municipality
in the administrative district of Emmental
in the canton
of Bern in Switzerland
.
. In 1953 Rumendingen
separated from Kirchberg.
Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 1.9% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 11.2% and transportation infrastructure made up 6.1%. while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 1.4%. 31.7% of the total land area is heavily forested. Of the agricultural land, 29.5% is used for growing crops and 13.4% is pastures, while 1.8% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams.
Kirchberg includes the village of Kirchberg, the bridgehead
on the right bank of the Emme River
and the hamlet
Bütikofen. It is the center of the parish
of Kirchberg.
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
which received 34% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS
(21%), the FDP
(20.4%) and the Green Party
(8.1%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 24.6% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 62% and the seniors (over 64 years old) make up 13.4%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Kirchberg about 77% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
Kirchberg has an unemployment rate of 1.58%. , there were 79 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 26 businesses involved in this sector. 886 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 62 businesses in this sector. 1204 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 182 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 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....
.
History
Kirchberg is first mentioned in 1182 as Chilcberc. In 1704 the village of Guetisberg (now part of Heimiswil) separated from Kirchberg. In 1911 Bickigen separated from Kirchberg and became part of WynigenWynigen
Wynigen is a municipality in the administrative district of Emmental in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.-Geography:Wynigen has an area, , of . Of this area, or 56.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 37.4% is forested...
. In 1953 Rumendingen
Rumendingen
Rumendingen is a municipality in the administrative district of Emmental in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.-Geography:Rumendingen has an area, , of . Of this area, or 60.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 31.7% is forested...
separated from Kirchberg.
Geography
Kirchberg has an area, , of 9.04 km² (3.5 sq mi). Of this area, 4.04 km² (1.6 sq mi) or 44.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 2.94 km² (1.1 sq mi) or 32.5% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.92 km² (0.741316144497667 sq mi) or 21.2% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.13 km² (32.1 acre) or 1.4% is either rivers or lakes and 0.02 km² (4.9 acre) or 0.2% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 1.9% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 11.2% and transportation infrastructure made up 6.1%. while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 1.4%. 31.7% of the total land area is heavily forested. Of the agricultural land, 29.5% is used for growing crops and 13.4% is pastures, while 1.8% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams.
Kirchberg includes the village of Kirchberg, the bridgehead
Bridgehead
A bridgehead is a High Middle Ages military term, which antedating the invention of cannons was in the original meaning expressly a referent term to the military fortification that protects the end of a bridge...
on the right bank of the Emme River
Emme River
The Emme is a river in Switzerland. It rises in the Alps between the peaks of Hohgant and Augstmatthorn in the canton of Bern. The Emme is 80 kilometers long and flows through the Emmental and into the Aar below Solothurn. The drainage area is 983 km². The average discharge at the mouth is...
and the hamlet
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...
Bütikofen. It is the center of the parish
Parish (Catholic Church)
In the Roman Catholic Church, a parish is the lowest ecclesiastical geographical subdivision: from ecclesiastical province to diocese to deanery to parish.-Requirements:A parish needs two things under common law to become a parish...
of Kirchberg.
Demographics
Kirchberg has a population (as of ) of . , 12.2% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 8%. Most of the population speaks German (90.9%), with Italian being second most common ( 3.0%) and Albanian 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 34% 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....
(21%), 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....
(20.4%) 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:...
(8.1%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 24.6% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 62% and the seniors (over 64 years old) make up 13.4%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Kirchberg about 77% 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...
).
Kirchberg has an unemployment rate of 1.58%. , there were 79 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 26 businesses involved in this sector. 886 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 62 businesses in this sector. 1204 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 182 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1764 | 499 |
| 1850 | 1,092 |
| 1900 | 1,733 |
| 1950 | 2,776 |
| 2000 | 5,244 |