Meinisberg
Encyclopedia
Meinisberg is a municipality
in the Biel/Bienne administrative district
in the canton
of Bern in Switzerland
.
and Neolithic
ages, as finds near the Scheidwegen section of Meinisberg indicate. La Tène
and Roman
artifacts have been found near the Steinen section and a High Middle Ages
wooden castle was found near Reibenwald. From the Late Middle Ages
Meinisberg was ruled from Pieterlen
which was under the authority of the Prince-Bishop
of Basel. In 1816 it came under the authority of Bern and in 1833 became an independent community. At this time it was still part of the parish
of Pieterlen. When the Nidau-Büren canal was built (1865–75), the Aare River now ran past Meinisberg. The community grew due to its location on the edge of the Naturschutzgebiets Häftli (Natural Park) and ease of reaching Biel/Bienne from Meinisberg.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 7.9% and transportation infrastructure made up 5.2%. Out of the forested land, all of the forested land area is covered with heavy forests. Of the agricultural land, 45.5% is used for growing crops and 7.2% is pastures, while 1.8% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is in lakes.
The historical population is given in the following table:
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
which received 36.1% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS
(23.5%), the FDP
(14.9%) and the Green Party
(9.6%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 22.1% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 64.7% and the seniors (over 64 years old) make up 13.2%. In Meinisberg about 79.2% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
Meinisberg has an unemployment rate of 0.69%. , there were 30 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 12 businesses involved in this sector. 55 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 10 businesses in this sector. 124 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 35 businesses in this sector.
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 Biel/Bienne administrative district
Biel/Bienne (administrative district)
Biel/Bienne District is an administrative district in the Canton of Bern, Switzerland. It is located along both shores of the northeastern half of Lake Biel and is part of the Seeland administrative region, and its capital is Biel/Bienne. It contains 19 municipalities with an area of and a...
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
The area has been settled since the MesolithicMesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
and Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
ages, as finds near the Scheidwegen section of Meinisberg indicate. La Tène
La Tène culture
The La Tène culture was a European Iron Age culture named after the archaeological site of La Tène on the north side of Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland, where a rich cache of artifacts was discovered by Hansli Kopp in 1857....
and Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
artifacts have been found near the Steinen section and a High Middle Ages
High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages was the period of European history around the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries . The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which by convention end around 1500....
wooden castle was found near Reibenwald. From the Late Middle Ages
Late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages was the period of European history generally comprising the 14th to the 16th century . The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern era ....
Meinisberg was ruled from Pieterlen
Pieterlen
Pieterlen is a municipality in the Biel/Bienne administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.Pieterlen lies at the foot of the Jura mountains in the Bernese Seeland.-Geography:...
which was under the authority of the Prince-Bishop
Prince-Bishop
A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office...
of Basel. In 1816 it came under the authority of Bern and in 1833 became an independent community. At this time it was still part 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 Pieterlen. When the Nidau-Büren canal was built (1865–75), the Aare River now ran past Meinisberg. The community grew due to its location on the edge of the Naturschutzgebiets Häftli (Natural Park) and ease of reaching Biel/Bienne from Meinisberg.
Geography
Meinisberg has an area, , of 4.42 square kilometres (1.7 sq mi). Of this area, 2.41 km² (0.930506202208009 sq mi) or 54.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 1.11 km² (0.428573396037714 sq mi) or 25.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.66 km² (0.254827424671073 sq mi) or 14.9% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.23 km² (0.0888034964762831 sq mi) or 5.2% is either rivers or lakes and 0.04 km² (9.9 acre) or 0.9% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 7.9% and transportation infrastructure made up 5.2%. Out of the forested land, all of the forested land area is covered with heavy forests. Of the agricultural land, 45.5% is used for growing crops and 7.2% is pastures, while 1.8% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is in lakes.
Demographics
Meinisberg has a population (as of ) of . , 8.6% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 7.4%. Most of the population speaks German (90.0%), with French being second most common ( 3.9%) and Albanian being third ( 1.5%).The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1764 | 245 |
| 1850 | 493 |
| 1900 | 532 |
| 1950 | 675 |
| 2000 | 1189 |
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 36.1% 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....
(23.5%), 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....
(14.9%) 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:...
(9.6%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 22.1% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 64.7% and the seniors (over 64 years old) make up 13.2%. In Meinisberg about 79.2% 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...
).
Meinisberg has an unemployment rate of 0.69%. , there were 30 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 12 businesses involved in this sector. 55 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 10 businesses in this sector. 124 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 35 businesses in this sector.