Nidau
Encyclopedia
Nidau is a municipality
in the Biel/Bienne administrative district
in the canton
of Bern in Switzerland
.
, a high minority
of French
speakers (20%) live in the city, which has since long been offering them the right to send their children to the French speaking schools of it sister city Biel/Bienne
, the city of Nidau supporting the whole financial charge with its fiscal income.
Nidau has a population (as of ) of . , 18.3% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 1%. Most of the population speaks German (73.9%), with French being second most common (15.8%) and Italian being third (2.7%).
which received 30.1% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP
(20.9%), the SVP
(20.7%) and the Green Party
(15%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 17.9% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 60.1% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 22%. In Nidau about 71.5% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
Nidau has an unemployment rate of 1.87%. , there were 0 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 0 businesses involved in this sector. 858 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 56 businesses in this sector. 1438 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 219 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
, the medieval centre and a good portion of the city of Nidau are now actually located on an island, created by the Nidau-Büren
Aare canal
, the river Thielle
in French or Zihl in German, and the Lake Biel
's shore.
Nidau has an area, , of 1.52 square kilometre (0.586875281060653 sq mi). Of this area, 0.06 km² (0.0231661295155521 sq mi) or 3.9% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.28 km² (0.494210762998445 sq mi) or 84.2% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.18 km² (0.0694983885466563 sq mi) or 11.8% is either rivers or lakes.
Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 6.6% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 46.1% and transportation infrastructure made up 17.1%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 2.6% of the area while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 11.8%. Out of the forested land, 2.0% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.0% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams.
(Status 2006)
Verkehrsbetriebe Biel (VB):
PostBus Switzerland
:
Aare Seeland mobil (ASM), line of the former [pictures: Biel-Täuffelen-Ins-Bahn(BTI): Täuffelen
Ins
Bielersee shipping: Aare boat cruise Biel - Solothurn
Nidau landmark is the Nidau Castle, in which all the offices of the cantonal administration (including the prefecture
) and the Castle Museum. The museum has an interesting exhibit on the Jura water correction.
The presence of the Nidau castle is first evidenced by a deed dated 30 August 1196, issued by Count Ulrich III. of Neuchâtel. In the document Nidau was mentioned as Nidowe.
We owe Rudolf III, the most powerful member of the Nidau county
, the extension to an actual burgade, i.e. to a location with trenches, ring walls, towers and gates. An avid follower of Austria
, he lived nevertheless on a good foot with Bern. However, subsequently he became greatly influenced by his friends from the Austrian nobility and joined ranks with enemies of "his" city: 1339, in the Battle of Laupen
, city founder died.
Nowadays, only one corner tower and some remnants of the wall are the only witnesses of the ancient city fortification. 1375, the death of Rudolf IV ended the powerful grafship dynasty of Nidau. Upon a turbulent period, the henceforth transition to Bern in 1388 meant the dawn of a quieter era for Nidau. The most important rights for urban life, which had already been established at the time of the grafship, were confirmed and upheld by the Bernese. Until 1831, the castle welcomed 86 Bernese prefects.
In war as in times of peace, Nidau’s location was strategically important. Nidau was more important than any of the Bernese communities established along the Aare River. Nidau controlled the important traffic from the Bernese area to the Jura
area, and thus to Burgundy, the Free County of Base
l and the Alsace
.
Moreover Nidau stood at one of the major east-west trade routes, from the south of France
and Savoy
via Geneva
and Lausanne
, across cantons Aargau and Zurich
, leading to the Rhine. The Nidau ports on lake Biel and Thielle / Zihl river remained of great importance for the fluvial traffic until the 19th Century. Nidau's Custom’s officers and Seamen kept a good watch on the traffic and let no due income escape. Nidau area developed itself to a large stacking space.
During the French occupation of Biel in the year 1798, Nidau became the Costums’ border with France.
For this purpose the main road through Nidau is closed for any traffic. Over 120 market stalls line up on this day on each of the street of the medieval town. The young and old visitors come from the nearby Biel and from all around the Seeland
.
municipality, Schliengen
in southern Baden-Württemberg
(D).
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....
.
Population
Nidau, located at the language boundary, although the official language is GermanGerman language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, a high minority
Minority language
A minority language is a language spoken by a minority of the population of a territory. Such people are termed linguistic minorities or language minorities.-International politics:...
of French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
speakers (20%) live in the city, which has since long been offering them the right to send their children to the French speaking schools of it sister city Biel/Bienne
Biel/Bienne
Biel/Bienne is a city in the district of the Biel/Bienne administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.It is located on the language boundary and is throughout bilingual. Biel is the German name for the town, Bienne its French counterpart. The town is often referred to in both...
, the city of Nidau supporting the whole financial charge with its fiscal income.
Nidau has a population (as of ) of . , 18.3% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 1%. Most of the population speaks German (73.9%), with French being second most common (15.8%) and Italian being third (2.7%).
Demographics
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SPSSocial Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
which received 30.1% 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....
(20.9%), 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...
(20.7%) 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:...
(15%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 17.9% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 60.1% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 22%. In Nidau about 71.5% 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...
).
Nidau has an unemployment rate of 1.87%. , there were 0 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 0 businesses involved in this sector. 858 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 56 businesses in this sector. 1438 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 219 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1764 | 350 |
| 1850 | 614 |
| 1900 | 1,578 |
| 1950 | 2,800 |
| 1970 | 7,964 |
| 2000 | 6,798 |
Geography
The city is located at the city limits of Biel/Bienne and both cities have grown intertwined. Since the Jura water correctionJura water correction
The correction of the waters of the Swiss Jura consisted in a wide series of hydrological undertakings carried out in Switzerland in the region of the three lakes: Lake Morat connected to Lake Neuchâtel by the Broye canal, the latter connected to Lake of Bienne by the Thielle canal, an area so...
, the medieval centre and a good portion of the city of Nidau are now actually located on an island, created by the Nidau-Büren
Büren, Solothurn
Büren is a municipality in the district of Dorneck in the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland.-Geography:Büren has an area, , of . Of this area, or 46.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 45.6% is forested...
Aare canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
, the river Thielle
Thielle
The River La Thielle is a tributary to the Aare River, in the Swiss Seeland."La Thielle" results of the merging of the river Orbe and river Talent, Northeast of the little city of Orbe in the Swiss Canton of Vaud...
in French or Zihl in German, and the Lake Biel
Lake Biel
Lake Biel or Lake Bienne is a lake in the west of Switzerland. Together with Lake Morat and Lake Neuchâtel, it is one of the three large lakes in the Jura region of Switzerland. It lies approximately at , at the language boundary between German & French speaking areas.The lake is 15 km long and up...
's shore.
Nidau has an area, , of 1.52 square kilometre (0.586875281060653 sq mi). Of this area, 0.06 km² (0.0231661295155521 sq mi) or 3.9% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.28 km² (0.494210762998445 sq mi) or 84.2% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.18 km² (0.0694983885466563 sq mi) or 11.8% is either rivers or lakes.
Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 6.6% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 46.1% and transportation infrastructure made up 17.1%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 2.6% of the area while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 11.8%. Out of the forested land, 2.0% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.0% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams.
Personalities
- Friedrich Fiala (1817–1888), bishop in the Bishopric of BaselBishopric of BaselThe Diocese of Basel is a Roman Catholic diocese in Switzerland .Historically, the bishops of Basel were also secular rulers of the Prince-Bishopric of Basel ....
was born in Nidau. - Samuel Frisching 1605-1683, SchultheissSchultheißIn medieval Germany, the Schultheiß was the head of a municipality , a Vogt or an executive official of the ruler.As official it was...
of the city and Republic Bern was also born in Nidau. - Ulrich OchsenbeinUlrich OchsenbeinUlrich Ochsenbein was a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council .-Professional life:...
(1811–1890), Federal Minister - Georg Simon Ohm (1789–1854), physicist, taught at the monastery GottstattMonastery GottstattMonastery Gottstat is a former Premonstratensian monastery in the Orpund community in Canton of Berne, Switzerland.- Establishment :It was established in 1255 by Count Rudolf I von Neuchâtel-Nidau. A previous attempt to establish a monastery on the site in 1247 there had been unsuccessful.-...
in office Nidau - Eduard Müller (1848–1919), Federal Minister
- Hernan Ponce(1990–), Footballer, Goalkeeper
Executive
The executive council is formed with seven members:- Stähli Bernhard, President
- Erna Miglierina, Vice-President
- Christian Bachmann
- Elisabeth Brauen
- Annabelle Galley
- Adrian Kneubühler
- Dominik Weibel
(Status 2006)
Transportation
Nidau is by public transport operates as follows:Verkehrsbetriebe Biel (VB):
- Line 4 (trolley) Nidau - Biel / Löhr
- Line 7 (bus) Biel / gold mine - Brügg
- Line 8 (bus) Nidau - Port - Biel / fox Ried
PostBus Switzerland
PostBus
Postauto, also called Poschi or Poschti in Swiss German dialect, is the Swiss Standard German term used in Switzerland for the motorized successor to stagecoaches. This linguistic anomaly also exists in the French and Italian-speaking parts of the country, where the terms Car postal and...
:
- Line 386 Biel - Aarberg
- Line 387 Biel - Jens
Aare Seeland mobil (ASM), line of the former [pictures: Biel-Täuffelen-Ins-Bahn(BTI): Täuffelen
Täuffelen
Täuffelen is a municipality in the Seeland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.-Geography:Täuffelen has an area of . Of this area, 60.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 12% is forested...
Ins
Ins, Switzerland
Ins is a municipality in the Seeland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.-Geography:Ins has an area, , of . Of this area, or 66.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 21.0% is forested...
Bielersee shipping: Aare boat cruise Biel - Solothurn
Art, Culture, History
Nidau is known in the local alternative multi-lingual culture cross.Nidau landmark is the Nidau Castle, in which all the offices of the cantonal administration (including the prefecture
Prefecture
A prefecture is an administrative jurisdiction or subdivision in any of various countries and within some international church structures, and in antiquity a Roman district governed by an appointed prefect.-Antiquity:...
) and the Castle Museum. The museum has an interesting exhibit on the Jura water correction.
The presence of the Nidau castle is first evidenced by a deed dated 30 August 1196, issued by Count Ulrich III. of Neuchâtel. In the document Nidau was mentioned as Nidowe.
We owe Rudolf III, the most powerful member of the Nidau county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
, the extension to an actual burgade, i.e. to a location with trenches, ring walls, towers and gates. An avid follower of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, he lived nevertheless on a good foot with Bern. However, subsequently he became greatly influenced by his friends from the Austrian nobility and joined ranks with enemies of "his" city: 1339, in the Battle of Laupen
Battle of Laupen
The Battle of Laupen in 1339 was fought between the Bern and its allies on one side, and Freiburg together with feudal landholders from the County of Burgundy and Habsburg territories on the other. Bern was victorious, consolidating its position in the region...
, city founder died.
Nowadays, only one corner tower and some remnants of the wall are the only witnesses of the ancient city fortification. 1375, the death of Rudolf IV ended the powerful grafship dynasty of Nidau. Upon a turbulent period, the henceforth transition to Bern in 1388 meant the dawn of a quieter era for Nidau. The most important rights for urban life, which had already been established at the time of the grafship, were confirmed and upheld by the Bernese. Until 1831, the castle welcomed 86 Bernese prefects.
In war as in times of peace, Nidau’s location was strategically important. Nidau was more important than any of the Bernese communities established along the Aare River. Nidau controlled the important traffic from the Bernese area to the Jura
Jura mountains
The Jura Mountains are a small mountain range located north of the Alps, separating the Rhine and Rhone rivers and forming part of the watershed of each...
area, and thus to Burgundy, the Free County of Base
Old Swiss Confederacy
The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland....
l and the Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
.
Moreover Nidau stood at one of the major east-west trade routes, from the south of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Savoy
Savoy
Savoy is a region of France. It comprises roughly the territory of the Western Alps situated between Lake Geneva in the north and Monaco and the Mediterranean coast in the south....
via Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
and Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
, across cantons Aargau and Zurich
Canton of Zürich
The Canton of Zurich has a population of . The canton is located in the northeast of Switzerland and the city of Zurich is its capital. The official language is German, but people speak the local Swiss German dialect called Züritüütsch...
, leading to the Rhine. The Nidau ports on lake Biel and Thielle / Zihl river remained of great importance for the fluvial traffic until the 19th Century. Nidau's Custom’s officers and Seamen kept a good watch on the traffic and let no due income escape. Nidau area developed itself to a large stacking space.
During the French occupation of Biel in the year 1798, Nidau became the Costums’ border with France.
"Stedtlifescht"
Annually, on the last Saturday in May, the local Springtime festival "Stedtlifescht Nidau" takes place.For this purpose the main road through Nidau is closed for any traffic. Over 120 market stalls line up on this day on each of the street of the medieval town. The young and old visitors come from the nearby Biel and from all around the Seeland
Seeland (Switzerland)
Seeland is a region in Switzerland, at the foot of the first mountain range of the Jura Mountains containing the 3 lakes of Morat , Neuchâtel and Bienne . In previous aeras, it was the floodplain of the Aare and is thus swampy. After the huge hydrological works Jura water correction, the area...
.
Twin towns — Sister cities
Nidau maintains a partnership with the GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
municipality, Schliengen
Schliengen
Schliengen is a town in southwestern Germany in the state of Baden-Württemberg, in the Kreis of Lörrach. Schliengen's claim to international fame is the Battle of Schliengen, fought between forces of the French Revolutionary army under Jean-Victor Moreau and the Austrian army under Karl von...
in southern Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
(D).