Pieterlen
Encyclopedia
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
.
The historical population is given in the following table:
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
which received 36.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS
(19.6%), the FDP
(18.7%) and the local small left-wing parties (7.8%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 22.5% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 59.2% and the seniors (over 64 years old) make up 18.2%. In Pieterlen about 69% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
Pieterlen has an unemployment rate of 1.88%. , there were 53 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 14 businesses involved in this sector. 554 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 45 businesses in this sector. 530 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 78 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....
.
Pieterlen lies at the foot of the Jura mountains
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...
in the Bernese 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...
.
Geography
Pieterlen has an area of 8.3 km² (3.2 sq mi). Of this area, 31.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 48.2% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 18.8% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (1.3%) is non-productive (rivers or glaciers).Demographics
Pieterlen has a population (as of ) of . , 19.3% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 1.7%. Most of the population speaks German (86.3%), with French being second most common ( 3.5%) and Albanian being third ( 2.9%).The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1726 | 296 |
| 1850 | 633 |
| 1900 | 1,197 |
| 1950 | 2,375 |
| 2000 | 3,282 |
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 36.3% 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....
(19.6%), 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....
(18.7%) and the local small left-wing parties (7.8%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 22.5% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 59.2% and the seniors (over 64 years old) make up 18.2%. In Pieterlen about 69% 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...
).
Pieterlen has an unemployment rate of 1.88%. , there were 53 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 14 businesses involved in this sector. 554 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 45 businesses in this sector. 530 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 78 businesses in this sector.
Further reading
- Heinz Rauscher: Pieterlen und seine Nachbarn, Hornerblätter der Vereinigung für Heimatpflege Büren, 2005
External links
- Vereinigung für Heimatpflege Büren many publications about Pieterlen and the Büren district
- Webcam