Ringgenberg
Encyclopedia
Ringgenberg is a municipality
in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district
in the canton
of Bern in Switzerland
. It is located on the northern shores of Lake Brienz
. It has a small church that was built on the ruins of a castle in the 17th century.
The original name of Ringgenberg was Ringgenwil. This name stems from the Old High German
personal name Rinco or Rincho and the place name ending –wilari (little town). The modern name
is based on an elision of Ringgenwil with the castle (burg), which was built in the Middle Ages.
In 1230 Kuno von Brienz was appointed overlord of the Lake Brienz area by the German Emperor Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
, and built the castle at Ringgenberg. The noble family took its name from Ringgenberg. Johann von Ringgenberg was the most significant member of this family. He was known as “the knight who handled the sword and lyre equally well”. His songs were collected in Zurich
in around 1300 in the Codex Manesse
collection.
The ruin of the estate began in the time of Philipp von Ringgenberg (1351–1374) In 1351 part of the estate was taken by the monastery of Interlaken. In 1380 Ringgenberg castle was burnt and plundered and Petermann Baron of the castle was taken prisoner.
The church was built in 1670 under the architect Abraham Dunz. The imposing building stands on a hill between the town and lake.
In 1853 the separate municipalities of Goldswil and Ringgenberg were combined. A small lake, Burgseeli
is located between the two villages.
It is the municipality of origin for many people with the surnames of Ringgenberg, Ringenberg, and Rinkenberg.
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
which received 41.8% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS
(17.8%), the Green Party
(13.3%) and the FDP
(11.3%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 23.2% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 57.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 19.2%. In Ringgenberg about 77.1% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
Ringgenberg has an unemployment rate of 2.3%. , there were 50 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 19 businesses involved in this sector. 189 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 35 businesses in this sector. 486 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 77 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 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....
. It is located on the northern shores of Lake Brienz
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...
. It has a small church that was built on the ruins of a castle in the 17th century.
History
Old High German
The term Old High German refers to the earliest stage of the German language and it conventionally covers the period from around 500 to 1050. Coherent written texts do not appear until the second half of the 8th century, and some treat the period before 750 as 'prehistoric' and date the start of...
personal name Rinco or Rincho and the place name ending –wilari (little town). The modern name
is based on an elision of Ringgenwil with the castle (burg), which was built in the Middle Ages.
In 1230 Kuno von Brienz was appointed overlord of the Lake Brienz area by the German Emperor Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II , was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages and head of the House of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous...
, and built the castle at Ringgenberg. The noble family took its name from Ringgenberg. Johann von Ringgenberg was the most significant member of this family. He was known as “the knight who handled the sword and lyre equally well”. His songs were collected in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
in around 1300 in the Codex Manesse
Codex Manesse
The Codex Manesse, Manesse Codex, or Große Heidelberger Liederhandschrift is a Liederhandschrift , the single most comprehensive source of Middle High German Minnesang poetry, written and illustrated between ca. 1304 when the main part was completed, and ca...
collection.
The ruin of the estate began in the time of Philipp von Ringgenberg (1351–1374) In 1351 part of the estate was taken by the monastery of Interlaken. In 1380 Ringgenberg castle was burnt and plundered and Petermann Baron of the castle was taken prisoner.
The church was built in 1670 under the architect Abraham Dunz. The imposing building stands on a hill between the town and lake.
In 1853 the separate municipalities of Goldswil and Ringgenberg were combined. A small lake, Burgseeli
Burgseeli
Burgseeli is a lake in the Canton of Berne, Switzerland. Its surface area is 5.25 ha. It is located between Ringgenberg and Goldswil on the northern shore of Lake Brienz....
is located between the two villages.
It is the municipality of origin for many people with the surnames of Ringgenberg, Ringenberg, and Rinkenberg.
Geography
Ringgenberg has an area of 8.7 km² (3.4 sq mi). Of this area, 21% is used for agricultural purposes, while 62% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 11.7% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (5.4%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).Demographics
Ringgenberg has a population (as of ) of . , 8.5% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 12.9%. Most of the population speaks German (94.3%), with Albanian being second most common ( 1.3%) and English being third ( 0.9%).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 41.8% 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....
(17.8%), 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:...
(13.3%) and 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....
(11.3%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 23.2% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 57.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 19.2%. In Ringgenberg about 77.1% 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...
).
Ringgenberg has an unemployment rate of 2.3%. , there were 50 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 19 businesses involved in this sector. 189 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 35 businesses in this sector. 486 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 77 businesses in this sector.