Wilderswil
Encyclopedia
Wilderswil is a municipality
in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district
in the canton
of Bern in Switzerland
.
It is situated at the southern border of the Bödeli
watershed, where the Saxetenbach joins the Lütschine
, 4 km (2.5 mi) south of Interlaken
. The village is situated at the foot of the mountains Eiger, Mönch
, and Jungfrau
. The highest point in the municipality is 2413 m (7,916.7 ft).
around the year 600. The name also comes from this period. In 1895, in excavations for the construction of a hotel, a graveyard of 15 graves, with 18 skeletons and burial objects, was discovered.
Wilderswil is first mentioned in the year 1224. The place was governed by the barons of Rotenfluh-Wilderswil, later also by the barons of Waediswil, Weissenburg and Scharnachtal. In about 1500 the city of Bern took over.
Because of its location it is the point of departure for many excursions to the heart of the Jungfrau region. The town has 16 hotels, motels and hotels with 900 guest beds, 300 vacation homes, and one camping site (open in the summer).
The town is easily accessed by the A8 motorway or by frequent trains from Interlaken
.
Wilderswil railway station
is the terminus of the Schynige Platte Railway and also a station on the Berner Oberland Bahn.
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
which received 35.4% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP
(18.4%), the SPS
(16.7%) and the Green Party
(12.3%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 25% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 59.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 15.5%. In Wilderswil about 78.7% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
Wilderswil has an unemployment rate of 2.69%. , there were 43 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 21 businesses involved in this sector. 375 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 24 businesses in this sector. 484 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 75 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 situated at the southern border of the Bödeli
Bödeli
Bödeli is the tongue of land between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland. Lake Thun and Lake Brienz were not yet separate after the last ice age. The rivers Lütschine from the south and the Lombach from the north brought enough debris to cause a partitioning over the...
watershed, where the Saxetenbach joins the Lütschine
Lütschine
The Lütschine is a river in the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland.It flows from Zweilütschinen, where its two tributaries join, on a length of 8.6 km through the Bödeli and into Lake Brienz at Bönigen....
, 4 km (2.5 mi) south of Interlaken
Interlaken
Interlaken is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the Canton of Bern in Switzerland, a well-known tourist destination in the Bernese Oberland.-History:...
. The village is situated at the foot of the mountains Eiger, Mönch
Mönch
The Mönch is a mountain in the Bernese Alps, in Switzerland. Together with the Eiger and the Jungfrau it forms a highly recognisable group of mountains visible from far away....
, and Jungfrau
Jungfrau
The Jungfrau is one of the main summits in the Bernese Alps, situated between the cantons of Valais and Bern in Switzerland...
. The highest point in the municipality is 2413 m (7,916.7 ft).
History
The area was settled by AlamanniAlamanni
The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Rhine river . One of the earliest references to them is the cognomen Alamannicus assumed by Roman Emperor Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire from 211 to 217 and claimed thereby to be...
around the year 600. The name also comes from this period. In 1895, in excavations for the construction of a hotel, a graveyard of 15 graves, with 18 skeletons and burial objects, was discovered.
Wilderswil is first mentioned in the year 1224. The place was governed by the barons of Rotenfluh-Wilderswil, later also by the barons of Waediswil, Weissenburg and Scharnachtal. In about 1500 the city of Bern took over.
Tourism
The town is easily accessed by the A8 motorway or by frequent trains from Interlaken
Interlaken
Interlaken is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the Canton of Bern in Switzerland, a well-known tourist destination in the Bernese Oberland.-History:...
.
Wilderswil railway station
Wilderswil railway station
Wilderswil railway station serves the town of Wilderswil in the Swiss canton of Bern.Berner Oberland Bahn trains operate services to Interlaken Ost, Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen. It is also the valley terminus for the Schynige Platte Railway, whose trains are stabled at a depot bordering the...
is the terminus of the Schynige Platte Railway and also a station on the Berner Oberland Bahn.
Geography
Wilderswil has an area of 13.5 km² (5.2 sq mi). Of this area, 21.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 55.9% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 7.9% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (14.5%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).Demographics
Wilderswil has a population (as of ) of . , 8.3% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 18.5%. Most of the population speaks German (94.5%), with Serbo-Croatian being second most common ( 1.0%) and Italian 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 35.4% 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....
(18.4%), the SPS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(16.7%) 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:...
(12.3%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 25% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 59.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 15.5%. In Wilderswil about 78.7% 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...
).
Wilderswil has an unemployment rate of 2.69%. , there were 43 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 21 businesses involved in this sector. 375 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 24 businesses in this sector. 484 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 75 businesses in this sector.