Witzwil
Encyclopedia
The penitentiary systems Witzwil are a men's prison
with a huge farm on the territories of the municipalities Erlach Gampelen
and Ins
in Canton of Berne
and the municipality of Haut-Vully
in Canton of Fribourg
, Switzerland
. The main seat and official address are located in the community of Gampelen
Formerly a part of the huge marshlands called Grand Marais
, the land parcels could be reclaimed for agriculture through the Jura water correction
. 1860, Public Notary Witz from Erlach bought the whole land, which henceforth took up his name). 1870 he sold it to the newly founded Landwirtschaftlichen Gesellschaft Witzwil (also called Einfache Gesellschaft Grosses Moos) , to which the politician Jakob Stämpfli
was involved with all his fortune. The company, however, fell 1879 in bankruptcy
, and 1891 the domain was acquired by the canton of Berne from the bankruptcy estate.
In 1894 the first Barracks
were built for 100 inmates. Friedrich Glauser
spent one year as an "administrative inmate» in Witzwil 1925 to 1926 and tried to commit suicide
. Shortly after the end of the World War II Witzwil attained its maximum capacity with 600 prisoners. Between 1980 to 1985 a new prison building was built. 1995 a closed “Wohngruppe” was opened. 1998 followed the opening of the department “Ausschaffung” for 36 people bound to be forcefully repatriated back to their country of origin.
Today, Witzwil offers space for 200 inmates and employs 118 employees. With a total agricultural land area of 612 hectares, it is the largest farm in Switzerland, with an annual revenue of 17 million Swiss francs. The operation includes 20 tractor
s, 500 cattle
, 120 horse
s, 600 pigs
and 100 chicken
.
Coordinate | NS = 46/59/16.838627883533377/N | 7/3/33.38539123535156/E EW = | dim = 8000 | region = CH-BE | type = landmark
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
with a huge farm on the territories of the municipalities Erlach Gampelen
Gampelen
Gampelen is a municipality in the Seeland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.Gampelen should not be confused with the municipality Gampel in the canton of Valais.-Geography:...
and 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...
in Canton of Berne
Canton of Berne
The Canton of Bern is the second largest of the 26 Swiss cantons by both surface area and population. Located in west-central Switzerland, it borders the Canton of Jura and the Canton of Solothurn to the north. To the west lie the Canton of Neuchâtel, the Canton of Fribourg and Vaud. To the south...
and the municipality of Haut-Vully
Haut-Vully
Haut-Vully is a municipality in the district of See in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. Until 1977, it was officially known as Vully-Le-Haut...
in Canton of Fribourg
Canton of Fribourg
The Canton of Fribourg is a canton of Switzerland. It is located in the west of the country. The capital of the canton is Fribourg. The name Fribourg is French, whereas is the German name for both the canton and the town.-History:...
, 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....
. The main seat and official address are located in the community of Gampelen
Formerly a part of the huge marshlands called Grand Marais
Grand Marais, Seeland
Grand Marais, Seeland is a region in Switzerland, at the foot of the first mountain range of the Jura Mountains contained by the three lakes of Morat , Neuchâtel and Bienne...
, the land parcels could be reclaimed for agriculture through the Jura water correction
Jura 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...
. 1860, Public Notary Witz from Erlach bought the whole land, which henceforth took up his name). 1870 he sold it to the newly founded Landwirtschaftlichen Gesellschaft Witzwil (also called Einfache Gesellschaft Grosses Moos) , to which the politician Jakob Stämpfli
Jakob Stämpfli
Jakob Stämpfli was a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council .He was elected to the Federal Council of Switzerland on 6 December 1854, and handed over office on 31 December 1863...
was involved with all his fortune. The company, however, fell 1879 in bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
, and 1891 the domain was acquired by the canton of Berne from the bankruptcy estate.
In 1894 the first Barracks
Barracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
were built for 100 inmates. Friedrich Glauser
Friedrich Glauser
Friedrich Glauser was a German-language Swiss writer. He was a morphine and opium addict for most of his life. In his first novel Gourrama, written between 1928 and 1930, he treated his own experiences at the French Foreign Legion...
spent one year as an "administrative inmate» in Witzwil 1925 to 1926 and tried to commit suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. Shortly after the end of the World War II Witzwil attained its maximum capacity with 600 prisoners. Between 1980 to 1985 a new prison building was built. 1995 a closed “Wohngruppe” was opened. 1998 followed the opening of the department “Ausschaffung” for 36 people bound to be forcefully repatriated back to their country of origin.
Today, Witzwil offers space for 200 inmates and employs 118 employees. With a total agricultural land area of 612 hectares, it is the largest farm in Switzerland, with an annual revenue of 17 million Swiss francs. The operation includes 20 tractor
Tractor
A tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...
s, 500 cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, 120 horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s, 600 pigs
Domestic pig
The domestic pig is a domesticated animal that traces its ancestry to the wild boar, and is considered a subspecies of the wild boar or a distinct species in its own right. It is likely the wild boar was domesticated as early as 13,000 BC in the Tigris River basin...
and 100 chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
.
External links
Coordinate | NS = 46/59/16.838627883533377/N | 7/3/33.38539123535156/E EW = | dim = 8000 | region = CH-BE | type = landmark