Dürrenroth

Dürrenroth
State :	Switzerland
Canton :	Bern (BE)
Administrative district :	Emmental
BFS no. :	0952
Postal code :	3465
Coordinates :	626 176  /  214760 coordinates: 47 ° 5 '0'  N , 7 ° 47 '0 "  O ; CH1903:  six hundred and twenty-six thousand one hundred seventy-six  /  214760
Height :	698  m above sea level M.
Height range :	648–967 m above sea level M.
Area :	14.13  km²
Residents:	1061 (December 31, 2018)
Population density :	75 inhabitants per km²
Website:	www.duerrenroth.ch
Location of the municipality

Dürrenroth is a municipality in the Emmental administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland .

Gasthaus Kreuz

Tavern sign of the "Gasthof zum Bären"

reformed Church

geography

The municipality of Dürrenroth is located in the valley of the Rotbach , which gave the village part of its name. The actual village lies on the southern valley terrace. The three hamlets of Hubberg , Hubbergschachen and Gassen are on the north side of the valley. Again on the south side is the hamlet of Waltrigen . Several individual farms also belong to the community . The municipality has an area of ​​a good 14 square kilometers, on which a good 1000 people live.

population

Development of the population

year	Residents
1764	853
1850	1438
1900	1441
1950	1330
2000	1032
2012	1071

interpretation

Dürrenroth experienced rapid population growth in the first half of the 19th century, which almost doubled the number of inhabitants in 100 years. The background to this development was the emergence of the proto- industrial textile industry , which, starting from Oberaargau , led to a strong expansion of home work in rural communities . Home work was often done as a sideline to farming. When textile home work fell into a deep crisis as a result of rapid mechanization in the second half of the 19th century, the population stagnated. Because of the peripheral traffic situation, hardly any industrial companies were able to settle in Dürrenroth. In the 20th century, emigration even led to a considerable decline in the population, so that the current population is hardly higher than it was around 1800. Such a development is quite unusual for the Swiss plateau, but typical for alpine and pre-alpine areas of Switzerland.

traffic

In 1875 the Talstrasse was built so that Dürrenroth could be reached much more easily from the direction of Huttwil and Langenthal . The municipality has always oriented itself more towards Oberaargau than towards Emmental in terms of traffic , although Dürrenroth is politically part of the Emmental administrative district. In 1908 the Ramsei-Sumiswald-Huttwil-Bahn was opened, which also gave the village a connection to public transport.

history

First mention, settlement and rule of the Balm

The place was first mentioned in 1275 with Rota ; the second mention in 1326 with Durren Rot already corresponds to the current sound level of the place name. Traugott Schieß suspects an even earlier mention of 1194 in the name Superioris Rotah ("Ober-Roth"); In the area so named, Baron Ulrich von Langenstein transferred general rights of use to the newly founded Cistercian monastery of St. Urban before the Bishop of Constance, Diethelm von Krenkingen . Due to its relative isolation compared to other parts of the Emmental, the area was not settled until the 13th century. The rulership relationships before 1312 are not entirely clear, which is not only due to the lack of sources, but also to the late settlement. In any case, the territory of today's municipality of Dürrenroth belonged to the rule of the Barons of the Balm family until 1312 . In the 13th and the beginning of the 14th centuries, this noble family owned large estates that were scattered throughout what is now the Swiss Plateau.

Rule of the Teutonic Order

In 1308, the aristocratic Balm family or their head at the time, Rudolf II von Balm, was involved in the murder of King Albrecht I of Habsburg . The more precise connections can no longer be reconstructed. In any case, all of the Balms' property was subsequently confiscated. The settlement dragged on until 1312. As a result of these events, the territory of today's municipality of Dürrenroth came to the Teutonic Order , which ruled over today's Dürrenroth until 1431. The last rights of the Teutonic Order, which in fact only existed on paper, existed until 1698.

Establishment of the rule of Bern

From 1400 the Teutonic Order got into political and economic difficulties, which originated in the Baltic States , where the Order owned the largest estates and at the time was involved in various, including military, conflicts. Therefore, the order had to part with different rulers. So Dürrenroth actually came to Bern in several steps by 1431 , which at that time expanded rapidly and developed into an important territorial state in the 15th century through numerous acquisitions from formerly aristocratic lords. Outside the actual urban area, the Bernese authorities mostly only exercised their power of rule indirectly. In the case of Dürrenroth, the Bernese municipal town of Burgdorf on the one hand and the larger and richer municipality of Sumiswald in the south held the most important rights of rule, namely Burgdorf in particular the blood jurisdiction and Sumiswald the lower jurisdiction . As a result, Dürrenroth was now politically connected to the Emmental , although the topographical location would have suggested a connection to the Oberaargau . The Teutonic Order was able to retain certain privileges, but these were hardly of any importance. In 1698, Bern also bought these rights from the order, so that from the 18th century Dürrenroth was also de iure completely Bernese subject territory.

From the Reformation in 1528 to the Helvetic Republic in 1798

The introduction of the Reformation in 1528 did not go smoothly in Dürrenroth because the population did not want to convert to the new faith. Similar resistance to the introduction of the Reformation can also be found in other peripheral parts of Bernese rule, for example in parts of the Bernese Oberland . The aforementioned complicated structuring of responsibilities in the rulership has probably made the whole thing even more difficult. However, Bern rigorously prevailed and forced the introduction of the new faith. According to the early modern view, the authorities were also responsible for the salvation of souls and thus the religious affiliation of their subjects. Bern directly administered the entire Sumiswald dominion, which also included Dürrenroth at the time, from 1528 to 1552, which suggests considerable local reluctance to accept the innovations. Only then could Sumiswald manage itself again within the framework of the lower jurisdiction. In 1701 Sumiswald was raised to the rank of bailiwick . The bailiff of Sumiswald was also responsible for Dürrenroth. These conditions remained until the fall of the Old Confederation in 1798.

Since 1798

After the turbulent interlude of the Helvetic (1798 to 1803), in 1803 there was a comprehensive territorial reorganization of all of today's Switzerland . On the one hand, this reorganization was aimed at a radical simplification of responsibilities compared to the situation before 1798, but on the other hand it was also a compromise compared to the Helvetic Republic, when Switzerland was organized as a centralized, unitary state for the first and only time in its history . This compromise was dictated by authoritarianism from above, namely by the representatives of Emperor Napoleon . Even after 1803 until the end of the Napoleonic period in 1813/15, Switzerland was still a dependent satellite state of France , although from 1803 it was no longer organized as a centralized unitary state, but as a federal state . In 1803, not only were the cantons (re) established, the internal organization of the cantons was also determined. The canton of Bern was divided into administrative districts , which comprised several municipalities and essentially formed a judicial district and were subordinate to a governor who represented the cantonal government. The Dürrenroth area came under the Trachselwald office . The district court and the governor of the government subsequently had their seat at Trachselwald Castle in the municipality of the same name . This administrative organization of the canton of Bern lasted for over 200 years, until the beginning of the 21st century. Only the abolition of the Bernese administrative districts at the beginning of 2010 fundamentally changed this structure. The administrative districts were replaced by administrative districts, which comprise considerably more municipalities than the previous administrative districts. Dürrenroth was assigned to the Emmental administrative district. The jurisdiction of the new unit was taken over from the previous organization (through a regional court ) and the governors survived the reform.

Aerial photo (1950)

In the last quarter of the 19th century, the canton of Bern initiated the first complete survey of the entire canton area down to the level of all property boundaries. The background to this mammoth project was the creation of an official land register in which all property boundaries were precisely recorded. While more densely populated areas had been surveyed long before, there was often no official survey at that time for areas that were difficult to access, especially alpine regions and forest areas. The community boundaries between Dürrenroth and the communities further to the east, which today belong to Oberaargau , were still disputed at that time. Finally, in 1888/89 a comprehensive adjustment of the borders took place in this area. The municipal boundaries of Dürrenroth have not been changed since 1889.

economy

In Dürrenroth, over 40 percent of the workforce make a living from agriculture , which is a very high value even for Emmental standards. The remaining jobs are offered by trade and service providers, although the municipality does not have a single major employer, in particular no industrial company. In Dürrenroth there are a good 70 agricultural businesses, a good 40 commercial operations and 10 service companies.

politics

General

The municipality of Dürrenroth has a political structure typical of Bernese municipalities of its size. The legislature is not an elected body, but includes all voters. These initially form the community assembly (GV), which meets at least twice a year. The General Assembly is basically responsible for all business matters that fall within the competence of the legislature, ie there are no municipal votes at the ballot box in Dürrenroth. The choice of the municipal council and the mayor , however take place at the ballot box. The General Assembly is in turn responsible for the election of certain commissions .

In financial matters, the AGM has final authority for all expenses from CHF 200,000. It is noteworthy that spending between CHF 50,000 and CHF 200,000 is generally the responsibility of the municipal council ( executive ), but that at least 5 percent of those entitled to vote can hold a referendum against such an expenditure decision by the council within 30 days . In this case, the General Meeting then makes a final decision on the financial decision in question. Expenditures below 50,000 francs are the final competence of the municipal council. Those entitled to vote also have the right of initiative . 10 percent of the electorate is required for an initiative. The General Assembly also decides on initiatives.

The members of the seven-member municipal council are elected at the ballot box according to proportional representation. From among the elected, the president of the municipal council is elected at the ballot box according to the majority voting right, who also heads the general assembly under the title of municipal president. In Dürrenroth, therefore, only those who have previously been elected to the local council can become mayor. A term of office of 8 years applies to members of the municipal council, and to 12 years for the municipal president, whereby the president does not count any previous term of office as a simple municipal councilor.

Legislature 2013–2016

The elections for the municipal council for the current 2013-2016 legislature took place on November 25, 2012. There were three parties or lists for the elections of the seven-member municipal council based on proportional representation, namely the SVP , the Free Voters (FW) and, for the first time, the list "Women Dürrenroth" . With a share of 44.3 percent of the vote, the SVP achieved 4 of the 7 seats and thus the absolute majority in the Dürrenroth executive. In 2008, the SVP won 6 of the 7 seats with a share of the vote of 75.6 percent; however, the comparison is problematic in that in 2008 only the FW competed alongside the SVP. The FW won 2 seats in 2012 with 33.5 percent of the vote (2008: 1 seat with 24.5 percent). The new list "Women Dürrenroth" made at a share of the vote from 22.1 percent immediately one seat. For election result should also be noted that the list "Women Dürrenroth" a combined list was received with the SVP, which the SVP fourth seat saved . It is noteworthy that four of the seven council members are new, as only three previous candidates ran again (they were all re-elected). For the election of the mayor on December 16, 2012, only Martin Wüthrich (SVP) was proposed, which is why there was a so-called silent election , ie Wüthrich was declared elected without further ado.

National elections

The voting shares of the parties in the 2019 National Council election were: SVP 60.8%, BDP 8.9%, EDU 7.3%, EPP 3.9%, SP 4.8%, GPS 4.8%, FDP 2.9 %, glp 2.7%, CVP 0.4%.

schools

There are two schoolhouses in Dürrenroth, namely in the village and in the hamlet of Gassen . The village schoolhouse has a long tradition that goes back to the 17th century. Today's schoolhouse was built in 1873, but has been heavily modified several times since then. The school house Gassen is for the children of the two Dürrenrother Weiler Gassen and Walterswil. The current building in Gassen was erected in 1965. It is worth mentioning that the Gassen school has internal autonomy in that the two hamlets of Gassen and Walterswil form their own school community. Dürrenroth never owned a secondary school ; Children who want to visit "the Sek" have to go to school in Huttwil .

Attractions

See also : List of cultural assets in Dürrenroth

There are four monuments of national importance in Dürrenroth, namely a farm (the Feld 93 property ), a mansion (the Gärbihof property ) and the two inns, Gasthof Bären and Gasthof Kreuz .

Personalities

• Erich Hess (* 1981), politician (SVP), born in Dürrenroth

Varia

In Dürrenroth there is a historic, almost 100 year old holiday home, the Oberwald Dürrenroth holiday home , which is owned by the city of Langenthal .

Web links

Commons : Dürrenroth  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official website of the municipality of Dürrenroth
• Anne-Marie Dubler : Dürrenroth. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Permanent resident population from STAT-TAB of the BfS , municipalities see also regional portraits 2020 on bfs.admin.ch, accessed on May 29, 2020
2. ^ Anne-Marie Dubler : Dürrenroth. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . January 18, 2018 , accessed June 6, 2019 .
3. ↑ Traugott Schiess: Source work on the emergence of the Swiss Confederation . Section I: Documents, Volume 1: From the beginning to the end of 1291 . Verlag HR Sauerländer & Co., Aarau, 1933. Page 93, note 23 (document no. 194, issued between July 1 and August 14, 1194 in Konstanz).
4. ↑ Homepage of the community of Dürrenroth . Retrieved January 8, 2014.
5. ↑ Municipal constitution of the community of Dürrenroth . Retrieved December 28, 2013.
6. ↑ Homepage of the community of Dürrenroth . Retrieved December 30, 2013.
7. ↑ Homepage of the community of Dürrenroth . Retrieved December 30, 2013.
8. ↑ Homepage of the community of Dürrenroth . Retrieved December 30, 2013.
9. ^ Results of the community of Dürrenroth. State Chancellery of the Canton of Bern, October 20, 2019, accessed on July 24, 2020 . 
10. ↑ Homepage of the community of Dürrenroth . Retrieved December 30, 2013.