Etzelkofen

State :

Switzerland

Canton :

Bern (BE)

Administrative district :

Bern-Mittelland

Residential municipality :

Fraubrunnen

Postal code :

3306

former BFS no. :

0537

Coordinates :

603058 / 214 796 coordinates: 47 ° 5 '3 " N , 7 ° 28' 44" O ; CH1903: 603058 / two hundred and fourteen thousand seven hundred ninety-six

Height :

529 m above sea level M.

Area :

2.8 km²

Residents:

319 (December 31, 2007)

Population density :

114 inhabitants per km²

Website:

www.etzelkofen.ch

Etzelkofen, recorded from a balloon on April 16, 2010

map

Parish before the merger on January 1, 2014

Etzelkofen was a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district of the canton of Bern in Switzerland until December 31, 2013 . On January 1, 2014 Etzelkofen merged with the municipalities of Büren zum Hof , Grafenried , Limpach , Mülchi , Schalunen and Zauggenried to form the municipality of Fraubrunnen .

geography

Etzelkofen is located in the northeastern part of the Rapperswiler plateau in the Swiss Mittelland, embedded in a slightly elevated valley of the Limpach valley, between the two villages, in the north Messen in the canton of Solothurn and in the south, Fraubrunnen in the canton of Bern. Etzelkofen lies at 529 m above sea level. M. , 15 km north of the canton capital Bern (air line) and almost the same distance from the city of Solothurn. Etzelkofen is completely surrounded by forest and arable land.

The area of the former 2.8 km² municipal area comprised a section of the central Bernese plateau. The western border runs along the Mülchibach, which flows through the Länggengraben north to the Limpach . From here, the former municipality extends eastward over the valley basin of the Brandbach to the Schöniberg (Pt. 549 m above sea level) to the forest heights of the Rohole (Pt. 576 m above sea level) and further over the Winterhole, westward through the Obermooswald. On the middle forest path, a little below the highest point (596 m above sea level) is the highest point of the former municipality (591 m above sea level). From here on through the Holzimattwald, Längge to the Mülchibach again. This molasse area was shaped by the Ice Age Rhone glacier . In 1997, 7% of the municipal area was accounted for by settlements, 36% for forests and woodlands and 57% for agriculture.

Etzelkofen includes the Buuchi housing estate on the northern slope of the Brandbach and some individual farms. Until December 31, 2013 , neighboring communities of Etzelkofen were Mülchi , Büren zum Hof , Fraubrunnen , Grafenried , Iffwil and Scheunen in the canton of Bern and Messen in the canton of Solothurn .

population

With 319 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2007) Etzelkofen was one of the small communities in the canton of Bern. 99.1% of the residents speak German, 0.6% speak English and 0.3% speak French (as of 2000). The population of Etzelkofen was 353 in 1850, and 275 in 1900. In the course of the 20th century, the population fluctuated between 240 and 280 people. Since 1980 (243 inhabitants) there has been a significant increase in population.

politics

The voting shares of the parties on the occasion of the 2011 National Council elections were: SVP 44.2%, BDP 24.3%, SP 6.0%, glp 5.6%, EDU 4.7%, FDP 4.6%, GPS 4.1 %, Pirates 1.6%, EVP 0.7%, CVP 0.7%.

economy

Etzelkofen was a predominantly agricultural village until the second half of the 20th century . The water power of the Mülchibach was previously used to operate a mill. Even today, arable farming , fruit growing , dairy farming and forestry have an important place in the income structure of the population. Further jobs are available in local small businesses and in the service sector. In Etzelkofen, companies from the electrical industry, the construction industry and solar technology are represented today. A large brick and brick factory has existed since 1967, which was closed at the turn of the century. Since then the building has been used by several companies. The roof of the current building is a large solar power supplier. There is also a wood chip district heating system that supplies several buildings in the village with another plant. In the last few decades the village has developed into a residential community. Many workers are therefore commuters who mainly work in the Bern agglomeration .

traffic

The village is located away from the larger thoroughfares on a connecting road from Fraubrunnen to Messen . Etzelkofen is connected to the public transport network through a Postbus course , which serves the route from Jegenstorf to Messen.

history

The place was first mentioned in a document in 1295 under the name Etzelkoven . Later, the names Ezenchoven (1302), Ezzelkoven (1325) and Ezzenkoven (1327) appeared. The place name goes back to the Old High German personal name Azzilo or Ezzilo . With the name ending -kofen, which is typical for Alemannic settlements founded in the 7th and 8th centuries, it means something like the farms of the people of Azzilo / Ezzilo, meaning so-called repatriate farms .

Since the Middle Ages Etzelkofen has belonged to the rule of Messen, which was donated to the Sankt-Ursen-Stift in Solothurn in 1278. Since the 14th century, the monastery Fraubrunnen had rich property in the municipality and in 1373 unsuccessfully claimed Twing and ban rights over the village. The sovereignty and high jurisdiction over Etzelkofen were incumbent on the Kyburgers until 1406 , then Bern and the Zollikofen district court . But since Messen held the lower jurisdiction and came under the direct rule of Solothurn in 1410 , Etzelkofen then belonged to the Solothurn Landvogtei Bucheggberg.

Only after the conclusion of the Wyniger Treaty (1665) Etzelkofen came to Bern and was assigned to the Landvogtei Fraubrunnen. After the collapse of the Ancien Régime (1798), the village belonged to the Zollikofen district during the Helvetic Republic and from 1803 to the Fraubrunnen Oberamt, which received the status of an official district with the new cantonal constitution of 1831.

Since January 1st, 2014 Etzelkofen is no longer an independent municipality. With a large majority, the community citizens decided on November 25, 2012 at the urn for the new community of Fraubrunnen as the legal successor to the eight communities of Büren zum Hof; Etzelkofen; Fraubrunnen; Grafenried; Limpach; Mülchi; Schalunen and Zauggenried to join.

However, the individual villages keep their names. The character and identity of the villages should be preserved in the future.

Attractions

The village has preserved several characteristic farmhouses of the Bernese country style from the 18th and 19th centuries. Etzelkofen does not have its own church or cemetery; it belongs to the Solothurn parish of Messen.

photos

Entrance to Etzelkofen
Gasthaus Rössli
Half-timbered house in Etzelkofen

Web links

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

Individual evidence

↑ http://www.wahlarchiv.sites.be.ch/wahlen2011/target/NAWAInternetAction.do@method=read&sprache=d&typ=21&gem=537.html accessed on July 11, 2012

[1] ttp://www.wahlarchiv.sites.be.ch/wahlen2011/target/NAWAInternetAction.do@method=read&sprache=d&typ=21&gem=537.html accessed on July 11, 2012