Wichtrach

Wichtrach
State :	Switzerland
Canton :	Bern (BE)
Administrative district :	Bern-Mittelland
BFS no. :	0632
Postal code :	3114 Wichtrach 3115 Castle near Wichtrach
UN / LOCODE :	CH NWT (Niederwichtrach)
Coordinates :	610 508  /  188000 coordinates: 46 ° 50 '35 "  N , 7 ° 34' 35"  O ; CH1903:  610 508  /  188000
Height :	538  m above sea level M.
Height range :	524–809 m above sea level M.
Area :	11.60  km²
Residents:	4293 (December 31, 2018)
Population density :	370 inhabitants per km²
Mayor :	Bruno Riem ( FDP )
Website:	www.wichtrach.ch
Wichtrach seen from the west
Location of the municipality

Wichtrach is a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland . It was founded on January 1st, 2004 through a voluntary amalgamation of the previously independent municipalities Niederwichtrach and Oberwichtrach .

geography

Wichtrach lies at 538  m above sea level. M. about halfway between Bern and Thun , 11 km north-northwest of the city of Thun ( linear distance ). The village extends on the eastern edge of the wide Aare valley , between the Belpberg in the west and the height of Häutligen in the east.

The area of ​​the 11.6 km² municipal area comprises a section of the Aareniederung between Bern and Thun. The western border runs along the canalised and straightened Aare, which is accompanied by a forest belt for long stretches. From the Aare, the municipality extends eastward over the approximately 1.5 km wide valley and the gently rising slope into the Wiftrechwald . This slope is subdivided by various small streams and valleys. In the Hubewald area is 810  m above sea level. M. reached the highest point of Wichtrach. Southeast the municipality spell reaches the moraine of the mountain Achers as well as in the opening out in Oberwichtrach and extending parallel to the Aar Tälchen between the sermon forest and the Lischiwald . In 1997, 12% of the municipal area was accounted for by settlements, 22% for forests and woodlands and 65% for agriculture; just over 1% was unproductive land.

Wichtrach consists of the two districts:

• Niederwichtrach ( 549  m above sea level ) on the eastern edge of the Aareniederung, 1,412 inhabitants (2007).
• Oberwichtrach ( 546  m above sea level ) on the eastern edge ofthe Aare valley , with the settlements Stockeren ( 532  m above sea level ) and Stadelfeld ( 532  m above sea level ) in the Aare plain, a total of 2478 inhabitants (2007).

Furthermore, numerous farm groups and individual farms belong to Wichtrach. Wichtrach is surrounded by ten neighboring communities, namely Münsingen , Tägertschi , Häutligen , Oberdiessbach , Herbligen , Oppligen , Kiesen , Jaberg , Kirchdorf (BE) and Gerzensee .

history

Rectory and church, picture by Jakob Samuel Weibel (1771–1846)

The municipal area of ​​Wichtrach was inhabited very early, which was proven by finds of wall remains of a Roman settlement on the Lerchenberg. The first written mention of the place took place in 1180 under the name Wichtracho . The names Wictrache (1246), Wictraho (1248) and Wichterach (1271) appeared later . A subdivision into superiori Wichtrach and inferiori Wichtrach is documented from 1266. The place name probably goes back to the Latin personal name Victorius and with the ending -ach means something like Victorius's estate .

In the Middle Ages , the right to rule over Wichtrach lay with the Einsiedeln monastery for a long time . A noble family von Wichtrach is attested in the 14th century. In 1528 Wichtrach came under direct Bernese rule and was subordinated to the Konolfingen district court. Wichtrach was the location of a Venner court. After the collapse of the Ancien Régime (1798), Niederwichtrach and Oberwichtrach belonged to the Steffisburg district during the Helvetic Republic and from 1803 to the Konolfingen Oberamt, which received the status of an official district with the new cantonal constitution of 1831.

The communities of Niederwichtrach and Oberwichtrach, which have been working closely together in various areas for a long time, worked out a merger project that was accepted with an overwhelming majority at the community meetings on April 23, 2003. The merger became final on January 1, 2004.

population

With 4293 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2018) Wichtrach is one of the medium-sized communities in the canton of Bern. 94.7% of the residents speak German, 1.1% speak Serbo-Croatian and 1.1% speak Italian (as of 2000). The population of Wichtrach was 1268 in 1850 and 1370 in 1900 (sum of the population of the municipalities of Niederwichtrach and Oberwichtrach). In the course of the 20th century, the population always fluctuated between 1500 and 1650 people. Since 1960 (1632 inhabitants) there has been a marked increase in population combined with a doubling of the population within 30 years. The settlement area of ​​Niederwichtrach and Oberwichtrach has grown together seamlessly today.

politics

The following items appear since 2019 is out of date to be : here the current data → https://www.bewas.sites.be.ch/2019/2019-10-20/NATIONALRATSWAHL/resultatUebersicht-de.html
Please help with that to research and insert missing information .

The voting shares of the parties in the 2015 National Council elections were: SVP 36.7%, BDP 14.5%, SP 13.8%, FDP 9.7%, GPS 6.2%, glp 5.1%, EPP 4.8 %, EDU 4.7%, CVP 1.4%, pirates 1.2%.

coat of arms

The coat of arms of the municipality of Wichtrach was determined in accordance with Article 11 of the merger agreement of April 23, 2003 in its Appendix 2 and approved by the government council of the canton of Bern.

Description of coat of arms

"In red a silver ploughshare diagonally to the right"

The Wichtrach coat of arms is designed after the seal of the oldest von Wichtrach family. It includes a ploughshare at an angle to the right (so the tip looks to the left). At the time it belonged to a Peter von Wichtrach, Burger von Thun, and was used as his seal from 1326 to 1373 (silver ploughshare diagonally to the right on a red background). Oberwichtrach had the coat of arms since April 22, 1938 with a red ploughshare, diagonally right on a white background. Niederwichtrach had set up the ploughshare straight up, in the colors silver ploughshare on a red background. The municipality of Wichtrach has reversed the colors. The new coat of arms therefore corresponds again to that of Wichtrach from the 14th century.

• 

  Niederwichtrach
  1858-2003

• 

  Oberwichtrach
  1938-2003

• 

  Wichtrach
  since 2004

economy

Aerial photo of Aebi, Kraut & Co. by Walter Mittelholzer (1918–1937)

Wichtrach was a predominantly agricultural village until the second half of the 20th century . Even today, arable farming , fruit growing , dairy farming and cattle breeding play an important role in the income structure of the population. Numerous other jobs are available in local small businesses and in the service sector.

Larger commercial and industrial zones have been created in the Aare plain since the 1960s, especially near the train station. In Wichtrach, companies from the building trade, IT, the electrical industry, film and video technology, the automotive industry, food processing, horticulture and mechanical workshops are represented today. Wichtrach has been the location of a secondary school since 1907. Carrosserie Graber , based in Wichtrach, manufactured exclusive bodies for luxury automobiles between 1927 and 1970.

In the last few decades the village has developed into a residential community. Extensive residential quarters were built on the Aare plain near the train station and in a slightly elevated position above the old town center. Many employed people are therefore commuters who work mainly in the larger towns in the area and in the agglomerations of Bern and Thun.

traffic

railway station

The community has good transport connections. It is located on the old main road from Bern to Thun . The next connection to the A6 motorway (Bern-Thun), which was opened in 1973 and crosses the municipality, is around 5 km from the town center. On July 1, 1859, the railway line from Bern to Thun with Wichtrach station was put into operation. The Postbus courses , which serve the route from Münsingen via Wichtrach to Kirchdorf , Gerzensee and Mühledorf , ensure the fine distribution in public transport .

Attractions

See also : List of cultural assets in Wichtrach

Today's reformed parish church at the foot of the Lerchenberg was built in 1745. Numerous stately farmhouses from the 18th and 19th centuries have been preserved in the old town centers of Niederwichtrach and Oberwichtrach. The Schweikhof and the Erlacherhof are stately mansions.

Web links

Commons : Wichtrach  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official website of the municipality of Wichtrach
• Anne-Marie Dubler : Wichtrach. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
• Anne-Marie Dubler: Niederwichtrach. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
• Anne-Marie Dubler: Oberwichtrach. 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. ↑ Elections 2015: Results of the municipality of Wichtrach. Canton of Bern, accessed on March 21, 2016
3. ^ Merger agreement between the municipalities of Niederwichtrach and Oberwichtrach dated April 23, 2003
4. ↑ ^{a b} Municipality of Wichtrach: Wappen.pdf
5. ↑ About us ... In: schweikhof.com. Retrieved April 16, 2013 .