Erlenbach im Simmental
Encyclopedia
Erlenbach im Simmental
is a municipality
in the district of Niedersimmental
in the canton
of Bern in Switzerland
.
Erlenbach im Simmental has an area, , of 36.72 km² (14.2 sq mi). Of this area, 18.56 km² (7.2 sq mi) or 50.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 13.93 km² (5.4 sq mi) or 37.9% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.27 km² (0.490349741412519 sq mi) or 3.5% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.32 km² (0.123552690749611 sq mi) or 0.9% is either rivers or lakes and 2.6 km² (1 sq mi) or 7.1% is unproductive land.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 1.5% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.4%. 32.3% of the total land area is heavily forested and 5.3% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 0.8% is used for growing crops and 16.2% is pastures and 33.3% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 3.3% is unproductive vegetation and 3.7% is too rocky for vegetation.
The municipality includes the farming settlements (Bäuerten) of Erlenbach, Latterbach and Ringoldingen in the valley. On a terrace above the valley are the farming settlements (Bäuerten) of Balzenberg, Eschlen, Thal and Allmenden. Above these settlements there are woods and mountains.
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
which received 54.1% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP
(10.1%), the Green Party
(9.5%) and the SPS
(9.1%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 27% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 54.9% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 18.1%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Erlenbach about 70.7% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
Erlenbach has an unemployment rate of 2.35%. , there were 172 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 55 businesses involved in this sector. 137 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 26 businesses in this sector. 474 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 60 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
movement.
Simmental
Simmental is an alpine valley in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland. It expands from Lenk to Boltigen, in a more or less South-North direction , and from there to the valley exit at Wimmis near Spiez it takes a West-East orientation . It comprises the municipalities of Lenk, St...
is a municipality
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 district of Niedersimmental
Niedersimmental (district)
Niedersimmental District was one of the 26 administrative districts in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. Its capital was the municipality of Wimmis. The district had an area of 319 km² and consisted of 9 municipalities:-References:...
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....
.
Geography
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 1.5% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.4%. 32.3% of the total land area is heavily forested and 5.3% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 0.8% is used for growing crops and 16.2% is pastures and 33.3% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 3.3% is unproductive vegetation and 3.7% is too rocky for vegetation.
The municipality includes the farming settlements (Bäuerten) of Erlenbach, Latterbach and Ringoldingen in the valley. On a terrace above the valley are the farming settlements (Bäuerten) of Balzenberg, Eschlen, Thal and Allmenden. Above these settlements there are woods and mountains.
Demographics
Erlenbach has a population (as of ) of . , 3.6% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -4%. Most of the population speaks German (97.4%), with French being second most common ( 0.8%) and Serbo-Croatian being third ( 0.5%).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 54.1% 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....
(10.1%), 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:...
(9.5%) and the SPS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(9.1%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 27% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 54.9% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 18.1%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Erlenbach about 70.7% 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...
).
Erlenbach has an unemployment rate of 2.35%. , there were 172 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 55 businesses involved in this sector. 137 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 26 businesses in this sector. 474 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 60 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1764 | 682 |
| 1850 | 1,370 |
| 1900 | 1,518 |
| 1910 | 1,298 |
| 1950 | 1,475 |
| 2000 | 1,802 |
Personalities
Erlenbach was the birthplace of Jacob Ammann, the leader of the AmishAmish
The Amish , sometimes referred to as Amish Mennonites, are a group of Christian church fellowships that form a subgroup of the Mennonite churches...
movement.