Gampelen
Encyclopedia
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.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 3.2% and transportation infrastructure made up 4.6%. while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 1.9%. 24.1% of the total land area is heavily forested. Of the agricultural land, 47.1% is used for growing crops and 8.1% is pastures, while 1.5% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 5.2% is unproductive vegetation.
Gampelen is the only municipality in the canton of Bern bordering Lake Neuchâtel
, and as such is the only German-speaking municipality along the lake.
The town of Gampelen has a long, thin shape, and has a railway station on the Bern-Neuenburg line of the BLS. The stop Zihlbrücke also lies within the area of the municipality.
Gampelen is part of an evangelical-reformed parish with neighboring Gals
.
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
which received 49.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS
(12.3%), the Green Party
(11.8%) and the FDP
(10.5%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 22.3% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 62.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 15.1%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Gampelen about 67.7% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
Gampelen has an unemployment rate of 1.5%. , there were 81 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 18 businesses involved in this sector. 41 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 10 businesses in this sector. 302 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 31 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
lies on the municipality's territory. Witzwil is a men's prison, holding up to 200 inmates. It is also the largest farm in Switzerland with a total agricultural land area of 612 hectares.
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 Seeland administrative district
Seeland (administrative district)
Seeland District in the Canton of Bern was created on 1 January 2010. It is part of the Seeland administrative region. It contains 46 municipalities with an area of and a population of 67,209....
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....
.
Gampelen should not be confused with the municipality Gampel
Gampel
Gampel is a former municipality in the district of Leuk in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.It was an independent municipality until January 1, 2009, when it merged with Bratsch to form Gampel-Bratsch.-Coat of arms:...
in the canton of Valais.
Geography
Gampelen has an area, , of 10.83 km² (4.2 sq mi). Of this area, 6.14 km² (2.4 sq mi) or 56.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 2.71 km² (1 sq mi) or 25.0% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.16 km² (0.447878503967341 sq mi) or 10.7% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.23 km² (0.0888034964762831 sq mi) or 2.1% is either rivers or lakes and 0.56 km² (0.21621720881182 sq mi) or 5.2% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 3.2% and transportation infrastructure made up 4.6%. while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 1.9%. 24.1% of the total land area is heavily forested. Of the agricultural land, 47.1% is used for growing crops and 8.1% is pastures, while 1.5% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 5.2% is unproductive vegetation.
Gampelen is the only municipality in the canton of Bern bordering Lake Neuchâtel
Lake Neuchâtel
Lake Neuchâtel is a lake in Romandy, Switzerland . The lake lies mainly in the canton of Neuchâtel, but is also shared by the cantons of Vaud, of Fribourg, and of Bern....
, and as such is the only German-speaking municipality along the lake.
The town of Gampelen has a long, thin shape, and has a railway station on the Bern-Neuenburg line of the BLS. The stop Zihlbrücke also lies within the area of the municipality.
Gampelen is part of an evangelical-reformed parish with neighboring Gals
Gals
Gals is a municipality in the Seeland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.-Geography:Gals has an area, , of . Of this area, or 53.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 34.0% is forested...
.
Demographics
Gampelen has a population (as of ) of . , 9.3% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 7.8%. Most of the population speaks German (84.9%), with French being second most common (11.5%) and Portuguese being third ( 0.9%).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 49.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(12.3%), 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:...
(11.8%) and 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....
(10.5%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 22.3% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 62.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 15.1%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Gampelen about 67.7% 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...
).
Gampelen has an unemployment rate of 1.5%. , there were 81 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 18 businesses involved in this sector. 41 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 10 businesses in this sector. 302 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 31 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
Penitentiary of Witzwil
The main seat of the penitentiary of WitzwilWitzwil
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...
lies on the municipality's territory. Witzwil is a men's prison, holding up to 200 inmates. It is also the largest farm in Switzerland with a total agricultural land area of 612 hectares.
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1764 | 170 |
| 1850 | 283 |
| 1870 | 264 |
| 1900 | 527 |
| 1950 | 902 |
| 1980 | 789 |
| 2000 | 812 |