Gsteig bei Gstaad
Encyclopedia
Gsteig bei Gstaad is a municipality
in the Obersimmental-Saanen administrative district
in the canton
of Bern in Switzerland
. Gsteig was formerly known by the French
name of Châtelet.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 0.7% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.6%. 28.8% of the total land area is heavily forested and 5.4% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 8.7% is pastures and 28.4% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 9.2% is unproductive vegetation, 14.6% is too rocky for vegetation.
The municipality lies in an upper valley of the river Saane
in the Bernese Oberland
and consists of the villages of Gsteig and Feutersoey, plus a number of outlying farms. The route to the Col du Pillon
, an alpine pass, runs through both villages.
The reservoir
Arnensee
is located in the municipality.
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
which received 70.1% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS
(7.8%), the FDP
(6.2%) and the Green Party
(6%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 23.8% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 58.5% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 17.7%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Gsteig about 62.4% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
Gsteig has an unemployment rate of 0.75%. , there were 123 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 54 businesses involved in this sector. 71 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 15 businesses in this sector. 152 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 27 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
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 Obersimmental-Saanen administrative district
Obersimmental-Saanen (administrative district)
Obersimmental-Saanen District in the Canton of Bern was created on 1 January 2010. It is part of the Oberland administrative region. It contains 7 municipalities with an area of and a population of 16,784....
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....
. Gsteig was formerly known by the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
name of Châtelet.
History
Gsteig is first mentioned in 1312 as Chastelet. In 1453 it was mentioned as Steig.Geography
Gsteig bei Gstaad has an area, , of 62.44 km² (24.1 sq mi). Of this area, 23.16 km² (8.9 sq mi) or 37.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while 22.6 km² (8.7 sq mi) or 36.2% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.86 km² (0.33204785638958 sq mi) or 1.4% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.78 km² (0.301159683702177 sq mi) or 1.2% is either rivers or lakes and 15.01 km² (5.8 sq mi) or 24.0% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 0.7% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.6%. 28.8% of the total land area is heavily forested and 5.4% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 8.7% is pastures and 28.4% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 9.2% is unproductive vegetation, 14.6% is too rocky for vegetation.
The municipality lies in an upper valley of the river Saane
Saâne
The Saâne is a river of Normandy, France, in length, flowing through the department of Seine-Maritime.- Geography :The Saâne has its source in the Pays de Caux in the territory of the hamlet of Varvannes, in the commune of Val-de-Saâne...
in the Bernese Oberland
Bernese Oberland
The Bernese Oberland is the higher part of the canton of Bern, Switzerland, in the southern end of the canton: The area around Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, and the valleys of the Bernese Alps .The flag of the Bernese Oberland consists of a black eagle in a gold field The Bernese Oberland (Bernese...
and consists of the villages of Gsteig and Feutersoey, plus a number of outlying farms. The route to the Col du Pillon
Col du Pillon
Col du Pillon is a mountain pass in the western Swiss Alps, linking Aigle, Le Sépey and Les Diablerets in the canton of Vaud.-See also:* List of highest paved roads in Europe* List of mountain passes*List of the highest Swiss passes...
, an alpine pass, runs through both villages.
The reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
Arnensee
Arnensee
Arnensee is a lake in Canton of Berne, Switzerland. The lake in the municipality of Gsteig is used as a reservoir by Romande Energie. The dam was built in 1942. Its volume is 10.5 mio m³ and surface area 0.456 km²....
is located in the municipality.
Demographics
Gsteig has a population (as of ) of . , 10.3% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 0.8%. Most of the population speaks German (93.2%), with French being second most common ( 2.2%) and English being third ( 1.1%).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 70.1% 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....
(7.8%), 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....
(6.2%) and 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:...
(6%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 23.8% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 58.5% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 17.7%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Gsteig about 62.4% 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...
).
Gsteig has an unemployment rate of 0.75%. , there were 123 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 54 businesses involved in this sector. 71 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 15 businesses in this sector. 152 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 27 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1764 | 627 |
| 1850 | 706 |
| 1900 | 802 |
| 1950 | 739 |
| 2000 | 911 |