Hofstetten bei Brienz
Encyclopedia
Hofstetten bei Brienz is a municipality
in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district
in the canton
of Bern in Switzerland
.
"Hostet") comes from the Old High German
hovastat, meaning "place where a building will be started."
in the Alps
. The southern edge of the municipality is formed by the Aare River. Also in the south, but somewhat higher is the small Lake Wyssen.
Although the town in the southern part of the municipality lies at an altitude of 580 m (1,902.9 ft), the municipality inclines smoothly into its northern area, to the peaks Arnihaggen (2207 m (7,240.8 ft)) and Höch Gumme (2205 m (7,234.3 ft)). The area beneath these peaks is known as Gummenalp. It includes the settlements of Dorf, Schried, Beim Tor and Talgut.
Hofstetten bei Brienz has an area, , of 8.76 km² (3.4 sq mi). Of this area, 2.58 km² (0.99614356916874 sq mi) or 29.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 3.8 km² (1.5 sq mi) or 43.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.39 km² (0.150579841851089 sq mi) or 4.5% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.14 km² (34.6 acre) or 1.6% is either rivers or lakes and 1.79 km² (0.691122863880638 sq mi) or 20.4% is unproductive land.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 2.6% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.1%. 38.9% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.7% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 1.1% is used for growing crops and 9.7% is pastures and 18.3% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 11.9% is unproductive vegetation and 8.6% is too rocky for vegetation.
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
which received 38.1% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP
(25.2%), the SPS
(11%) and the Green Party
(8%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 27.8% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 55.5% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 16.7%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Hofstetten bei Brienz about 74.4% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
Hofstetten bei Brienz has an unemployment rate of 1.08%. , there were 39 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 14 businesses involved in this sector. 74 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 13 businesses in this sector. 208 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 17 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 Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district
Interlaken-Oberhasli (administrative district)
Interlaken-Oberhasli District in the Canton of Bern was created on 1 January 2010. It is part of the Oberland administrative region. It contains 29 municipalities with an area of and a population of 48,763....
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....
.
Origin of the name
Hofstetten (Swiss GermanSwiss German
Swiss German is any of the Alemannic dialects spoken in Switzerland and in some Alpine communities in Northern Italy. Occasionally, the Alemannic dialects spoken in other countries are grouped together with Swiss German as well, especially the dialects of Liechtenstein and Austrian Vorarlberg...
"Hostet") comes from the Old High German
Old High German
The term Old High German refers to the earliest stage of the German language and it conventionally covers the period from around 500 to 1050. Coherent written texts do not appear until the second half of the 8th century, and some treat the period before 750 as 'prehistoric' and date the start of...
hovastat, meaning "place where a building will be started."
Geography
Hofstetten bei Brienz lies in the Bernese OberlandBernese 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...
in the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
. The southern edge of the municipality is formed by the Aare River. Also in the south, but somewhat higher is the small Lake Wyssen.
Although the town in the southern part of the municipality lies at an altitude of 580 m (1,902.9 ft), the municipality inclines smoothly into its northern area, to the peaks Arnihaggen (2207 m (7,240.8 ft)) and Höch Gumme (2205 m (7,234.3 ft)). The area beneath these peaks is known as Gummenalp. It includes the settlements of Dorf, Schried, Beim Tor and Talgut.
Hofstetten bei Brienz has an area, , of 8.76 km² (3.4 sq mi). Of this area, 2.58 km² (0.99614356916874 sq mi) or 29.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 3.8 km² (1.5 sq mi) or 43.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.39 km² (0.150579841851089 sq mi) or 4.5% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.14 km² (34.6 acre) or 1.6% is either rivers or lakes and 1.79 km² (0.691122863880638 sq mi) or 20.4% is unproductive land.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 2.6% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.1%. 38.9% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.7% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 1.1% is used for growing crops and 9.7% is pastures and 18.3% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 11.9% is unproductive vegetation and 8.6% is too rocky for vegetation.
Demographics
Hofstetten bei Brienz has a population (as of ) of . , 5.5% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -2.2%. Most of the population speaks German (95.8%), with Italian being second most common ( 1.3%) and Portuguese 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 38.1% 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....
(25.2%), the SPS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(11%) 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:...
(8%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 27.8% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 55.5% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 16.7%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Hofstetten bei Brienz about 74.4% 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...
).
Hofstetten bei Brienz has an unemployment rate of 1.08%. , there were 39 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 14 businesses involved in this sector. 74 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 13 businesses in this sector. 208 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 17 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1764 | 190 |
| 1850 | 300 |
| 1900 | 426 |
| 1950 | 463 |
| 2000 | 551 |