Lauenen
Encyclopedia
Lauenen is a municipality
in the Obersimmental-Saanen administrative district
in the canton
of Bern in Switzerland
.
s and avalanche
s, which is the origin of its name (German Lawine "landslide," from Latin labina "slide").
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 0.7% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.5%. 20.1% of the total land area is heavily forested and 3.7% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 8.8% is pastures and 29.3% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 5.4% is unproductive vegetation, 24.3% is too rocky for vegetation and 4.9% of the land is covered by glaciers.
Lauenen lies in the Bernese Oberland
in the Lauenen Valley. The mountains in the south of the municipality, for instance Wildhorn
(3243 m (10,639.8 ft)) form the border with the canton of Valais. The municipality has a number of notable glaciers and lakes, including the Tungel Glacier, the Gelten Glacier, and Lake Lauenen.
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
which received 70.8% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS
(6.6%), the local small left-wing parties (6.5%) and the FDP
(6.1%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 25.9% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 56% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 18%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Lauenen about 60.1% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
Lauenen has an unemployment rate of 0.88%. , there were 198 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 64 businesses involved in this sector. 66 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 11 businesses in this sector. 95 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 16 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....
.
History
Lauenen is first mentioned in 1296 as an der Lowinon. Lauenen is known as an area with substantial danger of landslideLandslide
A landslide or landslip is a geological phenomenon which includes a wide range of ground movement, such as rockfalls, deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows, which can occur in offshore, coastal and onshore environments...
s and avalanche
Avalanche
An avalanche is a sudden rapid flow of snow down a slope, occurring when either natural triggers or human activity causes a critical escalating transition from the slow equilibrium evolution of the snow pack. Typically occurring in mountainous terrain, an avalanche can mix air and water with the...
s, which is the origin of its name (German Lawine "landslide," from Latin labina "slide").
Geography
Lauenen has an area, , of 58.73 km² (22.7 sq mi). Of this area, 22.38 km² (8.6 sq mi) or 38.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while 14.69 km² (5.7 sq mi) or 25.0% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.76 km² (0.293437640530327 sq mi) or 1.3% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.61 km² (0.235522316741446 sq mi) or 1.0% is either rivers or lakes and 20.3 km² (7.8 sq mi) or 34.6% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 0.7% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.5%. 20.1% of the total land area is heavily forested and 3.7% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 8.8% is pastures and 29.3% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 5.4% is unproductive vegetation, 24.3% is too rocky for vegetation and 4.9% of the land is covered by glaciers.
Lauenen lies 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...
in the Lauenen Valley. The mountains in the south of the municipality, for instance Wildhorn
Wildhorn
The Wildhorn is the highest peak of the Wildhorn group in the Bernese Alps. The first ascent was made by Gottlieb Samuel Studer in September 1843....
(3243 m (10,639.8 ft)) form the border with the canton of Valais. The municipality has a number of notable glaciers and lakes, including the Tungel Glacier, the Gelten Glacier, and Lake Lauenen.
Demographics
Lauenen has a population (as of ) of . , 7.9% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 0.6%. Most of the population speaks German (93.5%), with Albanian being second most common ( 2.9%) and French being third ( 1.6%).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 70.8% 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....
(6.6%), the local small left-wing parties (6.5%) 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....
(6.1%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 25.9% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 56% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 18%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Lauenen about 60.1% 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...
).
Lauenen has an unemployment rate of 0.88%. , there were 198 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 64 businesses involved in this sector. 66 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 11 businesses in this sector. 95 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 16 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1764 | 570 |
| 1850 | 696 |
| 1900 | 527 |
| 1950 | 607 |
| 2000 | 794 |
Famous people
- Gottfried Straßer (1854–1912), minister a poet (born in Lauenen)
- Ernst Friedrich Langhans (1829–1880) worked as reformed minister in Lauenen from 1855 to 1858