Oberhofen am Thunersee
Encyclopedia
Oberhofen am Thunersee is a municipality
in the administrative district of Thun
in the canton
of Bern in Switzerland
.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 18.8% and transportation infrastructure made up 5.1%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 1.1% of the area while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 2.6%. Out of the forested land, 51.1% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.5% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 17.3% is pastures, while 2.9% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams.
It is located on the northern shore of Lake Thun
(German: Thunersee) about 5 km (3.1 mi) from the city of Thun
(which is located where the Aare river leaves the lake). Ecclestically the village has always been a section of the parish
of Hilterfingen
, the next village north along the lake (The village church of Hilterfingen is actually on ground that is a part of Oberhofen township). The neighboring village to the south-east is Gunten (part of the township of Sigriswil
), while up the steep mountain to the north-east is the village of Heiligenschwendi
(no road connection, only a footpath).
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
which received 33.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP
(21.2%), the SPS
(17.5%) and the Green Party
(14.8%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 15.9% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 60.5% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 23.6%. In Oberhofen about 86.7% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
Oberhofen has an unemployment rate of 1.65%. , there were 36 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 13 businesses involved in this sector. 92 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 17 businesses in this sector. 440 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 84 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
Historically Oberhofen was primarily an agricultural community (mainly vinticulture) until the late 19th century. Today it is a rather affluent residential community, privileged by geography. The hill slopes to the lake toward south-west, giving both much sunlight, and a spectacular view to the glacier covered high alpine peaks of the Bernse Alps across the lake.
The dominant feature of the village is the lakeside castle of Oberhofen
, dating back to the Middle Ages, but constantly changed and updated throughout the ages. The castle today houses a division of the Historic Museum of Bern, and has a spectacular formal lakeside garden in the English style with many rare specimen trees.
The Wichterheer estate, lakeside to the south of the castle, houses the Museum fũr Uhren und Mechanische Musik
(Museum of Timekeeping and Mechanical Music) as well as an exhibit of 20th century local art.
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 administrative district of Thun
Thun (administrative district)
Thun District in the Canton of Bern was created on 1 January 2010. It is part of the Oberland administrative region. It contains 35 municipalities with an area of and a population of 103,233....
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
Oberhofen has an area, , of 2.72 square kilometres (1.1 sq mi). Of this area, 0.55 km² (0.212356187225894 sq mi) or 20.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while 1.43 km² (0.552126086787325 sq mi) or 52.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.76 km² (0.293437640530327 sq mi) or 27.9% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.01 km² (2.5 acre) or 0.4% is either rivers or lakes and 0.02 km² (4.9 acre) or 0.7% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 18.8% and transportation infrastructure made up 5.1%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 1.1% of the area while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 2.6%. Out of the forested land, 51.1% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.5% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 17.3% is pastures, while 2.9% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams.
It is located on the northern shore of Lake Thun
Lake Thun
Lake Thun is an Alpine lake in the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland. It took its name from the city of Thun, on its northern shore.Lake Thun's approximately 2,500 km² large catchment area frequently causes local flooding after heavy rainfalls...
(German: Thunersee) about 5 km (3.1 mi) from the city of Thun
Thun
Thun is a municipality in the administrative district of Thun in the canton of Bern in Switzerland with about 42,136 inhabitants , as of 1 January 2006....
(which is located where the Aare river leaves the lake). Ecclestically the village has always been a section of the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Hilterfingen
Hilterfingen
Hilterfingen is a municipality in the administrative district of Thun in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.-Geography:Hilterfingen has an area, , of . Of this area, or 8.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 48.2% is forested...
, the next village north along the lake (The village church of Hilterfingen is actually on ground that is a part of Oberhofen township). The neighboring village to the south-east is Gunten (part of the township of Sigriswil
Sigriswil
Sigriswil is a municipality in the administrative district of Thun in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.-History:Archeological remains dating from the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age show that the area around Sigriswil has been inhabited as early as 5000 years ago...
), while up the steep mountain to the north-east is the village of Heiligenschwendi
Heiligenschwendi
Heiligenschwendi is a municipality in the administrative district of Thun in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.-Geography:Heiligenschwendi has an area, , of . Of this area, or 48.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 43.6% is forested...
(no road connection, only a footpath).
Demographics
Oberhofen has a population (as of ) of . , 7.7% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 10.2%. Most of the population speaks German (94.3%), with Albanian being second most common ( 1.1%) and French 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 33.6% 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....
(21.2%), the SPS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(17.5%) 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:...
(14.8%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 15.9% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 60.5% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 23.6%. In Oberhofen about 86.7% 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...
).
Oberhofen has an unemployment rate of 1.65%. , there were 36 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 13 businesses involved in this sector. 92 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 17 businesses in this sector. 440 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 84 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1764 | 349 |
| 1850 | 731 |
| 1900 | 909 |
| 1950 | 1,486 |
| 2000 | 2,179 |
Sights
The dominant feature of the village is the lakeside castle of Oberhofen
Oberhofen Castle
Oberhofen Castle is a castle in the municipality of Oberhofen of the Canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.-References:...
, dating back to the Middle Ages, but constantly changed and updated throughout the ages. The castle today houses a division of the Historic Museum of Bern, and has a spectacular formal lakeside garden in the English style with many rare specimen trees.
Museum fur Uhren und Mechanische Musik
The Museum fur Uhren und Mechanische Musik is located in the village of Oberhofen am Thunersee, and is a museum dedicated to both horology and mechanical music....
(Museum of Timekeeping and Mechanical Music) as well as an exhibit of 20th century local art.