Unterseen
Encyclopedia
Unterseen is a municipality
in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district
in the canton
of Bern in Switzerland
.
It is the highest town on the Aare, in the Bödeli
watershed, between Lake Thun
and Lake Brienz
. From the town one can see the impressive mountains Eiger
, Mönch
and Jungfrau
.
meant "between", and "seen," which means "lake." The fortification was given Stadtrecht (town privileges) in this agreement.
The young town was put in an ongoing conflict with the Interlaken
monastery and early on sought protection from Bern. During the Reformation
the town turned against the Interlaken monastery and was rewarded with the Alp Sefinen. In 1470 Unterseen was burnt down for the second time and Bern undertook the reconstruction with the town house in the center.
After the establishment of the Helvetic Republic
, Unterseen became a center of resistance against the reestablished Bern feudalism. The Unspunnenfest
in 1805 and 1808 was planned as a means of reconciliation between the urban and rural citizens. The attempt was a failure and the government forbade such a festival. In 1815, many of the town's citizens played a role in the unrest in Interlaken.
In the burgeoning tourism of the middle of the 18th century, Unterseen played an important role, which has since been taken over in large part by Interlaken.
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
which received 31.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS
(22%), the FDP
(15.2%) and the Green Party
(12.1%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 20.7% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 59.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 19.7%. In Unterseen about 75.9% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
Unterseen has an unemployment rate of 2.49%. , there were 70 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 22 businesses involved in this sector. 348 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 45 businesses in this sector. 1796 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 177 businesses in this sector.
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....
.
It is the highest town on the Aare, in the Bödeli
Bödeli
Bödeli is the tongue of land between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland. Lake Thun and Lake Brienz were not yet separate after the last ice age. The rivers Lütschine from the south and the Lombach from the north brought enough debris to cause a partitioning over the...
watershed, between 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...
and Lake Brienz
Lake Brienz
Lake Brienz is a lake just north of the Alps, in the Canton of Berne in Switzerland. The lake took its name from the village Brienz on its northern shore. Interlaken and the villages Matten and Unterseen lie to the south west of the lake. The shores are steep, and there is almost no shallow water...
. From the town one can see the impressive mountains Eiger
Eiger
The Eiger is a mountain in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland. It is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends across the Mönch to the Jungfrau at 4,158 m...
, Mönch
Mönch
The Mönch is a mountain in the Bernese Alps, in Switzerland. Together with the Eiger and the Jungfrau it forms a highly recognisable group of mountains visible from far away....
and Jungfrau
Jungfrau
The Jungfrau is one of the main summits in the Bernese Alps, situated between the cantons of Valais and Bern in Switzerland...
.
History
The city was founded on July 13, 1279, when King Rudolf I von Habsburg granted Baron Berchtold III of Eschenbach-Oberhofen permission to build a stronghold between the two lakes. The name came from "unter," which in Middle High GermanMiddle High German
Middle High German , abbreviated MHG , is the term used for the period in the history of the German language between 1050 and 1350. It is preceded by Old High German and followed by Early New High German...
meant "between", and "seen," which means "lake." The fortification was given Stadtrecht (town privileges) in this agreement.
The young town was put in an ongoing conflict with the Interlaken
Interlaken
Interlaken is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the Canton of Bern in Switzerland, a well-known tourist destination in the Bernese Oberland.-History:...
monastery and early on sought protection from Bern. During the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
the town turned against the Interlaken monastery and was rewarded with the Alp Sefinen. In 1470 Unterseen was burnt down for the second time and Bern undertook the reconstruction with the town house in the center.
After the establishment of the Helvetic Republic
Helvetic Republic
In Swiss history, the Helvetic Republic represented an early attempt to impose a central authority over Switzerland, which until then consisted mainly of self-governing cantons united by a loose military alliance, and conquered territories such as Vaud...
, Unterseen became a center of resistance against the reestablished Bern feudalism. The Unspunnenfest
Unspunnenfest
Unspunnenfest is a festival held in the town of Interlaken, Switzerland, near the old ruin of Unspunnen Castle, in the Bernese Alps, approximately once every twelve years, most recently in 2006. The festival highlights traditional Swiss culture and features competitions of Steinstossen , Schwingen ...
in 1805 and 1808 was planned as a means of reconciliation between the urban and rural citizens. The attempt was a failure and the government forbade such a festival. In 1815, many of the town's citizens played a role in the unrest in Interlaken.
In the burgeoning tourism of the middle of the 18th century, Unterseen played an important role, which has since been taken over in large part by Interlaken.
Geography
Unterseen has an area of 14.1 km² (5.4 sq mi). Of this area, 18.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 59.5% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 14.2% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (7.5%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).Demographics
Unterseen has a population (as of ) of . , 13.6% 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 (89.1%), with Portuguese being second most common (2.1%) and Italian being third (2.0%).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 31.3% 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....
(22%), 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....
(15.2%) 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:...
(12.1%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 20.7% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 59.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 19.7%. In Unterseen about 75.9% 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...
).
Unterseen has an unemployment rate of 2.49%. , there were 70 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 22 businesses involved in this sector. 348 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 45 businesses in this sector. 1796 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 177 businesses in this sector.