Kaufdorf is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in the
Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the
canton of
Bern
german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese
, neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen
, website ...
in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
.
History
Kaufdorf is first mentioned in 1148 as ''Cuffedorf''.
[
The village of Kaufdorf first appears in a record in 1319 when it was part of the '']Herrschaft
The German term ''Herrschaft'' (plural: ''Herrschaften'') covers a broad semantic field and only the context will tell whether it means, "rule", "power", "dominion", "authority", "territory" or "lordship". In its most abstract sense, it refers ...
'' of Burgistein
Burgistein is a municipality in the administrative district of Thun in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.
History
Burgistein is first mentioned in 1266 as ''Burgstein'' and in 1271 as ''Burgenstein''.
The oldest traces of a settlement in the ...
. It was acquired by the vom Stein family and then in 1386 by the Spilmann family. They eventually donated the village to the Inselspital
The Inselspital, also named the University Hospital of Bern (German: ''Universitätsspital Bern''), located in Bern, is one of the five university hospitals of Switzerland. It is associated with the University of Bern.
The hospital is operated ...
monastery in Bern
german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese
, neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen
, website ...
. When Bern adopted the new faith of the Protestant Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
in 1528, the monastery was secularized and the city acquired Kaufdorf.[
The village has always been part of the large ]parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
of Thurnen. In 1495 the St. Ursus Chapel was built in the village. However it eventually was abandoned and is now in ruins.[
Between 1855 and 1911 a series of projects helped drain the marshy land along the Gürbe river and opened up new farm land. In 1901 the Gürbetal railroad (now part of the BLS) built a station in Kaufdorf. The railroad opened up the village and allowed businesses to move in and residents to commute out. Beginning in the 1970s the new neighborhoods of Trümlere and Rohrmatt were built for the growing population of commuters.][
]
Kaufdorf vehicle graveyard
Around 1933, a Kaufdorf resident, Walter Messerli, began collecting cars for parts. Once usable parts were stripped from vehicles, he stored the empty shells on his land and allowed the forest to grow around them. By the 1970s, when he retired, there were several hundred rusting automobile bodies on his lot. His son took over the yard and continued adding vehicles. Eventually, about 1000 automobiles and 400 motorcycles occupied the yard. In 2008 a Swiss court ordered the vehicles removed and by 2009 most had been auctioned off, sold or removed and scrapped.
Geography
Kaufdorf has an area of . As of 2012, a total of or 65.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 14.6% is forested. The rest of the municipality is or 20.4% is settled (buildings or roads), or 1.5% is either rivers or lakes.[Swiss Federal Statistical Office-Land Use Statistics]
2009 data accessed 25 March 2010
During the same year, industrial buildings made up 2.4% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 8.7% and transportation infrastructure made up 8.3%. All of the forested land area is covered with heavy forests. Of the agricultural land, 34.0% is used for growing crops and 27.2% is pasturage, while 4.4% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.[
The municipality is located in the ]Gürbetal
Gürbetal (Gürbe Valley) in Switzerland lies between the towns of Bern and Thun, west of the Aare. It contains the municipality of Seftigen and those that surround it. The valley is named after the river Gürbe, which flows through it. The largest ...
and on Längenberg mountain. It consists of the villages of Kaufdorf and Gutenbrünnen along with scattered farms.
On 31 December 2009 Amtsbezirk Seftigen, the municipality's former district, was dissolved. On the following day, 1 January 2010, it joined the newly created Verwaltungskreis Bern-Mittelland.[Nomenklaturen – Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis der Schweiz]
accessed 4 April 2011
Coat of arms
The blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vis ...
of the municipal coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
is ''Per fess Gules a Ram's Head guardant Argent and of the last a Trefoil Vert.''
Demographics
Kaufdorf has a population () of . , 8.7% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 2 years (2010-2012) the population has changed at a rate of 1.8%. Migration accounted for 0.7%, while births and deaths accounted for 0.8%.[Swiss Federal Statistical Office]
accessed 28 March 2014
Most of the population () speaks German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
(753 or 95.3%) as their first language, Albanian
Albanian may refer to:
*Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular:
**Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans
**Albanian language
**Albanian culture
**Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...
is the second most common (13 or 1.6%) and French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
is the third (6 or 0.8%). There is 1 person who speaks Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
and 1 person who speaks Romansh.[
, the population was 49.7% male and 50.3% female. The population was made up of 458 Swiss men (44.5% of the population) and 53 (5.2%) non-Swiss men. There were 475 Swiss women (46.2%) and 43 (4.2%) non-Swiss women.][Statistical office of the Canton of Bern]
accessed 4 January 2012 Of the population in the municipality, 179 or about 22.7% were born in Kaufdorf and lived there in 2000. There were 382 or 48.4% who were born in the same canton, while 145 or 18.4% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 67 or 8.5% were born outside of Switzerland.[
, children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 24.3% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 61.5% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 14.1%.][
, there were 319 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 400 married individuals, 46 widows or widowers and 25 individuals who are divorced.][STAT-TAB Datenwürfel für Thema 40.3 - 2000]
accessed 2 February 2011
, there were 93 households that consist of only one person and 24 households with five or more people. , a total of 317 apartments (94.9% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 10 apartments (3.0%) were seasonally occupied and 7 apartments (2.1%) were empty.[Swiss Federal Statistical Office STAT-TAB - Datenwürfel für Thema 09.2 - Gebäude und Wohnungen]
accessed 28 January 2011 The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 2.3094688222%. In 2011, single family homes made up 68.2% of the total housing in the municipality.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
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bar:1870 from:start till:315 text:"315"
bar:1880 from:start till:305 text:"305"
bar:1888 from:start till:271 text:"271"
bar:1900 from:start till:318 text:"318"
bar:1910 from:start till:347 text:"347"
bar:1920 from:start till:420 text:"420"
bar:1930 from:start till:426 text:"426"
bar:1941 from:start till:406 text:"406"
bar:1950 from:start till:426 text:"426"
bar:1960 from:start till:449 text:"449"
bar:1970 from:start till:475 text:"475"
bar:1980 from:start till:559 text:"559"
bar:1990 from:start till:673 text:"673"
bar:2000 from:start till:790 text:"790"
bar:2010 from:start till:1022 text:"1,022"
Politics
In the 2011 federal election the most popular party was the Swiss People's Party (SVP) which received 28.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the Social Democratic Party (SP) (20.6%), the Conservative Democratic Party (BDP) (15.2%) and the Green Party
A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence.
Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...
(10.3%). In the federal election, a total of 472 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
In political science, voter turnout is the participation rate (often defined as those who cast a ballot) of a given election. This can be the percentage of registered voters, eligible voters, or all voting-age people. According to Stanford Unive ...
was 63.9%.[Swiss Federal Statistical Office 2011 Election]
accessed 8 May 2012
Economy
, Kaufdorf had an unemployment rate of 1.31%. , there were a total of 187 people employed in the municipality. Of these, there were 30 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 12 businesses involved in this sector. 61 people were employed in the secondary sector
In macroeconomics, the secondary sector of the economy is an economic sector in the three-sector theory that describes the role of manufacturing. It encompasses industries that produce a finished, usable product or are involved in construction. ...
and there were 14 businesses in this sector. 96 people were employed in the tertiary sector
The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the second ...
, with 40 businesses in this sector.[ There were 435 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 43.9% of the workforce.
there were a total of 130 ]full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent (FTE), or whole time equivalent (WTE), is a unit that indicates the workload of an employee, employed person (or student) in a way that makes workloads or class loads comparable across various contexts. FTE is often used to me ...
jobs. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 25, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 51 of which 2 or (3.9%) were in manufacturing and 45 (88.2%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 54. In the tertiary sector; 5 or 9.3% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 6 or 11.1% were in the movement and storage of goods, 9 or 16.7% were in a hotel or restaurant, 3 or 5.6% were in the information industry, 8 or 14.8% were technical professionals or scientists, 7 or 13.0% were in education and 5 or 9.3% were in health care.
, there were 71 workers who commuted into the municipality and 329 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 4.6 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. A total of 106 workers (59.9% of the 177 total workers in the municipality) both lived and worked in Kaufdorf.[Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Statweb]
accessed 24 June 2010 Of the working population, 33.6% used public transportation to get to work, and 43.9% used a private car.[
In 2011 the average local and cantonal tax rate on a married resident, with two children, of Kaufdorf making 150,000 CHF was 12.5%, while an unmarried resident's rate was 18.4%. For comparison, the average rate for the entire canton in the same year, was 14.2% and 22.0%, while the nationwide average was 12.3% and 21.1% respectively.
In 2009 there were a total of 402 tax payers in the municipality. Of that total, 181 made over 75,000 CHF per year. There was one person who made between 15,000 and 20,000 per year. The average income of the over 75,000 CHF group in Kaufdorf was 115,259 CHF, while the average across all of Switzerland was 130,478 CHF.
In 2011 a total of 1.4% of the population received direct financial assistance from the government.
]
Religion
From the , 575 or 72.8% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church
The Protestant Church in Switzerland (PCS), (EKS); french: Église évangélique réformée de Suisse (EERS); it, Chiesa evangelica riformata in Svizzera (CERiS); rm, Baselgia evangelica refurmada da la Svizra (BRRS) formerly named Federation o ...
, while 79 or 10.0% were Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
. Of the rest of the population, there was 1 member of an Orthodox church, and there were 35 individuals (or about 4.43% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 20 (or about 2.53% of the population) who were Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
. There was 1 person who was Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
. 69 (or about 8.73% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, of the divine or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable. (page 56 in 1967 edition) Another definition provided is the view that "human reason is incapable of providing sufficient ...
or atheist
Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
, and 10 individuals (or about 1.27% of the population) did not answer the question.[
]
Education
In Kaufdorf about 60.9% of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 25.2% have completed additional higher education (either university
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
or a ''Fachhochschule
A ''Fachhochschule'' (; plural ''Fachhochschulen''), abbreviated FH, is a university of applied sciences (UAS), in other words a German tertiary education institution that provides professional education in many applied sciences and applied arts ...
'').[ Of the 123 who had completed some form of tertiary schooling listed in the census, 69.9% were Swiss men, 22.8% were Swiss women, 5.7% were non-Swiss men.][
The Canton of Bern school system provides one year of non-obligatory ]Kindergarten
Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...
, followed by six years of Primary school. This is followed by three years of obligatory lower Secondary school where the students are separated according to ability and aptitude. Following the lower Secondary students may attend additional schooling or they may enter an apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a Tradesman, trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners ...
.
During the 2011-12 school year, there were a total of 108 students attending classes in Kaufdorf. There were 2 kindergarten classes with a total of 31 students in the municipality. Of the kindergarten students, 3.2% were permanent or temporary residents of Switzerland (not citizens) and 3.2% have a different mother language than the classroom language. The municipality had 4 primary classes and 77 students. Of the primary students, 5.2% were permanent or temporary residents of Switzerland (not citizens) and 6.5% have a different mother language than the classroom language.[Schuljahr 2011/12 pdf document]
accessed 9 May 2013
, there were a total of 87 students attending any school in the municipality. Of those, 72 both lived and attended school in the municipality, while 15 students came from another municipality. During the same year, 58 residents attended schools outside the municipality.[
]
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Municipalities of the canton of Bern