Langenthal is a town and 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 district of
Oberaargau
The Oberaargau is the region that encompasses the upper watershed of the Aar River in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. On the north, lie the Jura Mountains, and on the south the hills leading to the Emmental.
Administratively, the Oberaargau fo ...
in the
canton of Bern
The canton of Bern or Berne (german: Kanton Bern; rm, Chantun Berna; french: canton de Berne; it, Canton Berna) is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. Its capital city, Bern, is also the ''de facto'' capital of Switzerland. ...
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 ...
. On 1 January 2010 the municipality of
Untersteckholz
Untersteckholz was a municipality in the district of Aarwangen in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. On 1 January 2010, Untersteckholz merged into Langenthal.
Geography
Before the merge, Untersteckholz had an area, , of . Of this area, or 73. ...
merged into the Langenthal.
On 1 January 2021 the former municipality of
Obersteckholz
Obersteckholz is a former municipality in the Oberaargau administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. On 1 January 2021 the former municipality of Obersteckholz merged into Langenthal.
History
Obersteckholz is first mentioned i ...
merged into Langenthal.
Langenthal is an educational, cultural, and economic center for the region of
Oberaargau
The Oberaargau is the region that encompasses the upper watershed of the Aar River in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. On the north, lie the Jura Mountains, and on the south the hills leading to the Emmental.
Administratively, the Oberaargau fo ...
.
History
Archeological evidence suggests that early settlements existed around 4000 B.C. in the Langenthal area. A
Hallstatt
Hallstatt ( , , ) is a small town in the district of Gmunden, in the Austrian state of Upper Austria. Situated between the southwestern shore of Hallstätter See and the steep slopes of the Dachstein massif, the town lies in the Salzkammergut ...
necropolis
A necropolis (plural necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'', literally meaning "city of the dead".
The term usually im ...
with twelve
grave mounds
A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones built ...
has been found at Unterhard. Remnants of two Roman villae have also been identified.
Langenthal is first mentioned in 861, as ''marcha in Langatun'', referring to farming estates scattered along the
Langete
The Aare () or Aar () is a tributary of the High Rhine and the longest river that both rises and ends entirely within Switzerland.
Its total length from its source to its junction with the Rhine comprises about , during which distance it descend ...
(a tributary of the
Murg). The Old High German name ''Langatun'' is presumably composed of a hydronym ''langa-'' and the
Gaulish
Gaulish was an ancient Celtic languages, Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium ...
element ''
dun
A dun is an ancient or medieval fort. In Ireland and Britain it is mainly a kind of hillfort and also a kind of Atlantic roundhouse.
Etymology
The term comes from Irish language, Irish ''dún'' or Scottish Gaelic ''dùn'' (meaning "fort"), ...
um'' "fort" (which had become productive as a suffix in toponyms).
The re-interpretation of the name as including the element ''-tal'' "valley" dates to c. the 15th century, during which the name is on record as either '' Langaten'' or '' Langental'' (the same process can be observed in the case of
Murgenthal
Murgenthal is a municipality in the district of Zofingen in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.
History
Murgenthal is first mentioned in 1255 as ''Murgatun''. The ''Herrschaft'' rights to the village belonged to the Counts of Frohburg until ...
, earlier ''Murgatun'').
In the 12th century Langenthal (now known as ''Langaton'') belonged to the territory of the lords of
Langenstein. In 1194 the Freiherr founded the
Abbey of St. Urban and endowed the Abbey with lands in Langenthal.
Formerly part of
Thunstetten
Thunstetten is a municipality in the Oberaargau administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.
History
Thunstetten is first mentioned in 1220 as ''Tunchsteten''.
Individual artifacts from the neolithic era have been found in ...
parish, Langenthal was granted its own parish church in 1197.
After the extinction of the Langenstein family in 1212, the Abbey inherited additional lands in the area. The establishment of the Abbey brought agricultural improvements, especially the introduction of an irrigation system to the area. However, the Abbey often came into conflict with the
Kyburg Ministerialis
The ''ministeriales'' (singular: ''ministerialis'') were a class of people raised up from serfdom and placed in positions of power and responsibility in the High Middle Ages in the Holy Roman Empire.
The word and its German translations, ''Minis ...
(unfree knights in the service of a feudal overlord) family of Luternau. The Luternau family fought the growing power of the Abbey, until 1273-76 when they were obligated to sell their interest in Langenthal to the Abbey. Just a few years later, in 1279, the Abbey, in turn, was forced to give the
low court and a fortified house in Langenthal to the
Freiherr of Grünenberg to hold as a fief. By the end of the 14th century, the Abbey had regained power and was able to bring the village fully under their control.
[
Starting in 1313 the Kyburgs held the high court right for the village. When that family died out in 1406, ]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 ...
inherited the right to hold the high court. Over the next few years Bern's power expanded in Langenthal. In 1415, Langenthal became incorporated into the territory of the Republic of Bern, but it remained under the landlordship and the low court of the monastery. Over the following centuries, the Bernese court slowly eliminated many of the Abbey's powers. 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 ...
of 1528 weakened the power of the Abbey slightly, but it continued to collect tithes and appoint the village priest until Bern bought those rights in 1808.[
During the 16th century a number of craftsmen and small businesses moved into the growing town. In 1571 Bern granted the right for the town to hold two yearly markets. However, the supply of goods for sale quickly exceeded the capacity of the two yearly markets. In 1613 they built a ''Kaufhaus'' or market building and started holding weekly markets. The ''Kaufhaus'' was rebuilt in 1808 and from 1894 until 1992 served as the town hall. By 1616 Langenthal had a series of laws and regulations governing the booming markets and trade in the town. In 1640 Langenthal and Langnau became centers of linen canvas production and export to France, Italy, Spain and Portugal. In 1704 Langenthal became the seat of the Oberaargau canvas dealer's guild, which brought together weavers, shopkeepers and traders to protect their interests. The decline of eastern Switzerland's linen industry in the 18th century gave Langenthal a further boost, which encouraged to Bern to tighten supervision. Beginning in 1758 the Bernese government started inspecting cloth for quality and controlling who was allowed to sell.][
The success of the linen trade helped the town to grow. Even though the Aargau cantonal road bypassed the Langenthal, by 1756 it had grown to a total of 189 households, three taverns, various administrative buildings and a warehouse (dated 1748).
The market street was paved in 1730 and the Langete was partially covered with stone bridges and new houses. In 1785 a brewery opened in town. A small elite of merchants, lawyers, physicians and pharmacists emerged and turned Langenthal into a center of the liberal and nationalist thought during the early modern era.
Langenthal had been a subject territory of Berne within the ]Old Swiss Confederacy
The Old Swiss Confederacy or Swiss Confederacy (German language, Modern German: ; historically , after the Swiss Reformation, Reformation also , "Confederation of the Swiss") was a loose confederation of independent small states (, German or ...
since 1415, and tended to support uprisings against the central authorities; during the Swiss peasant war of 1653
The Swiss peasant war of 1653 () was a popular revolt in the Old Swiss Confederacy at the time of the Ancien Régime. A devaluation of Bernese money caused a tax revolt that spread from the Entlebuch valley in the Canton of Lucerne to the Emmenta ...
Langenthal had supported the peasant uprising, as well as the 1798 French invasion and the liberal Helvetic Republic
The Helvetic Republic (, , ) was a sister republic of France that existed between 1798 and 1803, during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was created following the French invasion and the consequent dissolution of the Old Swiss Confederacy, ma ...
.[
The current municipal coat of arms, three wavy bands in blue on yellow (''Or three Bends wavy Azure''), has been in use since c. 1870, replacing an earlier design in red and silver,
but the use of a flag with a similar design, "yellow and blue with a triple rivulet" (''Sie führen einen Fahnen ist gälb und blaw / In dreyfachen Bach darinnen'') is recorded in a song of c. 1700.
Langenthal's location on the road from Bern to Zurich (completed in 1760) and on the Swiss Central Railway line (inaugurated in 1857) spurred industrial development, led by textiles and machines. Municipal water supply was introduced in 1894 and an electric utility began operating in 1896. In 1898, the formerly neighboring municipality of Schoren was incorporated into Langenthal.
Langenthal had a population of 1,327 in 1764; population grew to 2,738 by 1850, and to 4,799 by 1900.
In the 20th century, Langenthal became known for its porcelain manufacture. Langenthal reached a population of 10,000 in 1957, further growing to 13,000 by 1970. The municipality has been officially referring to itself as a town (''Stadt'') since 1997.
In 2001, Langenthal was twinned with the town of ]Neviano
Neviano ( Salentino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Italian province of Lecce in the Apulia region of south-east Italy.
Twin towns
* Langenthal (Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament ...
in southern Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
and with Brig-Glis
Brig, officially Brig-Glis (french: Brigue-Glis; it, Briga-Glis), is a List of towns in Switzerland, historic town and Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Brig (district), Brig in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. Th ...
in the upper Valais
Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 ...
.
In 2010, the municipality of Untersteckholz
Untersteckholz was a municipality in the district of Aarwangen in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. On 1 January 2010, Untersteckholz merged into Langenthal.
Geography
Before the merge, Untersteckholz had an area, , of . Of this area, or 73. ...
was incorporated into Langenthal.
Obersteckholz
Obersteckholz is first mentioned in 1255 as ''Stechcholz''.
Obersteckholz was the property of the Baron of Langenstein. In 1194, he founded St. Urban's Abbey and granted the village to the Abbey as part of its endowment. It was part of the Abbey's court of Langenthal until 1406 when it became part of the 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 ...
ese bailiwick
A bailiwick () is usually the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff, and once also applied to territories in which a privately appointed bailiff exercised the sheriff's functions under a royal or imperial writ. The bailiwick is probably modelled on th ...
of Wangen. Following the 1798 French invasion it became part of the district of Langenthal under the Helvetic Republic
The Helvetic Republic (, , ) was a sister republic of France that existed between 1798 and 1803, during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was created following the French invasion and the consequent dissolution of the Old Swiss Confederacy, ma ...
. In 1803, after the collapse of the Republic, it became part of the Aarwangen District
Aarwangen District was a district in the northeast corner of the canton of Bern
The canton of Bern or Berne (german: Kanton Bern; rm, Chantun Berna; french: canton de Berne; it, Canton Berna) is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confe ...
. The village became an independent municipality in 1831. Until 1790 and again after 1975 Obersteckholz and Untersteckholz
Untersteckholz was a municipality in the district of Aarwangen in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. On 1 January 2010, Untersteckholz merged into Langenthal.
Geography
Before the merge, Untersteckholz had an area, , of . Of this area, or 73. ...
shared a single school district.[
]
Geography
After the merger, Langenthal has an area of . Of this area, or 23.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 41.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, or 34.4% is settled (buildings or roads), or 0.3% is either rivers or lakes.[Swiss Federal Statistical Office-Land Use Statistics]
2009 data accessed 25 March 2010
Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 5.1% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 17.8% and transportation infrastructure made up 8.0%. while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 2.9%. Out of the forested land, 40.5% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.1% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 16.6% is used for growing crops and 6.2% is pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.[
Untersteckholz had an area, , of . Of this area, or 73.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 20.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, or 5.7% is settled (buildings or roads).][
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 2.1% and transportation infrastructure made up 3.2%. 17.7% of the total land area is heavily forested and 3.2% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 56.5% is used for growing crops and 14.1% is pastures, while 3.2% is used for orchards or vine crops.][
The municipality is the largest settlement in the Langetental (Langeten Valley) and since 1997 it has been considered a city. It consists of the old village of Langenthal, numerous expansions of the village core, the village of Schoren and since 2010, Untersteckholz.
]
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 ...
for 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 ''bendy wavy Or and Azure''.
Demographics
Langenthal has a population () of . , 19.9% of the population are resident foreign nationals.[Statistical office of the Canton of Bern]
accessed 4 January 2012 Over the last 10 years (2000–2010) the population has changed at a rate of 5.3%. Migration accounted for 8%, while births and deaths accounted for -0.7%.
accessed 25-May-2012
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 ...
(11,994 or 85.2%) as their first language, 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 ...
is the second most common (484 or 3.4%) and Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian () – also called Serbo-Croat (), Serbo-Croat-Bosnian (SCB), Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian (BCS), and Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS) – is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and ...
is the third (297 or 2.1%). There are 108 people who speak French and 5 people who speak Romansh.[
, the population was 48.6% male and 51.4% female. The population was made up of 5,672 Swiss men (38.0% of the population) and 1,583 (10.6%) non-Swiss men. There were 6,299 Swiss women (42.2%) and 1,384 (9.3%) non-Swiss women.] Of the population in the municipality, 4,139 or about 29.4% were born in Langenthal and lived there in 2000. There were 4,236 or 30.1% who were born in the same canton, while 2,618 or 18.6% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 2,674 or 19.0% were born outside of Switzerland.[
, children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 19.7% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 61.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 18.7%.][
, there were 5,805 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 6,633 married individuals, 941 widows or widowers and 699 individuals who are divorced.][STAT-TAB Datenwürfel für Thema 40.3 - 2000]
accessed 2 February 2011
, there were 2,277 households that consist of only one person and 365 households with five or more people. , a total of 6,080 apartments (91.2% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 327 apartments (4.9%) were seasonally occupied and 261 apartments (3.9%) were empty.[Swiss Federal Statistical Office STAT-TAB - Datenwürfel für Thema 09.2 - Gebäude und Wohnungen]
accessed 28 January 2011 , the construction rate of new housing units was 6.2 new units per 1000 residents.[ The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 1.2%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
Colors=
id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9)
id:darkgrey value:gray(0.8)
ImageSize = width:1100 height:500
PlotArea = height:350 left:100 bottom:90 right:100
Legend = columns:3 left:220 top:70 columnwidth:160
AlignBars = justify
DateFormat = x.y
Period = from:0 till:16000
TimeAxis = orientation:vertical
AlignBars = justify
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:4000 start:0
ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:500 start:0
Colors=
id:LA value:yellowgreen legend:Langenthal
id:OB value:green legend:Obersteckholz
PlotData=
color:yellowgreen width:40 mark:(line,white) align:center
bar:1764 from:start till:1327 text:"1,327" color:LA
bar:1850 from: 0 till:3032 text:"3,032" color:LA
bar:1860 from: 0 till:3075 text:"3,075" color:LA
bar:1870 from: 0 till:3637 text:"3,637" color:LA
bar:1880 from: 0 till:4101 text:"4,101" color:LA
bar:1888 from: 0 till:4095 text:"4,095" color:LA
bar:1900 from: 0 till:4799 text:"4,799" color:LA
bar:1910 from: 0 till:5963 text:"5,963" color:LA
bar:1920 from: 0 till:6280 text:"6,280" color:LA
bar:1930 from: 0 till:7257 text:"7,257" color:LA
bar:1941 from: 0 till:8036 text:"8,036" color:LA
bar:1950 from: 0 till:8933 text:"8,933" color:LA
bar:1960 from: 0 till:10974 text:"10,974" color:LA
bar:1970 from: 0 till:13007 text:"13,007" color:LA
bar:1980 from: 0 till:13408 text:"13,408" color:LA
bar:1990 from: 0 till:14350 text:"14,350" color:LA
bar:2000 from: 0 till:14078 text:"14,078" color:LA
bar:2010 from: 0 till:15263 text:"15,263" color:LA
bar:1850 from: 3032 till:3672 text:"640" color:OB
bar:1860 from: 3075 till:3695 text:"620" color:OB
bar:1870 from: 3637 till:4256 text:"619" color:OB
bar:1880 from: 4101 till:4670 text:"569" color:OB
bar:1888 from: 4095 till:4661 text:"566" color:OB
bar:1900 from: 4799 till:5322 text:"523" color:OB
bar:1910 from: 5963 till:6425 text:"462" color:OB
bar:1920 from: 6280 till:6773 text:"493" color:OB
bar:1930 from: 7257 till:7709 text:"452" color:OB
bar:1941 from: 8036 till:8472 text:"436" color:OB
bar:1950 from: 8933 till:9412 text:"479" color:OB
bar:1960 from: 10974 till:11455 text:"481" color:OB
bar:1970 from: 13007 till:13418 text:"411" color:OB
bar:1980 from: 13408 till:13826 text:"418" color:OB
bar:1990 from: 14350 till:14761 text:"411" color:OB
bar:2000 from: 14078 till:14476 text:"398" color:OB
bar:2010 from: 15263 till:15670 text:"407" color:OB
]
Heritage sites of national significance
The old ''Kaufhaus'' (market building), Old Mill, and the archeological site at Unterhard are listed as Swiss heritage site of national significance. The old village of Langenthal and the hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
of Chlyrot are part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
The Federal Inventory of Heritage Sites (ISOS) is part of a 1981 Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Council implementing the Federal Law on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage.
Sites of national importance
Types
The types are based on t ...
.
File:Langenthal-Kaufhaus.jpg, Kaufhaus
File:Langenthal-Muehle.jpg, Old Mill
Politics
In the 2011 federal election the most popular party was the SPS
SPS may refer to:
Law and government
* Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures of the WTO
* NATO Science for Peace and Security
* Single Payment Scheme, an EU agricultural subsidy
* The Standard Procurement System, fo ...
which received 22.7% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP (22.5%), the FDP (16.7%) and the BDP Party (12.1%). In the federal election, a total of 4,833 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 47.1%.[Swiss Federal Statistical Office 2011 Election]
accessed 8 May 2012
Economy
Langenthal is an economic and industrial center of regional importance, and the seat of companies including
Ammann Group
Ammann Group Holding AG is a Swiss mechanical engineering company specialised on machines for the building industry and road construction.
As of 2012, the company employs a workforce of about 3,400. It is incorporated in Bern, but its offices ...
(construction vehicles), Motorex Bucher (lubricants), KADI AG (food), a Ruckstuhl (textile flooring), Lantal Textiles, Création Baumann (textiles).
, Langenthal had an unemployment rate of 2.52%. , there were a total of 10,745 people employed in the municipality. Of these, there were 76 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 21 businesses involved in this sector. 3,619 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 149 businesses in this sector. 7,050 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 658 businesses in this sector.[
there were a total of 9,065 ]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 32, of which 28 were in agriculture and 4 were in forestry or lumber production. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 3,398 of which 2,412 or (71.0%) were in manufacturing and 829 (24.4%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 5,635. In the tertiary sector; 2,119 or 37.6% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 317 or 5.6% were in the movement and storage of goods, 259 or 4.6% were in a hotel or restaurant, 152 or 2.7% were in the information industry, 303 or 5.4% were the insurance or financial industry, 453 or 8.0% were technical professionals or scientists, 317 or 5.6% were in education and 1,170 or 20.8% were in health care.
, there were 6,627 workers who commuted into the municipality and 3,101 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 2.1 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving.[Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Statweb]
accessed 24 June 2010 Of the working population, 16.5% used public transportation to get to work, and 43.5% used a private car.[
]
Religion
From the , 2,610 or 18.5% 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 ...
, while 8,338 or 59.2% 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 ...
. Of the rest of the population, 281 (2.00%) were members of an Orthodox church
Orthodox Church may refer to:
* Eastern Orthodox Church
* Oriental Orthodox Churches
* Orthodox Presbyterian Church
* Orthodox Presbyterian Church of New Zealand
* State church of the Roman Empire
* True Orthodox church
See also
* Orthodox (di ...
, 14 individuals (0.10%) who belonged to the Christian Catholic Church, and 919 individuals (6.53%) adhered to some other Christian church; 847 individuals (6.02%) 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 ...
158 individuals were Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
, 66 individuals were 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 ...
and 2 individuals (0.01%) were Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
. 8 individuals adhered to some other non-Christian religious group.
794 (or about 5.64% of the population) were non-religious, and 494 individuals (or about 3.51% of the population) refused to state their religious adherence.[
The local Muslim community was at the time in the process of planning a ]minaret
A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گلدسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...
for their "cultural centre" in 2009. This was one of the cases that fuelled the Minaret controversy in Switzerland
The federal popular initiative "against the construction of minarets" was a successful popular initiative in Switzerland to prevent the construction of minarets on mosques. In a November 2009 referendum, a constitutional amendment banning the c ...
which resulted in a successful vote on a proposed ban of minarets in November 2009.
In 2012, a local court ruled against the construction plans on reasons unrelated to the minaret ban (on purely technical grounds of construction laws). For some time, it seemed as if the Langenthal minaret would be the first case where the new minaret ban would be taken to court, the Langenthal Muslim community announcing to the press that they were going to appeal to the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland
The Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland (german: Bundesgericht, french: Tribunal fédéral, it, Tribunale federale, rm, ) is the supreme court of the Swiss Confederation and at the head of the Swiss judiciary.
The Federal Supreme Court i ...
and if necessary further to the European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that a ...
in Strasbourg
Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...
, but they dropped the issue in 2012.
Education
In Langenthal about 5,541 or (39.4%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 1,733 or (12.3%) 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 1,733 who completed tertiary schooling, 66.2% were Swiss men, 22.0% were Swiss women, 7.4% were non-Swiss men and 4.4% were non-Swiss women.[
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 2009–10 school year, there were a total of 1,917 students attending classes in Langenthal. There were 12 kindergarten classes with a total of 241 students in the municipality. Of the kindergarten students, 26.6% were permanent or temporary residents of Switzerland (not citizens) and 39.8% have a different mother language than the classroom language. The municipality had 44 primary classes and 789 students. Of the primary students, 28.6% were permanent or temporary residents of Switzerland (not citizens) and 39.9% have a different mother language than the classroom language. During the same year, there were 38 lower secondary classes with a total of 654 students. There were 19.1% who were permanent or temporary residents of Switzerland (not citizens) and 25.8% have a different mother language than the classroom language.[Schuljahr 2010/11 pdf document]
accessed 4 January 2012
, there were 1,031 students in Langenthal who came from another municipality, while 172 residents attended schools outside the municipality.[
Langenthal is home to the ''Regionalbibliothek Langenthal'' library. The library has () 35,496 books or other media, and loaned out 267,662 items in the same year. It was open a total of 304 days with average of 35 hours per week during that year.]
accessed 14 May 2010
Transportation
The municipality has four railway stations: , , , and . The first of these is a major interchange, with regular service to Zürich Hauptbahnhof
Zürich Hauptbahnhof (often shortened to Zürich HB, or just HB; ''Zürich Main Station'' or ''Zürich Central Station'') is the largest railway station in Switzerland. Zürich is a major railway hub, with services to and from across Switzerland a ...
, , , , , and . Langenthal Süd is located south of Langenthal on the way to Lucerne. The latter two are narrow-gauge stations on the various lines operated by Aare Seeland mobil
The Aare Seeland mobil AG (branded ''asm'' or ''asmobil'') based in Langenthal is a transport company in Switzerland. It was created in 1999 from the merger of Oberaargau Regional Transport (''Regionalverkehr Oberaargau''; RVO), the Solothurn-N ...
.
Sport
The city is home to the SC Langenthal
Schlittschuh Club Langenthal known as SC Langenthal is a Swiss professional ice hockey team. They have played since the 2001–02 season in the Swiss League, the second tier of the main professional ice hockey league in Switzerland, behind the Na ...
which plays in the Swiss League
The Swiss League is the second tier of the main professional ice hockey league in Switzerland, behind the National League. The winners of the league each season plays a best-of-seven series against the bottom team of the NL, and if they win, th ...
. Their home arena is the Schoren which has a seating capacity of 4,500.
Notable people
* Friedrich August Flückiger
Friedrich August Flückiger (also spelled Flueckiger) was a Swiss pharmacist, chemist and botanist. He was born in Langenthal, canton of Bern, on 15 May 1828 and died on 11 December 1894.
Flückiger studied chemistry at the University of Berlin ( ...
(1828 in Langenthal - 1894) a Swiss pharmacist, chemist and botanist
* Carl Friedrich Geiser
Carl Friedrich Geiser (26 February 1843, Langenthal – 7 March 1934, Küsnacht) was a Swiss mathematician, specializing in algebraic geometry. He is known for the Geiser involution and Geiser's minimal surface.
Education and career
Geiser's fat ...
(1843 in Langenthal – 1934) mathematician, specializing in algebraic geometry
* Karl Jaberg
Karl Jaberg (4 April 1877, in Langenthal – 30 May 1958, in Bern) was a Swiss linguist and dialectologist.
He studied Romance philology at the University of Bern, and furthered his education in Paris (1900/01), where his influences include ...
(1877 in Langenthal – 1958) a Swiss linguist and dialectologist Dialectology (from Greek , ''dialektos'', "talk, dialect"; and , ''-logia'') is the scientific study of linguistic dialect, a sub-field of sociolinguistics. It studies variations in language based primarily on geographic distribution and their assoc ...
* Friedrich Born
Friedrich Born (June 10, 1903, Langenthal, Langenthal, Canton of Bern, Switzerland – January 14, 1963) was a Switzerland, Swiss delegate of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Budapest between May 1944 and January 1945, when he ...
(1903 in Langenthal – 1963), ICRC diplomat, credited with rescuing between 11,000 and 15,000 Jews in Budapest
* Adrian Aeschbacher
Adrian Aeschbacher (10 May 1912 in Langenthal, Switzerland – 9 November 2002 in Zurich) was a Swiss classical pianist.
His father was Carl Aeschbacher. His youth was spent at Trogen where his father was professor of piano at the Conserva ...
(1912 in Langenthal – 2002) a Swiss classical pianist
* Heinz Holliger
Heinz Robert Holliger (born 21 May 1939) is a Swiss virtuoso oboist, composer and conductor. Celebrated for his versatility and technique, Holliger is among the most prominent oboists of his generation. His repertoire includes Baroque and Classic ...
(born 1939 in Langenthal) oboist, composer and conductor
* Johann Schneider-Ammann
Johann Niklaus Schneider-Ammann (born Schneider, 18 February 1952) is a Swiss businessman and politician who served as a Member of the Swiss Federal Council from 2010 to 2018. A member of FDP.The Liberals, he was President of the Swiss Confedera ...
(born 1952) businessman and politician, member of the Swiss National Council
The National Council (german: Nationalrat; french: Conseil national; it, Consiglio nazionale; rm, Cussegl naziunal) is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Switzerland, the upper house being the Council of States. With 200 seats, the ...
, lives in Langenthal
* Cornelia Meyer (born 1959 in Langenthal) an international economist, independent energy analyst and media commentator.
* Pedro Lenz (born 1965 in Langenthal) a Swiss writer
* Daniele Pantano
Daniele Pantano (born February 10, 1976) is a poet, essayist, literary translator, artist, editor, and scholar. He was born in Langenthal, Switzerland, of Sicilian and German parentage. Pantano holds degrees in philosophy, literature, and crea ...
(born 1976 in Langenthal) a poet, literary translator, artist, editor and scholar
; Sport
* Fritz Scheidegger
Fritz Scheidegger (Max Friedrich Scheidegger, 30 December 1930 in Langenthal - 26 March 1967 Mallory Park, England) was a Swiss sidecar racer who won two Sidecar World Championships.
Scheidegger began racing in the 500 cc solo class, becom ...
(1930 in Langenthal - 1967) a Swiss sidecar racer, won two Sidecar World Championships.
* Christophe Bühler (born 1974 in Langenthal) a Swiss former sprint freestyle swimmer, competed in the 2000 Summer Olympics
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...
* Stefan Grogg (born 1974), ice hockey player; member of the Swiss Men's National Team 1997
* Bruno Sutter (born 1977 in Langenthal) a Swiss footballer, over 300 club caps, plays for FC Vaduz
FC may refer to:
Businesses, organisations, and schools
* Fergusson College, a science and arts college in Pune, India
* Finncomm Airlines (IATA code)
* FranklinCovey company, NYSE stock symbol FC
* Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force in Pakis ...
* Rémo Meyer (born 1980), football player, over 220 club caps
* Fabienne Meyer
Fabienne Meyer (born 28 November 1981) is a Swiss former bobsledder who has been competing since 2005.
She scored her first World Cup win in a two-woman event at Königssee, Germany, in January 2014. The race also doubled as the women's Bobsle ...
(born 1981) a Swiss former bobsledder, competed in the 2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
and 2014 Winter Olympics
, ''Zharkie. Zimnie. Tvoi'')
, nations = 88
, events = 98 in 7 sports (15 disciplines)
, athletes = 2,873
, opening = 7 February 2014
, closing = 23 February 2014
, opened_by = President Vladimir Putin
, cauldron =
, stadium = Fisht Olympic ...
* Thomas Reinmann (born 1983 in Langenthal) a former Swiss football defender, over 275 club caps
* Sven Bärtschi
Sven Bärtschi (sometimes spelled: Baertschi; born 5 October 1992) is a Swiss former professional ice hockey forward. He played his first professional games in 2009 for SC Langenthal in the National League B before moving to North America to ...
(born 1992), ice hockey player
* Carole Howald (born 1993 in Langenthal) a Swiss female curler
References
External links
Official city website
Website of the higher schools in Langenthal
Website of the local 2nd division ice hockey team
{{Authority control
Cities in Switzerland
Municipalities of the canton of Bern
Cultural property of national significance in the canton of Bern