The Oberaargau is the region that encompasses the upper watershed of the

Aar River 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 descen ...

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. On the north, lie the

Jura Mountains The Jura Mountains ( , , , ; french: Massif du Jura; german: Juragebirge; it, Massiccio del Giura, rm, Montagnas da Jura) are a sub-alpine mountain range a short distance north of the Western Alps and mainly demarcate a long part of the Frenc ...

, and on the south the hills leading to the

Emmental The Emmental ( en, Emme Valley) is a valley in west-central Switzerland, forming part of the canton of Bern. It is a hilly landscape comprising the basins of the rivers Emme and Ilfis. The region is mostly devoted to farming, particularly dai ...

. Administratively, the Oberaargau forms a district within the ''region''

Emmental-Oberaargau Beginning 2010, Emmental-Oberaargau is one of five administrative divisions (''regions'') of the canton of Berne. It comprises the two former districts of Emmental and Oberaargau The Oberaargau is the region that encompasses the upper watershed ...

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 Confederation. Its capital city, Bern, is also the ''de facto'' capital of Switzerland. ...

. Historically (until 2009), the Oberaargau comprised the two administrative

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

s of Wangen and Aarwangen.

Geography

It lies in the extreme northeast corner of the canton and includes the districts of Aarwangen and Wangen, and part of the district of

Trachselwald Trachselwald is a municipality in the administrative district of Emmental in the Swiss canton of Bern. History The name of this municipality means "Drechsler-Wald" ("Woodturner-Forest) and was first mentioned in 1131 as ''Trahselwalt''. The ...

. It is surrounded by the cantons of Solothurn,

Aargau Aargau, more formally the Canton of Aargau (german: Kanton Aargau; rm, Chantun Argovia; french: Canton d'Argovie; it, Canton Argovia), is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eleven districts and its capita ...

, and

Lucerne Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic German, High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label=Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking po ...

. It is connected to the rest of the canton of Bern only in the south, where it borders on the Emmenthal. The Oberaargau lies on the Swiss Plateau between the large population centers of

and

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

and has therefore become a major thoroughfare for traffic running both east and west and north and south. The Aar River traverses it from west to east, and the primary motorway of Switzerland (the A1) and the main Bern-Zürich railway run through it, making it a central transport region. The primary city is

Langenthal Langenthal is a town and a municipality in the district of Oberaargau in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. On 1 January 2010 the municipality of Untersteckholz merged into the Langenthal. On 1 January 2021 the former municipality of Obersteckhol ...

, and the towns of

Herzogenbuchsee Herzogenbuchsee is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Oberaargau (administrative district), Oberaargau administrative district in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Bern (canton), Bern in Switzerland. The population is 7055 (2 ...

, Wangen, and Aarwangen are important transportation centers. Since the building of the motorway, the primary economic development has taken place in the north, at the foot of the

, particularly in the towns of

Wiedlisbach Wiedlisbach is a municipality in the Oberaargau administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. In 1974, the Wakker Prize was bestowed on Wiedlisbach for the development and preservation of its architectural heritage. History ...

and

Niederbipp Niederbipp is a municipality in the Oberaargau administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. On 1 January 2020 the former municipality of Wolfisberg merged into Niederbipp. History Niederbipp is first mentioned in 968 as ''Pipp ...

. The highest point in the Oberaargaus is the Höllchöpfli in the municipality of Rumisberg, at 1231 meters, and the lowest point is on the Aare at Wynau, at 405 meters.

Administrative district

The Oberaargau District 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. ...

was created on 1 January 2010. It is part of the Emmental-Oberaargau administrative region and includes 45 municipalities over an area of , and as of , residents.

Mergers

*On 1 January 2021 the former municipality of Obersteckholz merged into Langenthal.

History

The region was already known as the Oberaargau in the early

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

(in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

''superior pagus Aragauginsis''). However, this concept also included the Emmenthal. In the

High Middle Ages The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history that lasted from AD 1000 to 1300. The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and were followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended ...

, the area was divided among the counts of Froburg, Aarwangen (later Grünenberg), Zähringen (later the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

s). As the political influence of the city of Bern increased in the late Middle Ages, the Oberaargau came more and more into its sphere of influence. In the 15th century, Bern conquered both the Oberaargau and the

Unteraargau The Unteraargau is the lower watershed of the Aar River in the Swiss canton of Aargau. Geography It corresponds approximately to the canton's southwestern districts of Aarau, Brugg, Kulm, Lenzburg and Zofingen. The Unteraargau includes that ...

and ruled them as one. When Bern lost its old power in 1798, the Unteraargau became the modern canton of Aargau. The boundary between the Oberaargau and Unteraargau was fixed in 1798 along the

Wigger River The Wigger (formerly also called ''Wiggeren'')Article ''Wigger'', in: ''Geographisches Lexikon der Schweiz.'' Attinger, Neuchâtel 1910. Vol. 6, p. 632 is a river in the Swiss cantons of Lucerne and Aargau. It is an important tributary of the rive ...

. In 1802, however, it was shifted west to

Murg Murg may refer to: Places * Murg (Aare), a river of Switzerland * Murg (Northern Black Forest), a river and right tributary of the Rhine in the districts of Freudenstadt and Rastatt, Baden-Württemberg, Germany ** Murg Valley Railway * Murg (Sou ...

river. This action was confirmed by the

Act of Mediation The Act of Mediation () was issued by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the French Republic on 19 February 1803 establishing the Swiss Confederation. The act also abolished the previous Helvetic Republic, which had existed since the invasion ...

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

in 1803 and the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...

in 1815.

References

;Notes ;Citations

External links

Regional Web site (in German)
* {{Authority control Regions of Switzerland Geography of Switzerland