Pieterlen (french: Perles) 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
Biel/Bienne administrative district in the
canton
Canton may refer to:
Administrative division terminology
* Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland
* Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French
Arts and ent ...
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
Pieterlen is first mentioned in 1228 as ''Perla''. In 1268 it was mentioned as ''Bieterlo''.
[
The Vorem Holz 3 archeological site contains the remains of a ]Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
settlement in the Pieterlen municipality. A first- to third-century Roman
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 letter ...
estate has also been discovered. During the 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 ...
there were several settlements in the modern municipal borders. A medieval bath house was found at Thürliweg. The early medieval ''Totenweg'' cemetery served two different settlements during the 7th-8th centuries. A medieval fortification at Gräuschenhubel has also been discovered. During the Late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the Periodization, period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Eur ...
the village was mentioned as the personal property of the Lords of Pieterlan. By the end of the 13th century, the village passed through the hands of a number of nobles before ending up under the Prince-Bishop of Basel
The Prince-Bishopric of Basel (german: Hochstift Basel, Fürstbistum Basel, Bistum Basel) was an ecclesiastical principality within the Holy Roman Empire, ruled from 1032 by prince-bishops with their seat at Basel, and from 1528 until 1792 at P ...
. Under the Prince-Bishops the village was combined with Romont, Reiben (now part of Büren an der Aare
Büren an der Aare (usually abbreviated with Büren a.A., means ''Büren on the Aare'') is a historic town and a municipality in the Seeland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.
History
Büren an der Aare is first ment ...
and Meinisberg
Meinisberg is a municipality in the Biel/Bienne administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.
History
Meinisberg is first mentioned in 1332 as ''Meynesberg''. The municipality was formerly known by its French name ''Montmenil ...
) to form the southernmost ecclesiastical district of the Erguel seigniory. The low court met in Pieterlen while the high court was in Reiben and was held on the bridge over the Aare river. Militarily it was part of the banner of Biel.[
In 1797 the region was invaded and annexed by France. It was initially part of the ]Département
In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivity, territorial collectivities"), between the regions of France, admin ...
of Mont-Terrible, but in 1800 it was transferred to the Département of Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin (, ; Alsatian: ''Owerelsàss'' or '; german: Oberelsass, ) is a department in the Grand Est region of France, bordering both Germany and Switzerland. It is named after the river Rhine. Its name means ''Upper Rhine''. Haut-Rhin is the ...
. After the collapse of Napoleonic France
The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Eur ...
in 1815, the village was assigned to the Canton of Bern and in the following year it became part of the newly created Büren District. In 1833 the old 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 ...
was divided into four new political municipalities; Pieterlen, Meinisberg, Reiben (joined Büren an der Aare in 1911) and Romont (joined the Courtelary District
Courtelary District was located in Switzerland and was one of the three French-speaking districts of the Bernese Jura, along with La Neuveville and Moutier. The district was located in the canton of Bern with the seat being Courtelary. It had a po ...
in 1840).[
]
The village Church of St. Martin was first mentioned in 1228, though it was built on the site of an earlier, probably 10th century, church. The modern church's nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
was built in 1615 and remodeled in 1858. The choir
A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...
is decorated with medieval mural
A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage.
Word mural in art
The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...
s and the grave plate of the Lords of Eptingen-Wildenstein from the 14th century. The right to appoint the village priest was given to Bellelay Abbey in 1416. Despite 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 ...
and the church becoming Protestant in 1529, the Abbey continued to exercise this right until the secularization of the Abbey in 1797. Today the Reformed parish of Pieterlen includes Meinisberg.
Starting in 1860, a number of small businesses and cottage workshops began manufacturing watch and clock parts. The Olten
Olten (High Alemannic: ''Oute'') is a town in the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland and capital of the district of the same name.
Olten's railway station is within 30 minutes of Zürich, Basel, Bern, and Lucerne by train, and is a rail hub o ...
-Biel railroad built a station in the village in 1857. Around 1900 a watch factory and a brick works opened in the village. By 1904 the watch factory employed 80 workers. The factories, good roads and railroad connections transformed Pieterlen from a farming village, producing grain and wine, into an industrial town. The rapidly growing population required places to live so the workers' settlement of Sonnenhof and the new neighborhoods of Rebenweg, Romontweg, Rain and Löschgatter were built to house them. After the departure of the watch industry in the 1970s and 1980s, the town diversified its industrial base and built the Industrie-West industrial zone. In 2005 nearly half (49%) of the working population work in industry, while 47% work in the services sector. Starting in 2002, a section of the A5 motorway from Solothurn to Biel was built through the municipality.
The ''Schlössli'', a country estate for the Wildermeth family of Biel, was built in 1838. Today it is the retirement home ''Schlössli''. The secondary school opened in the village in 1907. The nature reserve Felsenheide was established outside the town in 1952.[
]
Geography
Pieterlen has an area of . Of this area, or 31.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 47.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, or 19.6% is settled (buildings or roads), or 1.6% is either rivers or lakes and or 0.5% is unproductive land.[Swiss Federal Statistical Office-Land Use Statistics]
2009 data accessed 25 March 2010
Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 2.5% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 7.8% and transportation infrastructure made up 6.1%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 1.7% of the area while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 1.4%. Out of the forested land, all of the forested land area is covered with heavy forests. Of the agricultural land, 25.0% is used for growing crops and 4.9% is pastures, while 1.1% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.[
The municipality is located between 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 the Büttenberg mountain in the Bernese Seeland.
On 31 December 2009 Amtsbezirk Büren, the municipality's former district, was dissolved. On the following day, 1 January 2010, it joined the newly created Verwaltungskreis Biel/Bienne.[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 ''Or a Lion rampant Gules overall a Bar Azure.''
Demographics
Pieterlen has a population () of . , 21.4% 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 8.5%. Migration accounted for 8.1%, while births and deaths accounted for 0.5%.
accessed 22-August-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 ...
(2,832 or 86.3%) as their first language, 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 second most common (116 or 3.5%) and 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 third (95 or 2.9%). There are 81 people who speak Italian and 6 people who speak Romansh.[
, the population was 49.1% male and 50.9% female. The population was made up of 1,342 Swiss men (37.9% of the population) and 396 (11.2%) non-Swiss men. There were 1,444 Swiss women (40.8%) and 36 (1.0%) non-Swiss women.] Of the population in the municipality, 847 or about 25.8% were born in Pieterlen and lived there in 2000. There were 1,149 or 35.0% who were born in the same canton, while 577 or 17.6% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 555 or 16.9% were born outside of Switzerland.[
, children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 20.8% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 62.2% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 17%.][
, there were 1,223 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 1,603 married individuals, 263 widows or widowers and 193 individuals who are divorced.][STAT-TAB Datenwürfel für Thema 40.3 - 2000]
accessed 2 February 2011
, there were 444 households that consist of only one person and 88 households with five or more people. , a total of 1,331 apartments (83.9% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 144 apartments (9.1%) were seasonally occupied and 112 apartments (7.1%) 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 26.2 new units per 1000 residents.[ The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 4.81%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:]
Colors=
id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9)
id:darkgrey value:gray(0.8)
ImageSize = width:1020 height:210
PlotArea = top:10 left:100 bottom:50 right:100
AlignBars = justify
DateFormat = x.y
Period = from:0 till:3500
TimeAxis = orientation:vertical
AlignBars = justify
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:700 start:0
ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:140 start:0
PlotData=
color:yellowgreen width:40 mark:(line,white) align:center
bar:1726 from:start till:296 text:"296"
bar:1850 from:start till:633 text:"633"
bar:1860 from:start till:702 text:"702"
bar:1870 from:start till:775 text:"775"
bar:1880 from:start till:832 text:"832"
bar:1888 from:start till:960 text:"960"
bar:1900 from:start till:1197 text:"1,197"
bar:1910 from:start till:1472 text:"1,472"
bar:1920 from:start till:1698 text:"1,698"
bar:1930 from:start till:1991 text:"1,991"
bar:1941 from:start till:1966 text:"1,966"
bar:1950 from:start till:2375 text:"2,375"
bar:1960 from:start till:2978 text:"2,978"
bar:1970 from:start till:3485 text:"3,485"
bar:1980 from:start till:3127 text:"3,127"
bar:1990 from:start till:3454 text:"3,454"
bar:2000 from:start till:3282 text:"3,282"
Heritage sites of national significance
The medieval graveyard known as the ''Totenweg'' and ''Bünden'' and the medieval church are listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance.
Politics
In the 2011 federal election the most popular party was the SVP which received 31.8% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were 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 ...
(18.3%), the BDP Party (14.5%) and the FDP (12.1%). In the federal election, a total of 922 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 39.2%.[Swiss Federal Statistical Office 2011 Election]
accessed 8 May 2012
Economy
, Pieterlen had an unemployment rate of 3.14%. , there were a total of 1,217 people employed in the municipality. Of these, there were 36 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 12 businesses involved in this sector. 591 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 45 businesses in this sector. 590 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 83 businesses in this sector.[
there were a total of 1,024 ]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 26, of which 20 were in agriculture and 6 were in forestry or lumber production. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 557 of which 458 or (82.2%) were in manufacturing and 97 (17.4%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 441. In the tertiary sector; 126 or 28.6% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 13 or 2.9% were in the movement and storage of goods, 50 or 11.3% were in a hotel or restaurant, 38 or 8.6% were technical professionals or scientists, 41 or 9.3% were in education and 134 or 30.4% were in health care.
, there were 638 workers who commuted into the municipality and 1,141 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 1.8 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering.[Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Statweb]
accessed 24 June 2010 Of the working population, 17.1% used public transportation to get to work, and 56.1% used a private car.[
]
Religion
From the , 602 or 18.3% 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 1,845 or 56.2% 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, there were 45 members of an Orthodox church (or about 1.37% of the population), there were 4 individuals (or about 0.12% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic Church, and there were 306 individuals (or about 9.32% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 4 individuals (or about 0.12% of the population) who 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 ...
, and 212 (or about 6.46% of the population) who were Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
ic. There were 2 individuals who 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 ...
, 26 individuals who 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 ...
and 9 individuals who belonged to another church. 216 (or about 6.58% 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 162 individuals (or about 4.94% of the population) did not answer the question.[
]
Transport
Pieterlen sits on the Basel–Biel/Bienne and Jura Foot railway lines. It is served by regional trains at Pieterlen.
Education
In Pieterlen about 1,261 or (38.4%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 302 or (9.2%) 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 302 who completed tertiary schooling, 72.8% were Swiss men, 17.2% were Swiss women, 6.6% were non-Swiss men and 3.3% 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 384 students attending classes in Pieterlen. There were 4 kindergarten classes with a total of 72 students in the municipality. Of the kindergarten students, 22.2% were permanent or temporary residents of Switzerland (not citizens) and 48.6% have a different mother language than the classroom language. The municipality had 10 primary classes and 206 students. Of the primary students, 33.5% were permanent or temporary residents of Switzerland (not citizens) and 32.5% have a different mother language than the classroom language. During the same year, there were 6 lower secondary classes with a total of 89 students. There were 24.7% who were permanent or temporary residents of Switzerland (not citizens) and 29.2% have a different mother language than the classroom language.[Schuljahr 2010/11 pdf document]
accessed 4 January 2012
, there were 3 students in Pieterlen who came from another municipality, while 90 residents attended schools outside the municipality.[
]
Further reading
* Heinz Rauscher: ''Pieterlen und seine Nachbarn'', Hornerblätter der Vereinigung für Heimatpflege Büren, 2005
References
External links
Vereinigung für Heimatpflege Büren
many publications about Pieterlen and the Büren district
*
{{Authority control
Municipalities of the canton of Bern
Cultural property of national significance in the canton of Bern