Rüderswil 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 administrative district of
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 ...
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
Rüderswil is first mentioned in 1139 as ''Rüderswile''.
[
The oldest trace of settlements in the area are three ]high medieval
The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the 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 around AD 1500 ...
castles in the hills above the modern town. The knight Adalbert von Rüderswil was mentioned in 1146 though little is known about the local noble family. By 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 Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians on ...
were a major landholder in the Rüderswil ''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 ...
''. The village church was first mentioned in 1275. The current church tower was built in the second half of the 14th century and the late-Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
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 ...
was built in the 15th century. In 1528, 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 ...
and Rüderswil converted along with the rest of the canton.[
Rüderswil and the surrounding villages remained completely rural and agrarian until the 18th century when the ]canvas
Canvas is an extremely durable plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, shelters, as a support for oil painting and for other items for which sturdiness is required, as well as in such fashion objects as handbags ...
weaving cottage industry
The putting-out system is a means of subcontracting work. Historically, it was also known as the workshop system and the domestic system. In putting-out, work is contracted by a central agent to subcontractors who complete the project via remote ...
developed. A cheese factory opened in Rüderswil in 1853, followed by a spinning mill
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally ...
in Schachen in 1869. In 1881 a railroad station opened in Rüderswil. The station and the Emmental valley road in 1899 brought industry to the settlement on the right bank of the river, while the left bank remained dominated by agriculture. By 2005 about 42% of jobs in the municipality were still in agriculture, while only 25% are in industry. In 2009 an attempt to merge Rüderswil and Lauperswil
Lauperswil is a municipality in the administrative district of Emmental in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.
History
Lauperswil is first mentioned in 1275 as ''Loperswile''.
Lauperswil and the surrounding area were inhabited during the Middle ...
was rejected by voters in Lauperswil.[
]
Geography
Rüderswil has an area of . As of 2012, a total of or 68.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 23.7% is forested. The rest of the municipality is or 7.2% is settled (buildings or roads), or 1.0% is either rivers or lakes.[Swiss Federal Statistical Office-Land Use Statistics]
2009 data accessed 25 March 2010
During the same year, housing and buildings made up 4.1% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.7%. A total of 21.8% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.9% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 29.1% is used for growing crops and 36.9% is pasturage, while 2.2% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.[
The municipality is located on a terrace above the left bank of the ]Emme River
The Emme is a river in Switzerland. It rises in the Alps between the peaks of Hohgant and Augstmatthorn in the canton of Bern. The Emme is long and flows through the Emmental and between Zuchwil and Luterbach into the Aare. The drainage area i ...
. It includes the village of Rüderswil, parts of the villages Schwanden im Emmental, Ranflüh and Zollbrück as well as scattered houses and hamlets
A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. Its size relative to a parish can depend on the administration and region. A hamlet may be considered to be a smaller settlement or subdivision or satellite entity to a lar ...
on both sides of the Emme. In 1889 the Wittenbachviertel (Wittenbach quarter) went to Lauperswil and in 1894 Häleschwand went to Signau
Signau is a municipality in the administrative district of Emmental in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.
History
Signau is first mentioned between 1130 and 1146 as ''Sigenowo''.
Scattered mesolithic, Bronze Age and medieval artifacts indicat ...
.
On 31 December 2009 Amtsbezirk Signau, the municipality's former district, was dissolved. On the following day, 1 January 2010, it joined the newly created Verwaltungskreis Emmental.[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 Argent and Gules overall a Lion rampant counterchanged.''
Demographics
Rüderswil has a population () of . , 2.4% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Between the last 2 years (2010-2012) the population changed at a rate of -0.2%. Migration accounted for -2.4%, while births and deaths accounted for 0.0%.[Swiss Federal Statistical Office]
accessed 23 July 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 ...
(2,216 or 98.1%) 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 (22 or 1.0%) and French is the third (3 or 0.1%). There are 3 people who speak 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 2 people who speak Romansh.[
, the population was 49.7% male and 50.3% female. The population was made up of 1,154 Swiss men (48.5% of the population) and 30 (1.3%) non-Swiss men. There were 1,181 Swiss women (49.6%) and 16 (0.7%) non-Swiss women.][Statistical office of the Canton of Bern]
accessed 4 January 2012 Of the population in the municipality, 931 or about 41.2% were born in Rüderswil and lived there in 2000. There were 983 or 43.5% who were born in the same canton, while 186 or 8.2% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 80 or 3.5% were born outside of Switzerland.[
, children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 23.2% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 58.9% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 17.9%.][
, there were 948 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 1,108 married individuals, 138 widows or widowers and 64 individuals who are divorced.][STAT-TAB Datenwürfel für Thema 40.3 - 2000]
accessed 2 February 2011
, there were 275 households that consist of only one person and 80 households with five or more people. , a total of 838 apartments (90.1% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 65 apartments (7.0%) were seasonally occupied and 27 apartments (2.9%) 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 0.4 new units per 1000 residents.[ The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 2.3%. In 2011, single family homes made up 35.4% of the total housing in the municipality.
The historical population is given in the following chart:]
Economy
, Rüderswil had an unemployment rate of 1.45%. , there were a total of 814 people employed in the municipality. Of these, there were 252 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 91 businesses involved in this sector. 200 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 44 businesses in this sector. 362 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 88 businesses in this sector.[ There were 1,201 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 41.5% of the workforce.
there were a total of 536 ]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 174, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 169 of which 99 or (58.6%) were in manufacturing and 70 (41.4%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 193. In the tertiary sector; 39 or 20.2% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 31 or 16.1% were in the movement and storage of goods, 13 or 6.7% were in a hotel or restaurant, 14 or 7.3% were in the information industry, 3 or 1.6% were the insurance or financial industry, 27 or 14.0% were technical professionals or scientists, 18 or 9.3% were in education and 27 or 14.0% were in health care.
, there were 231 workers who commuted into the municipality and 809 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 3.5 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. A total of 392 workers (62.9% of the 623 total workers in the municipality) both lived and worked in Rüderswil.[Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Statweb]
accessed 24 June 2010 Of the working population, 9.9% used public transportation to get to work, and 58.2% used a private car.[
In 2011 the average local and cantonal tax rate on a married resident, with two children, of Rüderswil making 150,000 CHF was 12.4%, while an unmarried resident's rate was 18.2%. 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 982 tax payers in the municipality. Of that total, 240 made over 75,000 CHF per year. There were 14 people who made between 15,000 and 20,000 per year. The greatest number of workers, 271, made between 50,000 and 75,000 CHF per year. The average income of the over 75,000 CHF group in Rüderswil was 105,098 CHF, while the average across all of Switzerland was 130,478 CHF.
In 2011 a total of 2.8% of the population received direct financial assistance from the government.
]
Sights
The entire village of Rüderswil, the village of Ranflüh (including Lützelflüh and Rüderswil) 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 Ried are designated as parts 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 ...
.
Politics
In the 2011 federal election the most popular party was the Swiss People's Party (SVP) which received 42.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the Conservative Democratic Party (BDP) (21.6%), the Social Democratic Party (SP) (9.8%) and the Federal Democratic Union of Switzerland (EDU) (4.7%). In the federal election, a total of 843 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 44.1%.[Swiss Federal Statistical Office 2011 Election]
accessed 8 May 2012
Religion
From the , 1,925 or 85.3% 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 66 or 2.9% 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 were 3 members of an Orthodox church (or about 0.13% of the population), and there were 100 individuals (or about 4.43% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 45 (or about 1.99% 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 were 2 individuals who belonged to another church. 55 (or about 2.44% 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 62 individuals (or about 2.75% of the population) did not answer the question.[
]
Education
In Rüderswil about 55.4% of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 15.3% 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 195 who had completed some form of tertiary schooling listed in the census, 71.8% were Swiss men, 24.6% were Swiss women and 3.1% 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 ...
.[Datei der Gemeinde- und Schultabellen]
accessed 23 July 2014
, there were a total of 237 students attending any school in the municipality. Of those, 190 both lived and attended school in the municipality, while 47 students came from another municipality. During the same year, 128 residents attended schools outside the municipality.[
]
Notable residents
* Niklaus Leuenberger thumb
Niklaus Leuenberger (c. July 17, 1615 – executed 6 September, 1653 Bern) was one of the leaders of the rural rebellion that led to the Swiss peasant war of 1653 in Switzerland. He was nicknamed the "King of the Peasants"
Leuenberger wa ...
, (c. 1615 – 27 August 1653) a leader of 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 ...
was born in Rüderswil. A statue was erected in Rüderswil in 1903 on the 250th Anniversary of his death.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruderswil
Municipalities of the canton of Bern