Berg, St. Gallen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Berg
Coat of arms
Berg Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Berg Location in Canton of St. Gallen Show map of Canton of St. Gallen
Country	Switzerland
Canton	St. Gallen
District	Rorschach
Area
• Total	3.76 km2 (1.45 sq mi)
Elevation	500 m (1,600 ft)
Population  (Dec 2020 )
• Total	866
• Density	230.3/km2 (596.5/sq mi)
Postal code	9305
Surrounded by	Arbon (TG), Mörschwil, Roggwil (TG), Steinach, Wittenbach

Berg is a small town, also called a municipality, in Switzerland. It is located in the canton of St. Gallen, within the Rorschach area.

History of Berg

The town of Berg was first mentioned in old writings in the year 796. Back then, it was called ad Berga. Later, in 837, it was known as in villa nominata Perc.

Geography of Berg

Aerial view of Berg from 800 meters high (1923)

Berg covers an area of about 3.8 square kilometers (1.5 square miles). A large part of this land, about 67%, is used for farming. Forests cover almost 20% of the area. The rest of the land is used for buildings and roads, or it is made up of rivers and lakes.

The town is situated in the Rorschach region. It lies on the road that connects St. Gallen and Arbon. Berg is also located between Lake Constance and the hills to the south and west of the lake. The municipality includes two older villages, Oberberg and Unterberg, which have been around since the Middle Ages.

Berg's Coat of Arms

The coat of arms for Berg shows a blue shield. From the bottom, five golden branches grow upwards. Three of these branches have flowers. At the top of the shield, there are two golden fleur-de-lis symbols.

People and Population in Berg

Berg has a population of about 866 people. A small part of the population, about 10.7%, are people from other countries. Most people in Berg speak German, which is about 94% of the population. Other languages spoken include Portuguese and Serbo-Croatian.

The population of Berg has grown by about 5.4% over the last ten years. In terms of age, about 13.8% of the people are children aged 0 to 9. Teenagers, aged 10 to 19, make up about 15.7% of the population.

Most people in Switzerland are well-educated. In Berg, about 82.9% of adults (aged 25–64) have finished high school or gone on to higher education like university.

Here is a look at how Berg's population has changed over time:

Economy and Jobs in Berg

In Berg, people work in different types of jobs. Many people work in farming, which is called the primary economic sector. There are about 21 businesses in this sector.

Some people work in the secondary sector, which includes things like manufacturing and construction. There are 6 businesses in this area. The largest number of people work in the tertiary sector, which includes services like shops, offices, and healthcare. There are 23 businesses in this sector.

Many residents of Berg also travel to other towns for work. In 2000, about 114 people worked within Berg, while 326 people worked outside the town.

Religion in Berg

Most people in Berg are Christian. About 53% are Roman Catholic, and about 26% belong to the Swiss Reformed Church. A smaller number of people belong to other Christian churches, including the Orthodox Church. There are also some people who follow Islam. About 10% of the population does not belong to any church.

Transport in Berg

Berg is connected by a railway line called the Bodensee–Toggenburg line. This line runs between Romanshorn and St. Gallen. The town has a train station called Roggwil-Berg railway station, which is part of the St. Gallen S-Bahn (a local train system).

Important Heritage Sites

Berg has some important historical places. One of these is Kleiner Hahnberg Castle, located at Hahnberg 177. This castle is considered a heritage site of national significance in Switzerland.

There are also three sites in Berg that are part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites. These include the small village of Zwingensteinhueb and the area known as Hahnberg. Another important site is the Schlosslandschaft Rorschach / Alter Rhein, which means "Castle Landscape of Rorschach / Old Rhine." This is a group of castles in a region along the Rhine river, shared with several other nearby towns.

Famous People from Berg

Cornelius Wilhelm von Heyl

Some notable people have connections to Berg:

• Jakob Schurtanner (around 1450–1526) was a Catholic priest in Berg for a few years. He later became a Protestant pastor and reformer.
• Cornelius Wilhelm von Heyl to Herrnsheim (1843–1923) was a German politician and businessman who passed away in Berg.
• Vincent de Paul Wehrle (1855–1941) was born in Berg. He became a Benedictine monk and later the first bishop of Bismarck, North Dakota, in the USA.

See also

In Spanish: Berg (San Galo) para niños