Busswil bei Melchnau facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Busswil bei Melchnau
Coat of arms
Busswil bei Melchnau Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Busswil bei Melchnau Location in Canton of Bern Show map of Canton of Bern
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Bern
District	Oberaargau
Area
• Total	2.86 km2 (1.10 sq mi)
Elevation	559 m (1,834 ft)
Population  (Dec 2020 )
• Total	177
• Density	61.89/km2 (160.3/sq mi)
Postal code	4917
Surrounded by	Lotzwil, Madiswil, Melchnau, Obersteckholz, Untersteckholz

Busswil bei Melchnau is a small town, also called a municipality, in Switzerland. It is located in the Oberaargau administrative district within the canton of Bern. It's a quiet place with a mix of farms and homes.

History of Busswil bei Melchnau

Busswil bei Melchnau was first mentioned in old records in the year 1194. Back then, it was called Bouswillare.

During the Middle Ages (a long time ago!), parts of the village were owned by important local families and a religious group called the Abbey of St. Gallen. In 1480, the area known as Grünenberg, which included Busswil, was bought by Bern. Bern is a powerful canton in Switzerland.

Under Bern's control, Busswil was part of the Melchnau court. This court was part of a larger area called the bailiwick of Aarwangen until 1798. Before the Protestant Reformation (a big change in religion), Busswil was part of a church area in Grossdietwil. After the Reformation, it became part of the church area of Melchnau.

In the 1800s, people in Busswil started making money from straw plaiting (weaving straw) in addition to farming. This helped them earn more. In 1917, a narrow gauge railway (a smaller train line) opened a station in Busswil. Even with the train, the village mostly stayed a farming community until the 1970s. After that, it slowly became a "bedroom community". This means many people who live there travel to nearby towns like Langenthal for work.

Exploring Busswil's Geography

Farms and countryside near Busswil

Busswil bei Melchnau covers an area of about 2.8 square kilometers (1.1 square miles). A big part of this land, about 52.3%, is used for farming. This includes fields for crops and pastures for animals.

Another large part, about 40.8%, is covered by forests. The remaining small part, about 5.9%, has buildings and roads.

Most of the built-up area is for houses and other buildings. The rest is for roads and transport. All the forested land is covered with thick forests. For farming, about 19.9% of the land grows crops, and 29.6% is used for pastures. A small part, 2.8%, is for fruit trees or grapevines.

The municipality includes the main village of Busswil bei Melchnau. It also has separate farmhouses in areas like Breitacker, Bützberg, Guger, and Hohlen.

In 2010, Busswil bei Melchnau joined a new administrative area. This new area is called Verwaltungskreis Oberaargau.

Busswil's Coat of Arms

The coat of arms for Busswil bei Melchnau has a simple design. It shows a green fir tree growing from a green hill on a silver background. This design is called Argent a Fir Tree growing from a Mount Vert in heraldry terms.

People of Busswil bei Melchnau

Busswil village

Restaurant in Busswil

Busswil bei Melchnau has a population of 177 people. In 2010, about 7% of the people living there were from other countries. Over ten years (from 2000 to 2010), the population grew by about 5.8%. This growth was mostly because more people moved into the town than moved out.

Most people in Busswil bei Melchnau speak German as their main language. In 2000, about 97.4% of the population spoke German. A small number of people also spoke Arabic or French.

In 2008, about 51.7% of the population were male and 48.3% were female. Most of the people living in Busswil were Swiss citizens.

The population has changed over time. Here's how the number of people has looked through history:

Busswil's Economy

In 2011, Busswil bei Melchnau had a very low unemployment rate, only 0.16%. This means almost everyone who wanted a job had one.

In 2008, there were 35 people working in the municipality.

• Most of them, 24 people, worked in the primary economic sector. This means they worked in farming. There were about 10 businesses in this area.
• No one worked in the secondary sector, which includes manufacturing or building.
• 11 people worked in the tertiary sector. This sector includes jobs like sales, services, and restaurants. There were 5 businesses in this sector.

In 2008, there were 23 full-time equivalent jobs. This means if you add up all the part-time and full-time jobs, it equals 23 full-time positions. Most of these jobs were in agriculture.

Many people who live in Busswil travel to other towns for work. In 2000, 66 people left Busswil for work, while only 9 people came into Busswil to work. This shows that Busswil is a place where people live and then travel to other areas for their jobs. About 7.5% of workers used public transportation, and 48.1% drove their own cars.

Religion in Busswil

Based on the 2000 census, most people in Busswil bei Melchnau belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church, about 84.6%. A smaller number, about 3.1%, were Roman Catholic. Some people belonged to other Christian churches. There was also one person who was Islamic and one who was Buddhist. A few people did not belong to any church or did not answer the question.

Education in Busswil

In Busswil bei Melchnau, many people have a good education. About 34.9% of the population have finished upper secondary education. This is like high school. Also, about 10.8% have gone on to higher education. This means they attended a university or a specialized college called a Fachhochschule.

In 2000, 17 students came to Busswil bei Melchnau for school from other towns. At the same time, 5 students who lived in Busswil went to schools outside the municipality.

See also

In Spanish: Busswil bei Melchnau para niños